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Living in Santa Cruz

In 2023, the foreign population was 1,824. The population of Santa Cruz, in Portugal, was 43,005 in 2021.

Pricier rent than 86% of Portuguese cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 97% of Portuguese cities that publish it.

Which Portugal-wide rules apply when you move to Santa Cruz?

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 Santa Cruz.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Santa Cruz?

Average net cold rent is 10.66 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): 10.66 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt13

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

Net rent across major citiesSanta Cruz highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Santa Cruz highlighted€16.50Cascais€15.42Oeiras€13.43Almada€13.00Amadora€11.98Matosinhos€11.73Loures€11.33Seixal€11.24Sintra€10.66Santa Cruz€10.61Vila Nova de Gaia€10.15Porto€8.57Braganet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.66 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.1926 Aug 2026www.ine.pt13Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 640 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.66 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

Public employment service

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

Healthcare

There were 420 physicians per 100,000 people in 2024.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents420 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?

Police recorded 1,580 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: 1,580 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 citiesSanta Cruz highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Santa Cruz highlighted5,240Porto3,580Almada3,330Amadora2,910Matosinhos2,800Loures2,700Cascais2,640Sintra2,570Vila Nova de Gaia2,440Braga2,380Oeiras2,170Seixal1,580Santa Cruzrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents1,580 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

The nearest airport was FNC, 5.8 km away, with 30 listed destinations in June 2026.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport30 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat10Official
Nearest airportFNC13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official
Distance to nearest airport5.8 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Santa Cruz?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA air quality statistics — PT PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station São João)3

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
Santa Cruz average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND27°14°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Santa Cruz average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100677262452782123918095JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Santa Cruz annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.0PM2.5154021.0PM10104030.0NO₂µg/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 Santa Cruz is 7.0 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/m³94–514 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/m³57–8Santa Cruz 7.026 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 mean30 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station São João)1Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean21 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station São João)2Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean7 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station São João)3Official · nearest-station reading
Average daytime high by monthJan 20 · Feb 19.9 · Mar 20.6 · Apr 21 · May 22 · Jun 23.7 · Jul 25.4 · Aug 26.8 · Sep 26.6 · Oct 25.2 · Nov 22.8 · Dec 21 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação FUNCHAL / MADEIRA (Observatório) (nº 522)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 14.3 · Feb 13.9 · Mar 14.3 · Apr 14.9 · May 16.2 · Jun 18.2 · Jul 19.7 · Aug 20.7 · Sep 20.4 · Oct 19.2 · Nov 17 · Dec 15.5 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação FUNCHAL / MADEIRA (Observatório) (nº 522)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 17.1 · Feb 16.8 · Mar 17.4 · Apr 17.9 · May 19.1 · Jun 20.9 · Jul 22.6 · Aug 23.7 · Sep 23.5 · Oct 22.2 · Nov 19.9 · Dec 18.3 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação FUNCHAL / MADEIRA (Observatório) (nº 522)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 67.1 · Feb 72.4 · Mar 62.3 · Apr 45.2 · May 27.2 · Jun 7.8 · Jul 1.7 · Aug 1.3 · Sep 23.1 · Oct 91.2 · Nov 80.3 · Dec 94.8 mm31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação FUNCHAL / MADEIRA (Observatório) (nº 522)8Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities
Tomar43,007 residentsAlenquer43,267 residentsGuarda42,541 residentsPonte de Lima43,498 residentsChaves41,243 residentsAlbufeira40,828 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 81.5 km² in 2021. Population density was 527.7 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Santa Cruz?

