Living in Valka

Valka is a city in Latvia. At the start of 2025, Valka had a population of 7,645. The unemployment rate was 6.9% at the start of 2025.

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

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 Valka.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

Net rent across major citiesValka highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Dwellings Count	3,375 dwellings	31 Dec 2024	VZD Building register (Būvju kadastrs) + CSP Census 2024 estimate¹³Official
Property Price Avg Eur	600 EUR/m²	31 Dec 2025	VZD (Valsts zemes dienests) — Latvijas nekustamā īpašuma tirgus statistika¹²Official

Worked out from these numbers

How international is the population?

7% of residents hold a foreign nationality — 537 people of 7,645 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 Valka is 6.9%. Of 34 cities with data, 11 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	1,149 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia¹Official · regional context
Unemployment rate	6.9 %country median 5.5%	1 Jan 2025	CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74⁸Official

Public employment service

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

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was TAY, 71.4 km away, with 1 listed destinations in June 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	1 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat¹⁰Official
Nearest airport	TAY	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹¹Official
Distance to nearest airport	71.4 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹¹Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average January temperature	-4 °C	31 Dec 2020	LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)⁹Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Latvia

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

All Latvia cities

Ikšķile7,412 residents Baloži6,795 residents Lielvārde5,866 residents Saulkrasti9,983 residents Līvāni10,146 residents Aizpute3,763 residents

Population and city profile

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Area	908.4 km²	27 Aug 2026	VZD Latvia¹⁴Official
Foreign residents	537 people	1 Jan 2025	CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex⁷Official
Population density	329 people/km²	8 Aug 2026	Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia²Official
Population	7,645 people	1 Jan 2025	CSB Latvia IRS031 — population at the beginning of year in regions, cities, towns and municipalities⁶Official

International community in Valka

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	7,501	100.0%
Latvia	6,615	88.2%
Born abroad	886	11.8%
Other countries (excluding EU-27 from 2020)	541	7.2%
EU-27 from 2020 (excluding Latvia)	345	4.6%

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	7,501	100.0%
Citizens of Latvia	6,995	93.3%
Non-citizens of Latvia	420	5.6%
Other citizenship	49	0.7%
Citizens of European Union 27 countries from 2020 (excluding Latvia)	37	0.5%

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	7,501	100.0%
Latvians	6,170	82.3%
Russians	825	11.0%
Belarusians	151	2.0%
Ukrainians	145	1.9%
Other ethnicities, including not selected and not indicated ethnicity	88	1.2%
Poles	43	0.6%
Estonians	36	0.5%
Lithuanians	30	0.4%
Roma	13	0.2%

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

Is Valka 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 safety · range 41–63%

Skilled employee55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–65%

Student55%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 43–67%

Family49%strong on family, weak on safety · range 37–61%

Retirement57%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 43–71%

Foreign residents537 people1 Jan 2025Official source · CSB Latvia IRV031 — population by citizenship and sex

Population7,645 people1 Jan 2025Official source · CSB Latvia IRS031 — population at the beginning of year in regions, cities, towns and municipalities

Median gross salary (regional)1,149 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia

Unemployment rate6.9 %1 Jan 2025Official source · CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74

Average January temperature-4 °C31 Dec 2020Official source · LVĢMC — Climate normals 1991-2020 (nearest station observation)

Area908.4 km²27 Aug 2026Official source · VZD Latvia

Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-28

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Valka 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.

What is the typical salary around Valka?

The median gross salary is 1,149 EUR/month. Source: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.

What is the unemployment rate in Valka?

The unemployment rate is 6.9 %. Source: CSB Latvia RIG090 — share of unemployed persons among economically active population aged 15-74.

How many people live in Valka?

The published population is 7,645 people. Source: CSB Latvia IRS031 — population at the beginning of year in regions, cities, towns and municipalities.

How many foreign residents live in Valka?

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

Is Valka a good place to live?

Valka 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 Born abroad live in Valka?

The official country of birth distribution records 886 people (11.8%) 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, September 12). Valka, Latvia: salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/valka/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_valka-latvia-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_d586646cf3f5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Valka, Latvia: salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/valka/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Valka, Latvia: salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/lv/valka/) — 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

Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-07
Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-08-08
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 IRS031 — population at the beginning of year in regions, cities, towns and municipalities CSB Latvia IRS031 · api.stat.gov.lv · checked 2026-07-26
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 — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14

Show 4 more sources

OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
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
VZD Latvia data.gov.lv · checked 2026-06-12

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