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Living in Balvi

In Balvi, unemployment is 8.9% (2025).

The unemployment rate was 8.9% at the start of 2025.

Last checked 2026-10-0718 sources

Population5,500people1 Jan 2026Official source · Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia
Median gross salary (region)987EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia
Unemployment rate8.9%country median 6.0% — 47% aboveOfficial source · CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74
Recorded crime1,931incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-2025

Which Latvia-wide rules apply when you move to Balvi?

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 LatviaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Balvi.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Balvi. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Balvi recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€7
Mobile plan, 10 GB€7
Net rent across major citiesBalvi highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Balvi highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Rīga€5.77
Daugavpils€4.50
Liepāja€1.18
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited6.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Tele2 Latvia fixed internet14Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB6.99 EUR/month31 May 2025Tele2 Latvia 10GB data plan13Official · national market
Dwellings7,723 dwellings31 Dec 2024VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate18Official
Average property price per m²500 EUR/m²31 Dec 2025VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika17Official

Is Balvi 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 worker52%strong on work, weak on housing · range 42–62%
Skilled employee55%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 45–65%
Student59%strong on cost, weak on education · range 48–70%
Family58%strong on safety, weak on education · range 48–68%
Retirement61%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 49–73%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Balvi?

The unemployment rate is 8.9 % (January 2025). Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-747

Unemployment across cities in LatviaUnemployment in Balvi is 8.9%. Of 38 cities with data, 14 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)987 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia2Official · regional context
Unemployment rate8.9 %country median 6.0%1 Jan 2025CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-747Official

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

State Employment Agency — Public employment service

Nodarbinātības valsts aģentūra (NVA)

Job SearchTraining
Open official service
Open the Latvia service overview

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

Safety

How safe is Balvi?

Police recorded 1,931 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-202512

Recorded crime across major citiesBalvi highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Balvi highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Daugavpils2,987
Rīga2,760
Liepāja2,071
Jūrmala1,832
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents1,931 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-202512Official

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was PKV, 99.6 km away in June 2026.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport68 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Nearest airportPKV13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official
Distance to nearest airport99.6 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

2026 Latvian language courses for Ukrainian civilians — State Language Course

Society Integration Foundation

For Ukrainian civilians in Latvia.

LatvianIn PersonFree
Open official information
Open the full Latvia section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Balvi.

Find courses near Balvi

Climate and air quality

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average January temperature-5 °C31 Dec 2020LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)8Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 7.96 · Feb 7.72 · Mar 14.47 · Apr 23.14 · May 27.86 · Jun 29.81 · Jul 31.7 · Aug 30.96 · Sep 26.03 · Oct 19.17 · Nov 10.44 · Dec 8.99 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center9Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -40.36 · Feb -35.3 · Mar -24.06 · Apr -10.62 · May -4.37 · Jun 1.31 · Jul 6 · Aug 4.61 · Sep -1.86 · Oct -9.89 · Nov -20.61 · Dec -28.42 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center9Official
Average temperature by monthJan -7.72 · Feb -7.24 · Mar -2.38 · Apr 4.89 · May 11.58 · Jun 15.38 · Jul 18.09 · Aug 16.64 · Sep 11.8 · Oct 5.08 · Nov 0.19 · Dec -4.6 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center9Official

Population and city profile

Population density was 1,107.0 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Balvi?

The published population was 5,500 people in 2026. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia1

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area4.97 km²31 Dec 2026Total and land area of regions, cities, municipalities, towns and rural territories at the beginning of year (km²)15Official · settlement
Foreign residents547 people1 Jan 2025CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex6Official
Population density1,107 people/km²31 Dec 2026Usually resident population density in regions, cities and towns, municipalities, and rural territories, at the beginning of year16Official · settlement
Population5,500 people1 Jan 2026Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia1Official

International community in Balvi

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

Country of birth

Official Latvian register-based population estimate at the beginning of 2026; all ages; total sex · 2026 (beginning of year)