The published population was 43,005 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Santa Cruz residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport95.8%Foreign residents 4.2%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area81.5 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4Official
Foreign residents1,824 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.14Independent
Population density527.7 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.12Official
Population43,005 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)4Official

International community in Santa Cruz

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
Total42,168100.0%
Portuguesa38,24590.7%
Estrangeira3,9239.3%
América2,1425.1%
Venezuela1,7894.2%
Europa1,0282.4%
África6981.7%
Outros países - Europa5461.3%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)4821.1%
Reino Unido3490.8%
África do Sul2830.7%
Show 47 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Brasil2350.6%
Angola2100.5%
França1690.4%
Moçambique1360.3%
Alemanha1240.3%
Outros países - América750.2%
Outros660.2%
Federação da Rússia550.1%
Ásia370.1%
Suíça360.1%
Outros países - África330.1%
Ucrânia330.1%
Espanha300.1%
Itália300.1%
Polónia270.1%
Outros países - Ásia230.1%
Estados Unidos da América230.1%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)210.0%
Guiné-Bissau200.0%
Oceânia180.0%
Austrália170.0%
Canadá150.0%
Cabo Verde150.0%
Bélgica130.0%
Roménia130.0%
Áustria110.0%
Suécia100.0%
Finlândia90.0%
China70.0%
Moldávia70.0%
Argentina50.0%
Irlanda50.0%
Dinamarca40.0%
Luxemburgo40.0%
Índia30.0%
Lituânia30.0%
Paquistão30.0%
Grécia20.0%
Croácia20.0%
Outros países - Oceânia10.0%
Bangladeche10.0%
Bulgária10.0%
Chipre10.0%
Chéquia10.0%
Letónia10.0%
Eslováquia10.0%
São Tomé e Príncipe10.0%

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
Total42,168100.0%
Portuguesa41,07997.4%
Estrangeira1,0892.6%
Europa5411.3%
América4471.1%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)3020.7%
Venezuela2740.6%
Outros países - Europa2390.6%
Reino Unido1370.3%
Brasil1320.3%
Alemanha940.2%
Show 43 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
África690.2%
Federação da Rússia420.1%
Itália350.1%
África do Sul330.1%
Ásia280.1%
Polónia260.1%
Espanha250.1%
França250.1%
Outros250.1%
Outros países - América240.1%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)190.0%
Ucrânia190.0%
Áustria160.0%
Outros países - Ásia140.0%
Suíça130.0%
Estados Unidos da América130.0%
China100.0%
Roménia100.0%
Suécia100.0%
Bélgica90.0%
Finlândia90.0%
Guiné-Bissau90.0%
Angola80.0%
Cabo Verde80.0%
Irlanda80.0%
Outros países - África70.0%
Oceânia40.0%
Austrália40.0%
Moçambique40.0%
Canadá30.0%
Dinamarca30.0%
Lituânia30.0%
Moldávia30.0%
Chipre20.0%
Chéquia20.0%
Índia20.0%
Luxemburgo20.0%
Paquistão20.0%
Argentina10.0%
Bulgária10.0%
Grécia10.0%
Croácia10.0%
Letónia10.0%

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

Is Santa Cruz 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 safety, weak on work · range 41–63%
Skilled employee61%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 51–71%
Student54%strong on safety, weak on education · range 44–64%
Family68%strong on family, weak on education · range 60–76%
Retirement59%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 49–69%
Foreign residents1,824 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.
Population43,005 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.66 EUR/m²/month26 Aug 2026Official source · www.ine.pt
NO₂ — annual mean30 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station São João)
PM10 — annual mean21 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station São João)
PM2.5 — annual mean7 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station São João)
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 Santa Cruz?

The published population was 43,005 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Santa Cruz?

Average net cold rent is 10.66 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 746 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.

Is the air quality good in Santa Cruz?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA air quality statistics — PT PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station São João).

How safe is Santa Cruz?

Police recorded 1,580 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.

How many foreign residents live in Santa Cruz?

1,824 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value..

Is Santa Cruz a good place to live?

Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,028 people (2.4%) 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). Santa Cruz, Portugal: rent, safety, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/santa-cruz/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_santa-cruz-portugal-rent-safety-climate_086f386c8251,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Santa Cruz, Portugal: rent, safety, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/santa-cruz/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Santa Cruz, Portugal: rent, safety, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/santa-cruz/) — 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 São João) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  2. EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station São João) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  3. EEA air quality statistics — PT PM2.5 annual mean 2024 (station São João) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  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 FUNCHAL / MADEIRA (Observatório) (nº 522) 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. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
Show 4 more sources
  1. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  2. Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  3. www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
  4. Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15

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.