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Living in Jelgava

The unemployment rate was 4.9% at the start of 2025. Jelgava is in Latvia; its population was 54,912 in 2026. At the start of 2025, the foreign population was 7,165.

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

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 Jelgava.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Jelgava yet. Latvia has country-level context; it is not substituted for this city.

Net rent across major citiesJelgava highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Jelgava highlighted€5.77Rīga€4.50Daugavpils€1.18Liepājanet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Dwellings Count29,924 dwellings31 Dec 2024VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate12Official
Property Price Avg Eur1,050 EUR/m²31 Dec 2025VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika11Official

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

13% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 7,165 people of 54,912 people. This counts nationality, not place of birth, so long-settled residents who naturalised are not in it.

Work and income

Unemployment across cities in LatviaUnemployment in Jelgava is 4.9%. Of 34 cities with data, 11 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Latvia per band1 city: 2% to under 3%12–33 cities: 3% to under 4%33–411 cities: 4% to under 5%114–5Jelgava 4.9%3 cities: 5% to under 6%35–67 cities: 6% to under 7%76–74 cities: 7% to under 8%47–82 cities: 8% to under 9%28–91 city: 9% to under 10%19–102 cities: 13% to under 14%213–14

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)1,291 EUR/month31 Dec 2024api.stat.gov.lv1Official
Unemployment rate4.9 %country median 5.5%1 Jan 2025CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-743Official
Unemployment rate over time6 published observations, 2015–2025
Unemployment rate in Jelgava by year, %4.4%6.9%9.5%12.1%20152017202120254.9%%

Unemployment rate fell 57.7% between 2015 and 2025, from 11.6% to 4.9%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Jelgava. 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 Jelgava. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
School Count22 count31 Dec 2024IZM (Izglītības un zinātnes ministrija) — School register 20245Official

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents3.5 per 100,00031 Dec 2024SPKC (Slimību profilakses un kontroles centrs) — Yearbook 202410Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Jelgava 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.

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was RIX, 33.4 km away, with 68 listed destinations in June 2026.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport68 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat7Official
Nearest airportRIX13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official
Distance to nearest airport33.4 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official

Language courses and integration in Jelgava

0 exact private or nonprofit provider records are linked to this city as supplemental evidence. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

Latvian language training for Ukrainian civilians in Jelgava — State Language Course

Zemgales reģiona Kompetenču attīstības centrs (ZRKAC)

For Ukrainian civilians with temporary protection, children, young people, adults.

LatvianIn Personfree
Open official information
Check courses in JelgavaHow the country programme works
Exact city-linked records checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Climate and air quality

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Jelgava average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND24°-6°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Jelgava average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100443534365273826960685047JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Jelgava average monthly sunshine, hours08016024032040701472092912873062631761084131JFMAMJJASONDhours
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average January temperature-3.5 °C31 Dec 2020LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)6Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan -0.3 · Feb 0.3 · Mar 4.9 · Apr 12.4 · May 18.1 · Jun 21.3 · Jul 23.9 · Aug 23.1 · Sep 17.8 · Oct 10.8 · Nov 4.8 · Dec 1.1 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -5.7 · Feb -6.2 · Mar -3.6 · Apr 1.1 · May 5.1 · Jun 8.9 · Jul 11.6 · Aug 10.8 · Sep 7 · Oct 2.9 · Nov -0.1 · Dec -3.6 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Average temperature by monthJan -2.7 · Feb -2.7 · Mar 0.7 · Apr 6.7 · May 12 · Jun 15.5 · Jul 17.9 · Aug 17 · Sep 12.3 · Oct 6.9 · Nov 2.5 · Dec -0.9 °C31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 43.6 · Feb 34.8 · Mar 33.8 · Apr 36 · May 52.4 · Jun 73.4 · Jul 82.1 · Aug 69.4 · Sep 59.9 · Oct 68.2 · Nov 50.4 · Dec 47.1 mm31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI14Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 40.1 · Feb 69.6 · Mar 147.1 · Apr 209.2 · May 291.4 · Jun 286.8 · Jul 305.5 · Aug 262.9 · Sep 175.9 · Oct 107.7 · Nov 40.5 · Dec 30.7 hours31 Dec 1991World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI15Official

Cities of a similar size in Latvia

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

All Latvia cities
Ogre57,668 residentsJūrmala52,001 residentsLiepāja67,068 residentsTukums43,439 residentsCēsis41,324 residentsBauska40,500 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Jelgava residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport87%Foreign residents13%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area60.51 km²27 Aug 2026VZD Latvia13Official
Foreign-resident share14.4 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat4Official
Foreign residents7,165 people1 Jan 2025CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex2Official
Population density899.2 people/km²27 Aug 2026CSP + VZD Latvia13Official
Population54,912 people1 Jan 2026Population by territory, sex and age group, RIG0109Official
Population over time11 published observations, 2013–2026
Population in Jelgava by year, residents54,44855,63856,82958,01920132015201720192021202654,912residents

Population fell 5.0% between 2013 and 2026, from 57,773 to 54,912.

Foreign residents over time11 published observations, 2013–2025
Foreign residents in Jelgava by year, residents6,9018,1779,45310,7292013201520172019202120257,165residents

Foreign residents fell 31.5% between 2013 and 2025, from 10,465 to 7,165.

Foreign residents7,165 people1 Jan 2025Official source · CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex
Population54,912 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Population by territory, sex and age group, RIG010
Median gross salary (regional)1,291 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · api.stat.gov.lv
Unemployment rate4.9 %1 Jan 2025Official source · CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74
Average January temperature-3.5 °C31 Dec 2020Official source · LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)
Area60.51 km²27 Aug 2026Official source · VZD Latvia
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-01

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics
20
Decision domains
6
Current facts
20

Common questions

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

What is the typical salary around Jelgava?

The median gross salary is 1,291 EUR/month. Source: api.stat.gov.lv.

What is the unemployment rate in Jelgava?

The unemployment rate is 4.9 %. Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74.

How many people live in Jelgava?

The published population is 54,912 people. Source: Population by territory, sex and age group, RIG010.

How many foreign residents live in Jelgava?

7,165 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex.

Is Jelgava a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

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). Jelgava, Latvia: salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/lv-0090000/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_jelgava-latvia-salary-cost-of-living_1bc2452b07c4,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Jelgava, Latvia: salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/lv-0090000/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Jelgava, Latvia: salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/lv-0090000/) — 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. api.stat.gov.lv api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-21
  2. CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex CSB Latvia IRV031 · api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-07-26
  3. 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
  4. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  5. IZM (Izglītības un zinātnes ministrija) — School register 2024 IZM (Izglītības un zinātnes ministrija) · izm.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  6. LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation) LVĢMC · data.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  7. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  8. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  9. Population by territory, sex and age group, RIG010 api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-09-01
  10. SPKC (Slimību profilakses un kontroles centrs) — Yearbook 2024 SPKC (Slimību profilakses un kontroles centrs) · spkc.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
Show 5 more sources
  1. VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) · vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  2. VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate vzd.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  3. VZD Latvia data.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12
  4. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-02
  5. World Meteorological Organization / NOAA NCEI nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-03

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.