Published groupPeopleShare
Total17,163100.0%
Latvia16,22594.5%
Born abroad9385.5%
Other countries (excluding EU-27 from 2020)8765.1%
EU-27 from 2020 (excluding Latvia)620.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source5

Citizenship

Official Latvian register-based population estimate at the beginning of 2026; all ages; total sex · 2026 (beginning of year)

Published groupPeopleShare
Total17,163100.0%
Citizens of Latvia16,63596.9%
Non-citizens of Latvia3962.3%
Other citizenship1180.7%
Citizens of European Union 27 countries from 2020 (excluding Latvia)140.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source3

Ancestry or ethnicity

Official Latvian register-based population estimate at the beginning of 2026; all ages; total population · 2026 (beginning of year)

Published groupPeopleShare
Total17,163100.0%
Latvians14,20182.7%
Russians2,36613.8%
Other ethnicities, including not selected and not indicated ethnicity1971.1%
Ukrainians1560.9%
Belarusians950.6%
Roma750.4%
Poles520.3%
Lithuanians140.1%
Estonians50.0%
Jews20.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source4

Alternatives for people set on Balvi

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.

Jūrmala as a Balvi alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Unemployment: 4.9% Jūrmala vs 8.9% Balvi−45%
  • Median gross pay, region: €1,272 Jūrmala vs €987 Balvi+29%
  • Nearest airport: 13.3 km Jūrmala vs 99.6 km Balvi−87%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,832 Jūrmala vs 1,931 Balvino percentage
Full comparisonMore about Jūrmala

Alternative cities in Latvia

Other cities in Latvia to compare with Balvi, nearest in population first.

All Latvia cities
Saulkrasti5,311 residentsPreiļi5,724 residentsUlbroka5,789 residentsLielvārde5,866 residentsSmiltene4,994 residentsĶekava4,967 residents

How does Balvi compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Balvi 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.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: additional support in learning the Latvian language (papildu atbalsts latviešu valodā; regulation for pupils with asylum/alternative status). How to enrol a child (izm.gov.lv).

A country-wide rule for Latvia; Balvi's school authority applies it locally.

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

Common questions

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

How many people live in Balvi?

The published population was 5,500 people in 2026. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

How safe is Balvi?

Police recorded 1,931 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Balvi?

The unemployment rate is 8.9 % (January 2025). Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74.

What is the typical salary around Balvi?

The median gross salary is 987 EUR/month. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

How many foreign residents live in Balvi?

547 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex.

Is Balvi a good place to live?

Balvi 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 born in Latvia live in Balvi?

The official country of birth distribution records 16,225 people (94.5%) in the source-defined population for 2026 (beginning of year). This is a country of birth 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, October 16). Balvi, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 62b6131def6c455b1b308d7c07897a5b]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/balvi/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_balvi-latvia-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_7ae5144fd6da,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Balvi, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {62b6131def6c455b1b308d7c07897a5b},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/balvi/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Balvi, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/balvi/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 62b6131def6c455b1b308d7c07897a5b; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

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. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-05
  2. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-07
  3. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-30
  4. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia ancestry or ethnicity distribution api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-28
  5. Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia country of birth distribution api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-28
  6. CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex CSB Latvia IRV031 · api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-07-26
  7. CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74 CSB Latvia RIG090 · api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-07-26
  8. LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation) LVĢMC · data.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  9. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  10. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
Show 8 more sources
  1. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  2. Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-2025 api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-10-05
  3. Tele2 Latvia 10GB data plan tele2.lv · checked 2026-09-15
  4. Tele2 Latvia fixed internet tele2.lv · checked 2026-09-15
  5. Total and land area of regions, cities, municipalities, towns and rural territories at the beginning of year (km²) data.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-09-25
  6. Usually resident population density in regions, cities and towns, municipalities, and rural territories, at the beginning of year data.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-09-25
  7. VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) · vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  8. VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12

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.