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Living in Douai

Douai is a city in France. Its population was 40,250 at the start of 2023. The city covered 16.9 km² in 2022. Population density was 2,359.8 people per km² in 2022. The city had 46 schools in 2026. Annual NO₂ was 9.86 µg/m³ in 2024. The unemployment rate was 21.5% at the end of 2022. Annual PM2.5 was 8.51 µg/m³ in 2024. Gigabit broadband availability was 94.3% in March 2026.

Cheaper rent than 61% of French cities that publish it and higher unemployment than 97% of French cities that publish it.

Which France-wide rules apply when you move to Douai?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in FranceNational rates and thresholds that apply in Douai.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Douai?

Average net cold rent is 10.23 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 10.23 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr20

City-level rent is published below; no city-level cost-of-living basket is published for Douai yet.

Net rent across major citiesDouai highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Douai highlighted€26.30Paris€13.26Angers€12.10Amiens€12.08Metz€12.04Dijon€11.80Reims€11.06Le Havre€10.88Perpignan€10.47Le Mans€10.23Douai€9.40Besançon€9.06Limogesnet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
G02 Vacancy Rate Pct3,141 %31 Dec 2023INSEE7Official
Dwellings22,395 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE8Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings18,916 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE8Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.23 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €10.7031 Dec 2025static.data.gouv.fr20Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 614 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.23 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2025-Q3

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Douai?

The unemployment rate is about 21.5 % (2022).

  • Unemployment rate: 21.46 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11
Unemployment across cities in FranceUnemployment in Douai is 21.5%. Of 2,240 cities with data, 898 have unemployment of 5 to under 10%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in France per band18 cities: 0% to under 5%180–5898 cities: 5% to under 10%8985–10832 cities: 10% to under 15%83210–15377 cities: 15% to under 20%37715–2097 cities: 20% to under 25%9720–25Douai 21.5%15 cities: 25% to under 30%1525–303 cities: 30% to under 35%330–35

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fibre-to-the-building availability94.27 %3 Aug 2026Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)3Official
Gigabit broadband availability94.27 %31 Mar 2026Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.6Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,579 EUR/month31 Dec 2022www.insee.fr22Official
Unemployment rate21.46 %country median 11.0%31 Dec 2022INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2013–2022
Unemployment rate in Douai by year, %20.6%21.5%22.4%23.3%2013201520172019202221.5%%

Unemployment rate fell 4.5% between 2013 and 2022, from 22.5% to 21.5%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Douai. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information
Open the France service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Douai. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools46 schools27 May 2026RNEE exact Code_commune; etat=OUVERT; code_nature 100-199 or 300-399; unique UAI count.19Official · commune
Primary School Count28 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)14Official
School Count55 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)14Official

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents79.5 per 100,000 people31 Dec 2024INSEE BPE 2024 commune equipment and PMUN denominator evidence9Official
Hospital Beds Per 100k1,113 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2011DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 20114Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Douai when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Hospital Beds Per 100k1,113 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport30 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights17Official
Nearest airportLIL3 Aug 2026OurAirports18Official
Distance to nearest airport22 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports18Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Douai. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR) — Integration course

État français and OFII

For eligible non-EU foreign residents.

FrenchIn Person
Open official information

DIAN language-training offer finder — Other

Réseau des Carif-Oref and DIAN

For people seeking French-language training.

