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Living in Covilhã

Covilhã is a city in Portugal, with a population of 51,797 in 2021. The unemployment rate was 2.76% in June 2026. The nearest airport was VSE, 59.2 km away in June 2026.

Higher unemployment than 71% of Portuguese cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 78% of Portuguese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 87% of Portuguese cities that publish it.

Which Portugal-wide rules apply when you move to Covilhã?

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 PortugalNational rates and thresholds that apply in Covilhã.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Covilhã?

Average net cold rent is 6.09 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), 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): 6.09 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt12

City-level rent is published below; no city-level cost-of-living basket is published for Covilhã yet.

Net rent across major citiesCovilhã highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Covilhã highlighted€16.50Cascais€15.42Oeiras€13.43Almada€13.00Amadora€11.98Matosinhos€11.73Loures€11.33Seixal€11.24Sintra€10.61Vila Nova de Gaia€10.15Porto€8.57Braga€6.09Covilhãnet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)6.09 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.1926 Aug 2026www.ine.pt12Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 365 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 6.09 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: 2026-Q1

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Covilhã?

The unemployment rate is about 2.8 % (June 2026).

  • Unemployment rate: 2.76 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202614
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Covilhã is 2.8%. Of 251 cities with data, 118 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Portugal per band6 cities: 0% to under 1%60–176 cities: 1% to under 2%761–2118 cities: 2% to under 3%1182–3Covilhã 2.8%41 cities: 3% to under 4%413–44 cities: 4% to under 5%44–52 cities: 5% to under 6%25–61 city: 6% to under 7%16–71 city: 7% to under 8%17–81 city: 9% to under 10%19–101 city: 12% to under 13%112–13

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate2.76 %country median 2.3%30 Jun 2026IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202614Independent

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional — Public employment service

Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP)

Job SearchRegistrationTraining
Register Search jobs
Open the Portugal service overview

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents670 per 100,0002024Official INE Statistics of Health Personnel indicator 0012837: physicians per 1,000 inhabitants by municipality of residence. Exact municipality row selected by INE DICO geocod; value converted to the requested per-100k unit.9Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Covilhã 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.

Safety

How safe is Covilhã?

Police recorded 3,400 incidents per 100,000 (2022). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 3,400 incidents per 100k · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20225
Recorded crime across major citiesCovilhã highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Covilhã highlighted5,240Porto3,580Almada3,400Covilhã3,330Amadora2,910Matosinhos2,800Loures2,700Cascais2,640Sintra2,570Vila Nova de Gaia2,440Braga2,380Oeiras2,170Seixalrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents3,400 incidents per 100kcountry median 2,71531 Dec 2022INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20225Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportVSE13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv10Official
Distance to nearest airport59.2 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv10Official

Language courses and integration

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

Country-level information

PLA search route through Portal da Oferta Formativa — State Language Course

AIMA / Portal da Oferta Formativa

For migrants seeking Portuguese as a non-native language.

Portuguesevaries
Open official information

Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) — State Language Course

AIMA / DGEstE public-school network / IEFP / Centros Qualifica

For migrants aged 16 or older whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, residence-permit holders, people with pending residence/protection/NISS evidence.

PortugueseCEFR A1–B2varies
Open official information
Open the full Portugal section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Covilhã.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Covilhã?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2023) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency3

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Covilhã average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND23°1°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Covilhã average monthly precipitation, mm06012018024021115814914810641152381200223212JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Covilhã annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5254.0PM2.5154011.0PM1010403.0NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in PortugalAnnual PM2.5 in Covilhã is 4.0 µg/m³. Of 70 cities with data, 26 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Portugal per band1 city: 1 µg/m³ to under 2 µg/m³11–24 cities: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³42–34 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³43–49 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³94–5Covilhã 4.014 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³145–65 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³56–75 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³57–826 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³268–92 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³29–10

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean3 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão)1Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean11 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão)2Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean4 µg/m³country median 6.231 Dec 2023European Environment Agency3Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 6.4 · Feb 7.1 · Mar 9.8 · Apr 11.1 · May 14.8 · Jun 19.5 · Jul 23.2 · Aug 23.4 · Sep 19.4 · Oct 13.8 · Nov 8.9 · Dec 7.3 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 0.5 · Feb 0.6 · Mar 2.3 · Apr 3.4 · May 6.7 · Jun 10.7 · Jul 13.5 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 10.9 · Oct 7.2 · Nov 3.3 · Dec 1.5 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 3.4 · Feb 3.9 · Mar 6 · Apr 7.3 · May 10.7 · Jun 15.1 · Jul 18.3 · Aug 18.6 · Sep 15.1 · Oct 10.5 · Nov 6.1 · Dec 4.4 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 211 · Feb 158.2 · Mar 148.8 · Apr 147.9 · May 105.5 · Jun 41.2 · Jul 14.7 · Aug 23 · Sep 81.1 · Oct 199.7 · Nov 222.6 · Dec 211.5 mm31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568)8Official · nearest-station reading
Annual PM2.5 over time6 published observations, 2015–2023
Annual PM2.5 in Covilhã by year, µg/m³3.65.57.59.420152020202220234.0µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 33.3% between 2015 and 2023, from 6.0 to 4.0.

