Living in Melgaço

Melgaço had 9,213 residents in 2021 and is a city in Portugal. For Melgaço, the unemployment rate was 1.11% in June 2026. The foreign population count was 219 in 2023.

Cheaper rent than 86% of Portuguese cities that publish it, lower unemployment than 97% of Portuguese cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 81% of Portuguese cities that publish it.

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

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 Melgaço.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Melgaço?

Average net cold rent is 4.13 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): 4.13 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt¹⁰

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

Net rent across major citiesMelgaço highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average net rent (nettokalt)	4.13 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.19	26 Aug 2026	www.ine.pt¹⁰Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 248 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 4.13 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 Melgaço?

The unemployment rate is about 1.1 % (June 2026).

Unemployment rate: 1.11 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026¹²

Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Melgaço is 1.1%. Of 251 cities with data, 118 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Unemployment rate	1.11 %country median 2.3%	30 Jun 2026	IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026¹²Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Melgaço. 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

Open the Portugal service overview

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Physicians per 100,000 residents	290 per 100,000	2024	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.⁶Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Melgaço 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 Melgaço?

Police recorded 3,530 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: 3,530 incidents per 100k · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022²

Recorded crime across major citiesMelgaço highlighted among comparable cities

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,530 incidents per 100kcountry median 2,715	31 Dec 2022	INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022²Official

Mobility and administration

The nearest airport was VGO, 32.3 km away, with 5 listed destinations in June 2026.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	5 count	13 Jun 2026	OpenFlights — routes.dat⁷Official
Nearest airport	VGO	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁸Official
Distance to nearest airport	32.3 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv⁸Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

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

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan 13.5 · Feb 15.4 · Mar 18.5 · Apr 20.1 · May 23.2 · Jun 26.7 · Jul 29.9 · Aug 30.2 · Sep 27.2 · Oct 21.8 · Nov 16.3 · Dec 13.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação MONÇÃO (Valinha) (nº 605)⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 5 · Feb 4.9 · Mar 7.2 · Apr 8.6 · May 11 · Jun 13.6 · Jul 15.4 · Aug 15.4 · Sep 13.8 · Oct 11.5 · Nov 7.8 · Dec 5.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação MONÇÃO (Valinha) (nº 605)⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 9.2 · Feb 10.1 · Mar 12.9 · Apr 14.3 · May 17.1 · Jun 20.1 · Jul 22.6 · Aug 22.8 · Sep 20.5 · Oct 16.7 · Nov 12.1 · Dec 9.8 °C	31 Dec 1991	IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação MONÇÃO (Valinha) (nº 605)⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 142.8 · Feb 99.5 · Mar 105.2 · Apr 109.4 · May 93.2 · Jun 42.8 · Jul 22.2 · Aug 27.6 · Sep 67.4 · Oct 160.8 · Nov 157.1 · Dec 154.2 mm	31 Dec 1991	IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação MONÇÃO (Valinha) (nº 605)⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities

Paredes de Coura9,198 residents Vila Nova de Cerveira9,253 residents Aljustrel9,257 residents Vinhais9,066 residents Mogadouro9,542 residents Ponta do Sol8,862 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 238.3 km² in 2021. Population density was 38.7 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Melgaço?

The published population was 9,213 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)¹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	238.3 km²	2021	INE — Portal municipal (quadro)¹Official
Foreign residents	219 people	2023	Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.¹¹Independent
Population density	38.67 people/km²	2021	Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.⁹Official
Population	9,213 people	2021	INE — Portal municipal (quadro)¹Official

International community in Melgaço

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 group	People	Share
Total	7,773	100.0%
Portuguesa	7,220	92.9%
Estrangeira	553	7.1%
Europa	347	4.5%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)	323	4.2%
França	249	3.2%
América	134	1.7%
Brasil	100	1.3%
Espanha	62	0.8%
África	58	0.7%
Angola	32	0.4%

Show 27 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Outros países - Europa	24	0.3%
Moçambique	18	0.2%
Suíça	16	0.2%
Venezuela	14	0.2%
Ásia	13	0.2%
Canadá	8	0.1%
Outros países - América	7	0.1%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)	6	0.1%
Outros países - Ásia	4	0.1%
Índia	4	0.1%
Outros	4	0.1%
China	3	0.0%
Guiné-Bissau	3	0.0%
Luxemburgo	3	0.0%
Ucrânia	3	0.0%
Estados Unidos da América	3	0.0%
Outros países - África	2	0.0%
Argentina	2	0.0%
Paquistão	2	0.0%
África do Sul	2	0.0%
Oceânia	1	0.0%
Austrália	1	0.0%
Bélgica	1	0.0%
Cabo Verde	1	0.0%
Alemanha	1	0.0%
Dinamarca	1	0.0%
Reino Unido	1	0.0%

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

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 group	People	Share
Total	7,773	100.0%
Portuguesa	7,591	97.7%
Estrangeira	182	2.3%
América	97	1.2%
Brasil	84	1.1%
Europa	69	0.9%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)	59	0.8%
Espanha	31	0.4%
França	21	0.3%
Outros países - Europa	10	0.1%
Ásia	10	0.1%

Show 23 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Venezuela	6	0.1%
África	5	0.1%
Índia	4	0.1%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)	4	0.1%
Suíça	3	0.0%
China	3	0.0%
Reino Unido	3	0.0%
Ucrânia	3	0.0%
Outros países - América	2	0.0%
Outros países - Ásia	2	0.0%
Angola	2	0.0%
Argentina	2	0.0%
Canadá	2	0.0%
Moçambique	2	0.0%
Outros países - África	1	0.0%
Oceânia	1	0.0%
Austrália	1	0.0%
Dinamarca	1	0.0%
Itália	1	0.0%
Luxemburgo	1	0.0%
Paquistão	1	0.0%
Estados Unidos da América	1	0.0%
Outros	1	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Is Melgaço 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 worker70%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 61–79%

Skilled employee75%strong on work, weak on education · range 67–83%

Student60%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 51–69%

Family55%strong on family, weak on education · range 47–63%

Retirement56%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 46–66%

Foreign residents219 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.

Population9,213 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)

Average net rent (nettokalt)4.13 EUR/m²/month26 Aug 2026Official source · www.ine.pt

Unemployment rate1.11 %30 Jun 2026Independent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026

City area238.3 km²2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents3,530 incidents per 100k31 Dec 2022Official source · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022

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 Melgaço?

The published population was 9,213 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Melgaço?

Average net cold rent is 4.13 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 289 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.

How safe is Melgaço?

Police recorded 3,530 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 Melgaço?

The unemployment rate is about 1.1 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Melgaço?

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

Is Melgaço a good place to live?

Melgaço 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 Melgaço?

The official country of birth distribution records 347 people (4.5%) 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). Melgaço, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/melgaco/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_melgaco-portugal-rent-jobs-safety_e0485baae929,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Melgaço, 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/melgaco/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Melgaço, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/melgaco/) — 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

INE — Portal municipal (quadro) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-14
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
Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014632 nationality ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014633 country of birth ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação MONÇÃO (Valinha) (nº 605) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
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
OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26

Show 2 more sources

Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15
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.