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Living in Silves

Silves is a city in Portugal. The unemployment rate was 2.39% in June 2026. The nearest airport was PRM, 13.9 km away in June 2026. In 2021, Silves had a population of 37,126.

Pricier rent than 81% of Portuguese cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 88% of Portuguese cities that publish it.

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

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 Silves.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Silves?

Average net cold rent is 9.73 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): 9.73 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt11

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

Net rent across major citiesSilves highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Silves highlighted€16.50Cascais€15.42Oeiras€13.43Almada€13.00Amadora€11.98Matosinhos€11.73Loures€11.33Seixal€11.24Sintra€10.61Vila Nova de Gaia€10.15Porto€9.73Silves€8.57Braganet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)9.73 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.1926 Aug 2026www.ine.pt11Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 584 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 9.73 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 Silves?

The unemployment rate is about 2.4 % (June 2026).

  • Unemployment rate: 2.39 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202613
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Silves is 2.4%. 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%1182–3Silves 2.4%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 rate2.39 %country median 2.3%30 Jun 2026IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202613Independent

Public employment service

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents150 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.8Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Silves 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 Silves?

Police recorded 3,920 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: 3,920 incidents per 100k · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20224
Recorded crime across major citiesSilves highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Silves highlighted5,240Porto3,920Silves3,580Almada3,330Amadora2,910Matosinhos2,800Loures2,700Cascais2,640Sintra2,570Vila Nova de Gaia2,440Braga2,380Oeiras2,170Seixalrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents3,920 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 20224Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportPRM13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv9Official
Distance to nearest airport13.9 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv9Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Silves annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit154028.0PM10104017.0NO₂µg/m³

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

PM10 across cities in PortugalWhere Silves lands among 47 measured cities
annual PM10, µg/m³ · measured cities in Portugal per band17–818–929–10110–11111–12212–13113–14314–15315–16216–17417–18618–19719–20620–21222–23223–24124–25128–29Silves 28.0139–40

annual PM10, µg/m³ · cities per band

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)1Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean28 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)2Official · nearest-station reading
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 18.79 · Feb 18.99 · Mar 22.84 · Apr 24.47 · May 30.44 · Jun 30.63 · Jul 34.55 · Aug 33.29 · Sep 32.23 · Oct 28.7 · Nov 22.45 · Dec 18.97 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center7Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan 6.23 · Feb 4.98 · Mar 6.98 · Apr 10.09 · May 11.35 · Jun 14.03 · Jul 15.68 · Aug 16.28 · Sep 14.9 · Oct 12.16 · Nov 8.81 · Dec 8.19 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center7Official
Average temperature by monthJan 13.84 · Feb 13.6 · Mar 14.52 · Apr 15.75 · May 17.67 · Jun 19.94 · Jul 21.11 · Aug 21.7 · Sep 21.13 · Oct 19.65 · Nov 16.61 · Dec 14.83 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center7Official

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities
Torres Novas36,717 residentsFunchal37,594 residentsCantanhede36,595 residentsÉvora35,903 residentsBeja35,854 residentsCâmara de Lobos35,666 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 680.1 km² in 2021. Population density was 54.6 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Silves?

The published population was 37,126 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Silves residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport76.6%Foreign residents23.4%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area680.1 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official
Foreign residents8,673 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.12Independent
Population density54.59 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.10Official
Population37,126 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official