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities
Vila Real51,850 residentsAmarante52,264 residentsCaldas da Rainha52,270 residentsMontijo51,222 residentsSesimbra52,465 residentsMarco de Canaveses53,961 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 555.6 km² in 2021. Population density was 93.2 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Covilhã?

The published population was 51,797 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Covilhã residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport93.6%Foreign residents 6.4%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area555.6 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4Official
Foreign residents3,329 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.13Independent
Population density93.23 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.11Official
Population51,797 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4Official

International community in Covilhã

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

Country of birth

Resident population at the 19 April 2021 Census reference date; total sex (HM) and total age; source-native indicator universe · 2021-04-19

Published groupPeopleShare
Total46,455100.0%
Portuguesa43,49793.6%
Estrangeira2,9586.4%
Europa1,3642.9%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)1,1332.4%
França8931.9%
América8141.8%
Brasil6811.5%
África6751.5%
Angola4030.9%
Outros países - Europa2310.5%
Show 39 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Moçambique1370.3%
Suíça1260.3%
Ásia1000.2%
Alemanha790.2%
Espanha740.2%
Canadá470.1%
Cabo Verde440.1%
Outros países - África410.1%
Reino Unido410.1%
Índia390.1%
Outros países - América360.1%
Outros países - Ásia340.1%
Ucrânia320.1%
Venezuela310.1%
África do Sul210.0%
Guiné-Bissau170.0%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)170.0%
Bélgica160.0%
Estados Unidos da América140.0%
China130.0%
Luxemburgo120.0%
Moldávia120.0%
Roménia120.0%
São Tomé e Príncipe120.0%
Itália110.0%
Federação da Rússia100.0%
Outros100.0%
Bulgária80.0%
Bangladeche60.0%
Nepal60.0%
Oceânia50.0%
Argentina50.0%
Austrália50.0%
Eslováquia40.0%
Polónia30.0%
Paquistão20.0%
Suécia20.0%
Dinamarca10.0%
Lituânia10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source7

Citizenship

Resident population at the 19 April 2021 Census reference date; total sex (HM) and total age; source-native indicator universe · 2021-04-19

Published groupPeopleShare
Total46,455100.0%
Portuguesa45,31897.6%
Estrangeira1,1362.4%
América5891.3%
Brasil5381.2%
Europa2580.6%
África1990.4%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)1840.4%
Angola1300.3%
Ásia900.2%
Outros países - Europa740.2%
Show 36 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
França660.1%
Espanha430.1%
Índia390.1%
Outros países - América340.1%
Cabo Verde280.1%
Ucrânia260.1%
Reino Unido240.1%
China220.0%
Outros países - África200.0%
Outros países - Ásia170.0%
Bélgica130.0%
Suíça130.0%
Alemanha130.0%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)130.0%
Itália100.0%
Roménia90.0%
Bulgária80.0%
Bangladeche60.0%
Canadá60.0%
Guiné-Bissau60.0%
Nepal60.0%
Estados Unidos da América60.0%
Moçambique50.0%
Federação da Rússia50.0%
São Tomé e Príncipe50.0%
África do Sul50.0%
Outros40.0%
Polónia30.0%
Venezuela30.0%
Argentina20.0%
Moldávia20.0%
Suécia20.0%
Eslováquia20.0%
Apátrida10.0%
Lituânia10.0%
Luxemburgo10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source6

Is Covilhã 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 worker68%strong on work, weak on safety · range 60–76%
Skilled employee71%strong on work, weak on education · range 63–79%
Student57%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 48–66%
Family53%strong on family, weak on education · range 45–61%
Retirement63%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 54–72%
Foreign residents3,329 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.
Population51,797 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average net rent (nettokalt)6.09 EUR/m²/month26 Aug 2026Official source · www.ine.pt
Unemployment rate2.76 %30 Jun 2026Independent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
NO₂ — annual mean3 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão)
PM10 — annual mean11 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-26

Common questions

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

How many people live in Covilhã?

The published population was 51,797 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Covilhã?

Average net cold rent is 6.09 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 426 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.

Is the air quality good in Covilhã?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 4 µg/m³ (2023) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Covilhã?

Police recorded 3,400 incidents per 100,000 (2022). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022.

What is the unemployment rate in Covilhã?

The unemployment rate is about 2.8 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Covilhã?

3,329 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value..

Is Covilhã a good place to live?

Covilhã 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 Europa live in Covilhã?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,364 people (2.9%) in the source-defined population for 2021-04-19. 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). Covilhã, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_covilha-portugal-rent-jobs-safety_be8c148c2589,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Covilhã, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Covilhã, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/) — 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. EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  2. EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station Fundão) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  3. European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  4. INE — Portal municipal (quadro) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-14
  5. INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022 INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-31
  6. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014632 nationality ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  7. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014633 country of birth ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  8. IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
  9. Official INE Statistics of Health Personnel indicator 0012837: physicians per 1,000 inhabitants by municipality of residence. Exact municipality row selected by INE DICO geocod; value converted to the requested per-100k unit. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  10. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Show 4 more sources
  1. Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  2. www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
  3. Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  4. IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026 IEFP · iefp.pt · checked 2026-07-26

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.