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Living in São João

São João is a city in Portugal, and the figures below are its published values.

Last checked 2026-10-0722 sources

Population2,679people19 Apr 2021Official source · Censos 2021 — Lugares por Freguesia (C21_LUGF_PT)
Average gross salary1,494EUR/month31 Dec 2024Municipality figureOfficial source · INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)
Average net rent7.37EUR/m²/month31 Mar 2026Municipality figureOfficial source · 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
Unemployment rate2.28%30 Jun 2026Municipality figureIndependent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
Recorded crime2,690incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Municipality figureOfficial source · Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024) e Categoria de crime; Anual - Direcção-Geral da Política de Justiça
PM2.5, annual mean7µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Which Portugal-wide rules apply when you move to São João?

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 São João?

Average net cold rent is 7.37 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): 7.37 EUR/m²/month · 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 local10
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
São João recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

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

net rent, € / m² / month

Lisbon€17.42
Cascais€16.50
Oeiras€15.42
Almada€13.43
Porto€10.15
Braga€8.57
Show the other 6 cities
Amadora€13.00
Matosinhos€11.98
Loures€11.73
Seixal€11.33
Sintra€11.24
Vila Nova de Gaia€10.61
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited29.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026MEO fixed fibre5Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB15 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Vodafone Portugal mobile plan11Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.37 EUR/m²/month31 Mar 2026Valor 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 local10Official · parent municipality

Is São João 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 worker54%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 39–69%
Skilled employee60%strong on work, weak on education · range 47–73%
Student56%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 42–70%
Family52%strong on family, weak on education · range 37–67%
Retirement54%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 39–69%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 442 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 7.37 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 São João?

The unemployment rate is about 2.3 % (June 2026).

  • Unemployment rate: 2.28 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202622
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in São João is 2.3%. Of 279 cities with data, 131 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings1,494 EUR/month31 Dec 2024INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)4Official · parent municipality
Unemployment rate2.28 %30 Jun 2026IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202622Independent · parent municipality

What does a salary buy in São João?

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€433of €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€7.37/m² · official · 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 · 2026-03-31− €442
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€433
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in São João Salary needed to live in São João

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is São João?

Police recorded 2,690 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024) e Categoria de crime; Anual - Direcção-Geral da Política de Justiça9

Recorded crime across major citiesSão João highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with São João highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Porto5,240
Lisbon5,090
Almada3,580
Amadora3,330
Matosinhos2,910
Loures2,800
Cascais2,700
Sintra2,640
Vila Nova de Gaia2,570
Braga2,440
Oeiras2,380
Seixal2,170
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents2,690 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024) e Categoria de crime; Anual - Direcção-Geral da Política de Justiça9Official · parent municipality

Mobility and administration

São João's nearest airport was OPO, 43 km away and offered 61 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport61 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights7Official
Distance to the nearest major airport43 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)OPO3 Aug 2026OurAirports8Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near São João

Climate and air quality

São João's monthly mean temperatures were 10.5°C in January and 19.9°C in July.

Is the air quality good in São João?

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: European Environment Agency3

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

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 São João is 7.0 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
PM2.5 — annual mean7 µg/m³31 Dec 2024European Environment Agency3Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 17.97 · Feb 19.48 · Mar 26.15 · Apr 27.4 · May 30.34 · Jun 33.6 · Jul 34.84 · Aug 35.24 · Sep 33.01 · Oct 30.93 · Nov 23.28 · Dec 18.54 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · parent municipality
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan 0.6 · Feb 0.74 · Mar 0.76 · Apr 5.26 · May 6.74 · Jun 10.26 · Jul 11.7 · Aug 12.57 · Sep 11.16 · Oct 8.12 · Nov 4.02 · Dec 1.21 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · parent municipality
Average temperature by monthJan 10.52 · Feb 10.62 · Mar 12.11 · Apr 13.65 · May 15.88 · Jun 18.44 · Jul 19.89 · Aug 20.33 · Sep 19.42 · Oct 16.94 · Nov 13.18 · Dec 11.08 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center6Official · parent municipality

Population and city profile

How many people live in São João?

The published population was 2,679 people in April 2021. Source: Censos 2021 — Lugares por Freguesia (C21_LUGF_PT)1

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population2,679 people19 Apr 2021Censos 2021 — Lugares por Freguesia (C21_LUGF_PT)1Official

Alternatives for people set on São João

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.

Cities near São João

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

Ovar 2.2 km away
Rent
7.37 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
Santa Maria da Feira 9.5 km away
Rent
6.63 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
Salary
1,222 EUR/monthMedian gross salary · 2022-12-31
São João de Ver 10.8 km away
Rent
7.03 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26

Alternative cities in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities

How does São João compare?

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

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in São João 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.

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; São João'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 São João?

The published population was 2,679 people in April 2021. Source: Censos 2021 — Lugares por Freguesia (C21_LUGF_PT).

How much does it cost to rent in São João?

Average net cold rent is 7.37 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 516 EUR a month before utilities. Source: 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.

Is the air quality good in São João?

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: European Environment Agency.

How safe is São João?

Police recorded 2,690 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024) e Categoria de crime; Anual - Direcção-Geral da Política de Justiça.

What is the unemployment rate in São João?

The unemployment rate is about 2.3 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.

Is São João a good place to live?

São João 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 São João?

Ovar, Válega, Avanca, Feira, Santa Maria da Feira are near São João. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

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). São João, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 9fb73226a8b018f3b13700660665429b]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sao-joao/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sao-joao-portugal-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_9ea06ff8adb9,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {São João, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {9fb73226a8b018f3b13700660665429b},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sao-joao/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[São João, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sao-joao/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 9fb73226a8b018f3b13700660665429b; 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. Censos 2021 — Lugares por Freguesia (C21_LUGF_PT) Censos 2021 · mapas.ine.pt · checked 2026-10-07
  2. Collected source ine.pt · checked 2026-08-04
  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. MEO fixed fibre meo.pt · checked 2026-09-15
  6. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  7. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  8. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  9. Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS - 2024) e Categoria de crime; Anual - Direcção-Geral da Política de Justiça ine.pt · checked 2026-10-05
  10. 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
Show 12 more sources
  1. Vodafone Portugal mobile plan vodafone.pt · checked 2026-09-15
  2. www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
  3. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  4. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  5. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  6. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  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. 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.