International community in Silves

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
Total37,766100.0%
Portuguesa30,75081.4%
Estrangeira7,01618.6%
Europa3,7209.9%
Outros países - Europa1,8865.0%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)1,8344.9%
América1,4273.8%
África1,2793.4%
Brasil1,2313.3%
Reino Unido1,1163.0%
Ásia5751.5%
Show 50 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Angola5601.5%
França5021.3%
Ucrânia3671.0%
Alemanha3560.9%
Índia2500.7%
Outros países - África2130.6%
Moldávia2130.6%
Roménia1950.5%
Moçambique1790.5%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)1740.5%
Cabo Verde1540.4%
Bulgária1360.4%
Bélgica980.3%
Itália980.3%
Suíça920.2%
Outros países - Ásia830.2%
Paquistão800.2%
África do Sul800.2%
Suécia740.2%
Guiné-Bissau720.2%
Outros países - América660.2%
Espanha630.2%
Nepal580.2%
Federação da Rússia550.1%
China540.1%
Estados Unidos da América530.1%
Bangladeche500.1%
Venezuela470.1%
Outros430.1%
Irlanda420.1%
Polónia220.1%
São Tomé e Príncipe210.1%
Canadá200.1%
Finlândia200.1%
Luxemburgo180.0%
Oceânia150.0%
Austrália120.0%
Argentina100.0%
Áustria60.0%
Dinamarca60.0%
Hungria50.0%
Grécia40.0%
Outros países - Oceânia30.0%
Chipre30.0%
Lituânia30.0%
Eslovénia30.0%
Chéquia20.0%
Eslováquia20.0%
Letónia10.0%
Malta10.0%

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

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
Total37,766100.0%
Portuguesa32,67286.5%
Estrangeira5,09313.5%
Europa3,0818.2%
Outros países - Europa1,6044.2%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)1,4773.9%
Reino Unido1,1453.0%
América1,1213.0%
Brasil1,0142.7%
Ásia5411.4%
África3420.9%
Show 48 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Alemanha2680.7%
Ucrânia2540.7%
Índia2520.7%
França2300.6%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)1940.5%
Roménia1800.5%
Bulgária1530.4%
Outros países - África1170.3%
Itália1170.3%
Moldávia1020.3%
Bélgica910.2%
Suécia830.2%
Paquistão790.2%
China710.2%
Cabo Verde600.2%
Angola590.2%
Nepal550.1%
Suíça540.1%
Guiné-Bissau530.1%
Irlanda510.1%
Bangladeche500.1%
Outros países - América470.1%
Espanha420.1%
Estados Unidos da América360.1%
Outros países - Ásia340.1%
Outros290.1%
África do Sul250.1%
Moçambique210.1%
Polónia200.1%
Federação da Rússia200.1%
Venezuela200.1%
Finlândia150.0%
Dinamarca90.0%
Oceânia80.0%
São Tomé e Príncipe70.0%
Áustria50.0%
Austrália50.0%
Grécia40.0%
Hungria40.0%
Outros países - Oceânia30.0%
Eslováquia30.0%
Argentina20.0%
Canadá20.0%
Chéquia20.0%
Lituânia20.0%
Luxemburgo20.0%
Eslovénia20.0%
Apátrida10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source5

Is Silves 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–64%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on education · range 56–72%
Student45%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 36–54%
Family41%strong on family, weak on education · range 33–49%
Retirement42%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 32–52%
Foreign residents8,673 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.
Population37,126 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average net rent (nettokalt)9.73 EUR/m²/month26 Aug 2026Official source · www.ine.pt
Unemployment rate2.39 %30 Jun 2026Independent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
NO₂ — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)
PM10 — annual mean28 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)
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 Silves?

The published population was 37,126 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Silves?

Average net cold rent is 9.73 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 681 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.

How safe is Silves?

Police recorded 3,920 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 Silves?

The unemployment rate is about 2.4 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Silves?

8,673 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value..

Is Silves a good place to live?

Silves 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 Silves?

The official country of birth distribution records 3,720 people (9.9%) 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). Silves, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/silves/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_silves-portugal-rent-jobs-safety_1bc3037b3465,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Silves, 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/silves/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Silves, Portugal: rent, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/silves/) — 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 David Neto) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  2. EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  3. INE — Portal municipal (quadro) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-14
  4. 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
  5. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014632 nationality ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  6. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014633 country of birth ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  7. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  8. 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
  9. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  10. Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted. ine.pt · checked 2026-07-15
Show 3 more sources
  1. www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
  2. Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  3. 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.