FrenchIn Person, Online
Open official information
Open the full France section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Douai.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Douai?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 8.51 µg/m³ · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Douai average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND24°2°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Douai average monthly precipitation, mm020406080585152456264687157647573JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Douai average monthly sunshine, hours05511016522062731271751952012091961551156152JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Douai annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5258.5PM2.5154014.7PM1010409.9NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in FranceAnnual PM2.5 in Douai is 8.5 µg/m³. Of 1,975 cities with data, 626 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in France per band2 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³23–412 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³124–541 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³415–6159 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³1596–7482 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³4827–8626 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³6268–9Douai 8.5447 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³4479–10166 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³16610–1127 cities: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³2711–129 cities: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³912–134 cities: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³413–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean9.86 µg/m³country median 14.820242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
NO₂ — latest reading4.67 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.13Official
PM10 — annual mean14.69 µg/m³country median 14.220242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
PM2.5 — annual mean8.51 µg/m³country median 8.5 — about the same20242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.6 · Feb 7.5 · Mar 11.2 · Apr 15 · May 18.4 · Jun 21.3 · Jul 23.7 · Aug 23.7 · Sep 20.2 · Oct 15.4 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN21Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 1.7 · Feb 1.9 · Mar 3.8 · Apr 5.9 · May 9.3 · Jun 12.1 · Jul 14.2 · Aug 14 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 8.4 · Nov 4.9 · Dec 2.3 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN21Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 4.1 · Feb 4.7 · Mar 7.5 · Apr 10.5 · May 13.8 · Jun 16.7 · Jul 18.9 · Aug 18.8 · Sep 15.8 · Oct 11.9 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 4.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN21Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 58.2 · Feb 50.8 · Mar 52.1 · Apr 45.3 · May 61.6 · Jun 63.7 · Jul 67.8 · Aug 71.3 · Sep 56.8 · Oct 64.1 · Nov 75 · Dec 73.3 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN21Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 62 · Feb 73 · Mar 127 · Apr 175 · May 195 · Jun 201 · Jul 209 · Aug 196 · Sep 155 · Oct 115 · Nov 61 · Dec 52 hours1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN21Official · nearest-station reading
Annual PM2.5 over time9 published observations, 2014–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Douai by year, µg/m³7.910.813.716.6201420172019202220248.5µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 46.8% between 2014 and 2024, from 16.0 to 8.5.

Cities of a similar size in France

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All France cities
Marcq-en-Barœul40,184 residentsBoulogne-sur-Mer40,539 residentsMontélimar40,595 residentsNeuilly-sur-Marne39,800 residentsCompiègne40,761 residentsDraguignan40,826 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Douai?

The published population was 40,250 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune10

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Douai residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport94.6%Foreign residents 5.4%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area16.88 km²1 Jan 2022A-ccepted source for city area and derived population density2Official
Foreign-resident share4.8 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat5Official
Foreign residents2,186 people2021Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT116Official
Population density2,360 people/km²1 Jan 2022A-ccepted source for city area and derived population density2Official
Population40,250 people1 Jan 2023INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune10Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2013–2022
Foreign residents in Douai by year, residents2,0282,7903,5524,314201320152017201920224,156residents

Foreign residents rose 37.4% between 2013 and 2022, from 3,024 to 4,156.

International community in Douai

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Citizenship

Population resident in France excluding Mayotte; INSEE RP2023 NAT; total age and sex · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Total40,250100.0%
Français37,540.73493.3%
Etranger2,709.2666.7%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Is Douai a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–63%
Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–70%
Student68%strong on education, weak on safety · range 60–76%
Family64%strong on family, weak on safety · range 55–73%
Retirement59%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 49–69%
Foreign residents2,186 people2021Official source · Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1
Population40,250 people1 Jan 2023Official source · INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune
NO₂ — latest reading4.67 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official source · Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.23 EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2025Official source · static.data.gouv.fr
Dwellings22,395 dwellings31 Dec 2023Official source · INSEE
Fibre-to-the-building availability94.27 %3 Aug 2026Official source · Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr)15Official

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Douai?

The published population was 40,250 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune.

How much does it cost to rent in Douai?

Average net cold rent is 10.23 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 716 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.

Is the air quality good in Douai?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.5 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation..

What is the unemployment rate in Douai?

The unemployment rate is about 21.5 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.

What is the typical salary around Douai?

The median gross salary is 2,579 EUR/month. Source: www.insee.fr.

How many foreign residents live in Douai?

2,186 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1.

Is Douai a good place to live?

Douai may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people are in the Total citizenship group in Douai?

The official citizenship distribution records 40,250 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a citizenship measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Douai, France: rent, salary, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/douai/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_douai-france-rent-salary-jobs-climate_2a0b5055aa18,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Douai, France: rent, salary, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/douai/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Douai, France: rent, salary, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/douai/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-15
  2. A-ccepted source for city area and derived population density insee.fr · checked 2026-07-14
  3. Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse) data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  4. DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011 data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  6. Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage. data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-03-31
  7. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  8. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  9. INSEE BPE 2024 commune equipment and PMUN denominator evidence insee.fr · checked 2026-07-16
  10. INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
Show 12 more sources
  1. INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
  3. Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata. files.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  4. Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr) data.education.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr) data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. RNEE exact Code_commune; etat=OUVERT; code_nature 100-199 or 300-399; unique UAI count. data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-16
  10. static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  11. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  12. www.insee.fr insee.fr · checked 2026-08-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.