Living in Gulbene

In Gulbene, unemployment is 7.1% (2025).

The nearest airport was PKV, 118.9 km away in June 2026. The unemployment rate was 7.1% at the start of 2025.

Last checked 2026-10-0718 sources

Population6,683people1 Jan 2026Official source · Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia

Median gross salary (region)1,123EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia

Unemployment rate7.1%country median 6.0% — 17% aboveOfficial source · CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74

Recorded crime1,558incidents 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 Gulbene?

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 Gulbene.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€7

Mobile plan, 10 GB€7

Net rent across major citiesGulbene highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Rīga€5.77

Daugavpils€4.50

Liepāja€1.18

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	6.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Tele2 Latvia fixed internet¹³Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	6.99 EUR/month	31 May 2025	Tele2 Latvia 10GB data plan¹²Official · national market
Dwellings	8,196 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate¹⁷Official
Average property price per m²	600 EUR/m²	31 Dec 2025	VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika¹⁶Official

Is Gulbene 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 worker53%strong on work, weak on housing · range 43–63%

Skilled employee57%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 47–67%

Student58%strong on safety, weak on education · range 47–69%

Family59%strong on family, weak on education · range 49–69%

Retirement61%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 49–73%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Gulbene?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (January 2025). Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74⁷

Unemployment across cities in LatviaUnemployment in Gulbene is 7.1%. Of 38 cities with data, 14 have unemployment of 4 to under 6%.

2–44–66–88–1012–1416–18

Gulbene 7.1%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	1,123 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia²Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	7.1 %country median 6.0%	1 Jan 2025	CSB 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 Gulbene. 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 Gulbene. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Gulbene?

Police recorded 1,558 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) 2021-2025¹¹

Recorded crime across major citiesGulbene highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Daugavpils2,987

Rīga2,760

Liepāja2,071

Jūrmala1,832

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	1,558 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Recorded crimes and crime rates by State city and municipality (after administrative-territorial reform in 2021) 2021-2025¹¹Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	68 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁹Official
Nearest airport	PKV	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹⁰Official
Distance to nearest airport	118.9 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Gulbene

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-2°-7°

-2°-8°

3°-4°

11°1°

17°6°

21°10°

23°12°

22°11°

16°7°

9°2°

3°-2°

-1°-5°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

JFMAMJJASOND

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average January temperature	-4.5 °C	31 Dec 2020	LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by month	Jan -2.4 · Feb -1.8 · Mar 3.2 · Apr 11.2 · May 17.3 · Jun 20.8 · Jul 23.1 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 16.1 · Oct 8.9 · Nov 2.6 · Dec -0.7 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁸Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan -7.3 · Feb -7.8 · Mar -4.2 · Apr 1.2 · May 5.8 · Jun 9.9 · Jul 12.5 · Aug 11.3 · Sep 7.1 · Oct 2.5 · Nov -1.6 · Dec -4.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁸Official
Average temperature by month	Jan -4.5 · Feb -4.6 · Mar -0.5 · Apr 6.2 · May 11.8 · Jun 15.4 · Jul 17.8 · Aug 16.5 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 5.6 · Nov 0.8 · Dec -2.6 °C	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁸Official
Average precipitation by month	Jan 46.1 · Feb 38.1 · Mar 36.7 · Apr 34.7 · May 57.5 · Jun 78.1 · Jul 71.8 · Aug 70.6 · Sep 53.5 · Oct 68.1 · Nov 53.6 · Dec 47.5 mm	31 Dec 1991	World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI¹⁸Official

Similar climate. Elsewhere: Tartu linn (Estonia) ±0.4 °C, Vantaa (Finland) ±0.6 °C, Jönköping (Sweden) ±1.6 °C, Tampere (Finland) ±0.9 °C, Lahti (Finland) ±1.2 °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

Population density was 586.0 people per km² in 2026.

How many people live in Gulbene?

The published population was 6,683 people in 2026. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia¹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport90.3%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	11.41 km²	31 Dec 2026	Total and land area of regions, cities, municipalities, towns and rural territories at the beginning of year (km²)¹⁴Official · settlement
Foreign residents	645 people	1 Jan 2025	CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex⁶Official
Population density	586 people/km²	31 Dec 2026	Usually resident population density in regions, cities and towns, municipalities, and rural territories, at the beginning of year¹⁵Official · settlement
Population	6,683 people	1 Jan 2026	Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia¹Official

International community in Gulbene

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 group	People	Share
Total	18,215	100.0%
Latvia	17,295	94.9%
Born abroad	920	5.1%
Other countries (excluding EU-27 from 2020)	834	4.6%
EU-27 from 2020 (excluding Latvia)	86	0.5%

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 group	People	Share
Total	18,215	100.0%
Citizens of Latvia	17,613	96.7%
Non-citizens of Latvia	474	2.6%
Other citizenship	116	0.6%
Citizens of European Union 27 countries from 2020 (excluding Latvia)	12	0.1%

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 group	People	Share
Total	18,215	100.0%
Latvians	16,035	88.0%
Russians	1,456	8.0%
Other ethnicities, including not selected and not indicated ethnicity	214	1.2%
Ukrainians	185	1.0%
Belarusians	132	0.7%
Poles	102	0.6%
Roma	47	0.3%
Lithuanians	38	0.2%
Estonians	6	0.0%

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

Alternatives for people set on Gulbene

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 Gulbene 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 7.1% Gulbene−31%
Nearest airport: 13.3 km Jūrmala vs 118.9 km Gulbene−89%
Median gross pay, region: €1,272 Jūrmala vs €1,123 Gulbene+13%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,832 Jūrmala vs 1,558 Gulbeneno percentage

Full comparison More about Jūrmala

Alternative cities in Latvia

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

All Latvia cities

Krāslava6,678 residents Aizkraukle6,626 residents Līvāni6,626 residents Baloži6,795 residents Madona6,502 residents Limbaži6,410 residents

How does Gulbene compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Gulbene 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; Gulbene'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 Gulbene?

The published population was 6,683 people in 2026. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

How safe is Gulbene?

What is the unemployment rate in Gulbene?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (January 2025). Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74.

What is the typical salary around Gulbene?

The median gross salary is 1,123 EUR/month. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

How many foreign residents live in Gulbene?

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

Is Gulbene a good place to live?

Gulbene 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 Gulbene?

The official country of birth distribution records 17,295 people (94.9%) 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). Gulbene, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version c06d5286328c7008b841cfbbd10bc3ee]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/gulbene/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_gulbene-latvia-population-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_13e62c7a00f5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Gulbene, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {c06d5286328c7008b841cfbbd10bc3ee},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/gulbene/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Gulbene, Latvia: population, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/gulbene/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version c06d5286328c7008b841cfbbd10bc3ee; 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

Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-05
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-30
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia ancestry or ethnicity distribution api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-28
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia country of birth distribution api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-28
CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex CSB Latvia IRV031 · api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-07-26
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
LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation) LVĢMC · data.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14

Show 8 more sources

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
Tele2 Latvia 10GB data plan tele2.lv · checked 2026-09-15
Tele2 Latvia fixed internet tele2.lv · checked 2026-09-15
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
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
VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) · vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-02

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.