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Living in Covilhã

In Covilhã, average gross earnings are €1,310 a month (2024), rents in new contracts average €6.09 per m² a month (2026) and unemployment is 2.8% (2026).

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.

Last checked 2026-09-2323 sources

Population51,797people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average gross salary1,310EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)
Average net rent6.09EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.20 — 2% belowOfficial source · www.ine.pt
Unemployment rate2.76%country median 2.3% — 18% aboveIndependent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
Recorded crime3,400incidents per 100kcountry median 2,730 — 25% aboveOfficial source · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022
PM2.5, annual mean4µg/m³country median 6.2 — 35% belowOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Higher unemployment than 68% of Portuguese cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 77% of Portuguese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 86% 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.

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.pt16
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Covilhã recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€30
Mobile plan, 10 GB€15
Net rent across major citiesCovilhã highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Covilhã highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Lisbon€17.42
Cascais€16.50
Oeiras€15.42
Almada€13.43
Braga€8.57
Covilhã€6.09
Show the other 6 cities
Amadora€13.00
Matosinhos€11.98
Loures€11.73
Sintra€11.24
Vila Nova de Gaia€10.61
Porto€10.15
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited29.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026MEO fixed fibre10Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB15 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Vodafone Portugal mobile plan15Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)6.09 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.2026 Aug 2026www.ine.pt16Official

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 worker61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–69%
Skilled employee65%strong on work, weak on education · range 57–73%
Student54%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 45–63%
Family52%strong on family, weak on education · range 44–60%
Retirement62%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 53–71%

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 202623
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Covilhã is 2.8%. Of 279 cities with data, 131 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings1,310 EUR/month31 Dec 2024INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)4Official
Unemployment rate2.76 %country median 2.3%30 Jun 2026IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202623Independent

What does a salary buy in Covilhã?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Portugal median gross pay: €1,099 (2022-12-31).
Left over each month€510of €920 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.€920
Rent, 60 m²€6.09/m² · official · ine.pt · 2026-08-26− €365
Internet€30 · official · MEO fixed fibre · 2026-09-30− €30
Mobile plan€15 · official · Vodafone Portugal mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €15
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€510
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Covilhã Salary needed to live in Covilhã

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

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.11Official

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 20226
Recorded crime across major citiesCovilhã highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Covilhã highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Porto5,240
Lisbon5,090
Almada3,580
Covilhã3,400
Amadora3,330
Matosinhos2,910
Loures2,800
Cascais2,700
Sintra2,640
Vila Nova de Gaia2,570
Braga2,440
Oeiras2,380
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents3,400 incidents per 100kcountry median 2,73031 Dec 2022INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20226Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportVSE13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv12Official
Distance to nearest airport59.2 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv12Official

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.

PortugueseCost varies

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–B2Cost varies
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Covilhã.

Find courses near 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
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 72 cities with data, 27 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

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)9Official · 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)9Official · 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)9Official · 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)9Official · nearest-station reading
Annual PM2.5 over time6 published observations, 2015–2023

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

Similar climate. In Portugal: Barcelos ±5.0 °C. Elsewhere: Neustadt in Holstein (Germany) ±0.9 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.0 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±1.1 °C, Eutin (Germany) ±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

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)5

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area555.6 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)5Official
Foreign residents3,329 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.22Independent
Population density93.23 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.13Official
Population51,797 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)5Official

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 source8

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 source7

Alternatives for people set on Covilhã

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.

Seia as a Covilhã alternative in the same region

23 km away, better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

  • Rent: €4.24/m² Seia vs €6.09/m² Covilhã−30%
  • Residents: 24,702 Seia vs 51,797 Covilhã−52%
  • Nearest airport: 37.2 km Seia vs 59.2 km Covilhã−37%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 3,200 Seia vs 3,400 Covilhã−6%
  • Unemployment: 2.8% Seia vs 2.8% Covilhãsame level
  • Annual PM2.5: 4.0 µg/m³ Seia vs 4.0 µg/m³ Covilhãsame level

Amarante as a Covilhã alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 120 km, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Rent: €4.63/m² Amarante vs €6.09/m² Covilhã−24%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,010 Amarante vs 3,400 Covilhã−41%
  • Nearest airport: 29.9 km Amarante vs 59.2 km Covilhã−49%
  • Unemployment: 2.9% Amarante vs 2.8% Covilhã+3%
  • Residents: 52,264 Amarante vs 51,797 Covilhã+1%

Cities near Covilhã

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Belmonte 15.7 km away
Rent
3.49 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
Fundão 16.7 km away
Rent
4.86 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
São Romão 22.7 km away
Rent
4.24 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-03-31
Seia 23.1 km away
Rent
4.24 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26

Alternative cities in Portugal

Other cities in Portugal to compare with Covilhã, nearest in population first.

All Portugal cities

How does Covilhã compare?

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

Covilhã in rankings

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 18, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: PLNM (Português Língua Não Materna). How to enrol a child (gov.pt).

A country-wide rule for Portugal; Covilhã'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 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 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.

Which cities are near Covilhã?

Belmonte, Fundão, São Romão, Seia are near Covilhã. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Portuguesa live in Covilhã?

The official country of birth distribution records 43,497 people (93.6%) 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, October 16). Covilhã, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 42ab30ca49d60d7810e6809a3ccbafa4]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_covilha-portugal-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_1c52b049cfb5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Covilhã, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {42ab30ca49d60d7810e6809a3ccbafa4},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Covilhã, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/covilha/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 42ab30ca49d60d7810e6809a3ccbafa4; 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. 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 — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-09-23
  5. INE — Portal municipal (quadro) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-14
  6. 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
  7. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014632 nationality ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  8. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014633 country of birth ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  9. IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PENHAS DOURADAS (nº 568) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
  10. MEO fixed fibre meo.pt · checked 2026-09-15
Show 13 more sources
  1. 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
  2. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  3. Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  4. Valor mediano das rendas de novos contratos de arrendamento de alojamentos familiares nos últimos 12 meses (Metodologia 2026 - €/ m²) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024 - geografia 2025); Trimestral - INE, Estatísticas de Rendas da Habitação ao nível local ine.pt · checked 2026-09-23
  5. Vodafone Portugal mobile plan vodafone.pt · checked 2026-09-15
  6. www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
  7. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  8. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  9. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  10. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  11. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  12. Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  13. 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.