Living in Dunkerque

In Dunkerque, rent averages €12.20 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 18.6% (2022).

For Dunkerque, the unemployment rate was 18.6% at the end of 2022.

Last checked 2026-09-2416 sources

Population86,263people1 Jan 2023Official source · INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Dunkerque (commune 59183)

Median gross salary (region)2,579EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · www.insee.fr

Average net rent12.2EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60 — 5% aboveOfficial source · static.data.gouv.fr

Unemployment rate18.58%country median 11.0% — 69% aboveOfficial source · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune

Recorded crime5,665incidents per 100,000country median 4,740 — 20% aboveOfficial source · Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)

PM2.5, annual mean10.05µg/m³country median 8.5 — 19% aboveOfficial source · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.

Higher unemployment than 91% of French cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 70% of French cities that publish it and dirtier air than 90% of French cities that publish it.

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

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 Dunkerque.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Dunkerque?

Average net cold rent is 12.2 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): 12.2 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr¹⁴

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€43

Mobile plan, 10 GB€20

Net rent across major citiesDunkerque highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Paris€26.30

Nice€20.43

Lyon€16.57

Marseille€16.30

Toulouse€13.98

Dunkerque€12.20

Show the other 6 cities

Bordeaux€15.99

Lille€15.76

Strasbourg€15.57

Montpellier€15.49

Rennes€14.87

Nantes€14.50

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	42.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Orange Livebox Fibre¹²Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	19.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Orange 100GB mobile plan¹¹Official · national market
G02 Vacancy Rate Pct	3,248 %	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁴Official
Dwellings	47,346 dwellings	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁵Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings	42,249 dwellings	31 Dec 2023	INSEE⁵Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	12.2 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60	31 Dec 2025	static.data.gouv.fr¹⁴Official

Is Dunkerque 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 worker46%strong on work, weak on safety · range 38–54%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on safety · range 50–66%

Student62%strong on education, weak on work · range 55–69%

Family53%strong on family, weak on cost · range 45–61%

Retirement48%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 38–58%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 732 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 12.2 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 Dunkerque?

The unemployment rate is about 18.6 % (2022).

Unemployment rate: 18.58 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune⁷

Unemployment across cities in FranceUnemployment in Dunkerque is 18.6%. Of 2,240 cities with data, 898 have unemployment of 5 to under 10%.

898

832

377

0–55–1010–1515–2020–2525–3030–35

Dunkerque 18.6%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Gigabit broadband availability	96.5 %	31 Mar 2026	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.³Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,579 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	www.insee.fr¹⁶Official
Unemployment rate	18.58 %country median 11.0%	31 Dec 2022	INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Dunkerque?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€1,172of €1,967 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile
Left over

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.	€1,967
Rent, 60 m²€12.20/m² · official · static.data.gouv.fr · 2025-12-31	− €732
Internet€43 · official · Orange Livebox Fibre · 2026-09-30	− €43
Mobile plan€20 · official · Orange 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30	− €20
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,172

Take-home pay for other salaries and households

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

France Travail — Public employment service

France Travail

Job SearchUnemployment Claim

Open official service

Open the France service overview

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary School Count	13 schools	31 Dec 2025	INSEE⁴Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 3 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: UPE2A (unités pédagogiques pour élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés) + UPE2A-NSA variant. How to enrol a child (education.gouv.fr).

A country-wide rule for France; Dunkerque's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Safety

How safe is Dunkerque?

Police recorded about 5,665 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)²

Recorded crime across major citiesDunkerque highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Lille13,488

Lyon13,026

Bordeaux12,429

Marseille11,857

Paris10,987

Montpellier9,636

Toulouse8,875

Rennes8,241

Strasbourg7,791

Nantes7,704

Nice7,577

Dunkerque5,665

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	5,665 incidents per 100,000country median 4,740	31 Dec 2025	Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Dunkerque. 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 Dunkerque.

Find courses near Dunkerque

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 10.1 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 10.8 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual PM10 was 16.6 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Dunkerque?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.1 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: 10.05 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

8°3°

10°5°

13°7°

16°10°

19°13°

21°15°

22°16°

19°14°

16°10°

11°7°

8°4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.510.1WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1016.6WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂10.8WHO 10 · EU 40

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 Dunkerque is 10.1 µg/m³. Of 1,975 cities with data, 626 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

159

482

626

447

166

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–1313–14

Dunkerque 10.1

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	10.84 µg/m³country median 14.8	2024	2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.¹Official
NO₂ — latest reading	14.6 µg/m³	15 Jul 2026	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.⁹Official
PM10 — annual mean	16.63 µg/m³country median 14.2	2024	2024 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 mean	10.05 µg/m³country median 8.5	2024	2024 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 month	Jan 7.6 · Feb 8 · Mar 10.2 · Apr 13.1 · May 16 · Jun 18.9 · Jul 21.2 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 19.3 · Oct 15.6 · Nov 11.1 · Dec 8.3 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station DUNKERQUE¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 3.4 · Feb 3.5 · Mar 5.3 · Apr 7.4 · May 10.5 · Jun 13.3 · Jul 15.5 · Aug 15.8 · Sep 13.6 · Oct 10.4 · Nov 6.9 · Dec 4.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station DUNKERQUE¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.5 · Feb 5.7 · Mar 7.7 · Apr 10.3 · May 13.3 · Jun 16.1 · Jul 18.4 · Aug 18.8 · Sep 16.5 · Oct 13 · Nov 9 · Dec 6.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station DUNKERQUE¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 53.9 · Feb 45.4 · Mar 41.9 · Apr 36.7 · May 45.5 · Jun 54.5 · Jul 58.5 · Aug 64.2 · Sep 64.9 · Oct 73 · Nov 79.5 · Dec 72.8 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station DUNKERQUE¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In France: Le Havre ±0.3 °C. Elsewhere: Bremerhaven (Germany) ±1.7 °C, Saanich (Canada) ±1.7 °C, Bexley (United Kingdom) ±1.0 °C, Westminster (United Kingdom) ±1.0 °C, Islington (United Kingdom) ±1.0 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

The city covered 43.9 km² in 2026. Population density was 1,965.4 people per km² in 2023.

How many people live in Dunkerque?

The published population was 86,263 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Dunkerque (commune 59183)⁶

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport94.9%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	43.89 km²	31 Dec 2026	Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte¹³Official
Foreign residents	4,435 people	2021	Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1¹⁰Official
Population density	1,965 people/km²	31 Dec 2023	Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte¹³Official
Population	86,263 people	1 Jan 2023	INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Dunkerque (commune 59183)⁶Official

International community in Dunkerque

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 group	People	Share
Total	86,263	100.0%
Français	81,621.335	94.6%
Etranger	4,641.665	5.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁸

Alternatives for people set on Dunkerque

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Versailles as a Dunkerque alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 7.8% Versailles vs 18.6% Dunkerque−58%
Median gross pay, region: €3,317 Versailles vs €2,579 Dunkerque+29%
Rent: €24.31/m² Versailles vs €12.20/m² Dunkerqueno percentage
Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,678 Versailles vs 5,665 Dunkerque−17%
Annual PM2.5: 8.8 µg/m³ Versailles vs 10.1 µg/m³ Dunkerque−12%
Residents: 84,095 Versailles vs 86,263 Dunkerque−3%

Full comparison More about Versailles

Alternative cities in France

Other cities in France to compare with Dunkerque, nearest in population first.

All France cities

Dunkirk86,263 residents Aulnay-sous-Bois87,599 residents Marseille 0884,683 residents Aubervilliers88,365 residents Versailles84,095 residents Paris 10 Entrepôt83,873 residents

How does Dunkerque compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Dunkerque's.

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Dunkerque 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

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Dunkerque?

The published population was 86,263 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Dunkerque (commune 59183).

How much does it cost to rent in Dunkerque?

Average net cold rent is 12.2 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 854 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.

Is the air quality good in Dunkerque?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.1 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..

How safe is Dunkerque?

What is the unemployment rate in Dunkerque?

The unemployment rate is about 18.6 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.

What is the typical salary around Dunkerque?

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

Is Dunkerque a good place to live?

Dunkerque 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 Dunkerque?

The official citizenship distribution records 86,263 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 29). Dunkerque, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 809df5b369044055d1a45063723aeb1d]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/dunkerque/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_dunkerque-france-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_15e1a4505834,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Dunkerque, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-29},
  version = {809df5b369044055d1a45063723aeb1d},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/dunkerque/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Dunkerque, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/dunkerque/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 809df5b369044055d1a45063723aeb1d; retrieved 2026-09-29; built 2026-09-29.

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

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
Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026) static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-23
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
INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Dunkerque (commune 59183) INSEE · insee.fr · checked 2026-08-13
INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
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
Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15

Show 6 more sources

Orange 100GB mobile plan boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
Orange Livebox Fibre boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte Séries historiques en 2023 · insee.fr · checked 2026-09-24
static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station DUNKERQUE WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
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.