Living in Silves

In Silves, average gross earnings are €1,270 a month (2024), rents in new contracts average €9.73 per m² a month (2026) and unemployment is 2.4% (2026).

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.

Last checked 2026-09-2326 sources

Population37,126people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)

Average gross salary1,270EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)

Average net rent9.73EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.20 — 57% aboveOfficial source · www.ine.pt

Unemployment rate2.39%country median 2.3% — 3% aboveIndependent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026

Recorded crime3,920incidents per 100kcountry median 2,730 — 44% aboveOfficial source · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022

Pricier rent than 81% of Portuguese cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 87% 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.pt¹⁵

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€30

Mobile plan, 10 GB€15

Net rent across major citiesSilves highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Lisbon€17.42

Cascais€16.50

Oeiras€15.42

Almada€13.43

Silves€9.73

Braga€8.57

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	29.99 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	MEO fixed fibre⁸Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	15 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Vodafone Portugal mobile plan¹⁴Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)	9.73 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.20	26 Aug 2026	www.ine.pt¹⁵Official

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 worker48%strong on work, weak on safety · range 39–57%

Skilled employee57%strong on work, weak on education · range 49–65%

Student43%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 34–52%

Family41%strong on family, weak on education · range 33–49%

Retirement42%strong on legal route, weak on admin · range 32–52%

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 2026²⁶

Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Silves is 2.4%. Of 279 cities with data, 131 have unemployment of 2 to under 3%.

131

0–11–22–33–44–55–66–77–89–1012–13

Silves 2.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	1,270 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)³Official
Unemployment rate	2.39 %country median 2.3%	30 Jun 2026	IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026²⁶Independent

What does a salary buy in Silves?

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

Left over each month€291of €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€9.73/m² · official · ine.pt · 2026-08-26	− €584
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	€291

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Silves Salary needed to live in Silves

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

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Physicians per 100,000 residents	150 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.¹⁰Official

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 2022⁵

Recorded crime across major citiesSilves highlighted among comparable cities

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Porto5,240

Lisbon5,090

Silves3,920

Almada3,580

Amadora3,330

Matosinhos2,910

Loures2,800

Cascais2,700

Sintra2,640

Vila Nova de Gaia2,570

Braga2,440

Oeiras2,380

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	3,920 incidents per 100kcountry median 2,730	31 Dec 2022	INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 2022⁵Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Nearest airport	PRM	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹¹Official
Distance to nearest airport	13.9 km	13 Jun 2026	OurAirports — airports.csv¹¹Official

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.

PortugueseCost varies

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–B2Cost varies

Open official information

Open the full Portugal section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Silves.

Find courses near Silves

Climate and air quality

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM1028WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂17WHO 10 · EU 40

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 49 measured cities

7–88–99–1010–1111–1212–1313–1414–1515–1616–1717–1818–1919–2020–2122–2323–2424–2528–2939–40

Silves 28.0

annual PM10, µg/m³ · cities per band

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	17 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — PT NO2 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)¹Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean	28 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — PT PM10 annual mean 2024 (station David Neto)²Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 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 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁹Official

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)⁴

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport76.6%
Foreign residents23.4%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	680.1 km²	2021	INE — Portal municipal (quadro)⁴Official
Foreign residents	8,673 people	2023	Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.²⁵Independent
Population density	54.59 people/km²	2021	Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.¹²Official
Population	37,126 people	2021	INE — Portal municipal (quadro)⁴Official

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 group	People	Share
Total	37,766	100.0%
Portuguesa	30,750	81.4%
Estrangeira	7,016	18.6%
Europa	3,720	9.9%
Outros países - Europa	1,886	5.0%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)	1,834	4.9%
América	1,427	3.8%
África	1,279	3.4%
Brasil	1,231	3.3%
Reino Unido	1,116	3.0%
Ásia	575	1.5%

Show 50 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Angola	560	1.5%
França	502	1.3%
Ucrânia	367	1.0%
Alemanha	356	0.9%
Índia	250	0.7%
Outros países - África	213	0.6%
Moldávia	213	0.6%
Roménia	195	0.5%
Moçambique	179	0.5%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)	174	0.5%
Cabo Verde	154	0.4%
Bulgária	136	0.4%
Bélgica	98	0.3%
Itália	98	0.3%
Suíça	92	0.2%
Outros países - Ásia	83	0.2%
Paquistão	80	0.2%
África do Sul	80	0.2%
Suécia	74	0.2%
Guiné-Bissau	72	0.2%
Outros países - América	66	0.2%
Espanha	63	0.2%
Nepal	58	0.2%
Federação da Rússia	55	0.1%
China	54	0.1%
Estados Unidos da América	53	0.1%
Bangladeche	50	0.1%
Venezuela	47	0.1%
Outros	43	0.1%
Irlanda	42	0.1%
Polónia	22	0.1%
São Tomé e Príncipe	21	0.1%
Canadá	20	0.1%
Finlândia	20	0.1%
Luxemburgo	18	0.0%
Oceânia	15	0.0%
Austrália	12	0.0%
Argentina	10	0.0%
Áustria	6	0.0%
Dinamarca	6	0.0%
Hungria	5	0.0%
Grécia	4	0.0%
Outros países - Oceânia	3	0.0%
Chipre	3	0.0%
Lituânia	3	0.0%
Eslovénia	3	0.0%
Chéquia	2	0.0%
Eslováquia	2	0.0%
Letónia	1	0.0%
Malta	1	0.0%

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 group	People	Share
Total	37,766	100.0%
Portuguesa	32,672	86.5%
Estrangeira	5,093	13.5%
Europa	3,081	8.2%
Outros países - Europa	1,604	4.2%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)	1,477	3.9%
Reino Unido	1,145	3.0%
América	1,121	3.0%
Brasil	1,014	2.7%
Ásia	541	1.4%
África	342	0.9%

Show 48 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Alemanha	268	0.7%
Ucrânia	254	0.7%
Índia	252	0.7%
França	230	0.6%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)	194	0.5%
Roménia	180	0.5%
Bulgária	153	0.4%
Outros países - África	117	0.3%
Itália	117	0.3%
Moldávia	102	0.3%
Bélgica	91	0.2%
Suécia	83	0.2%
Paquistão	79	0.2%
China	71	0.2%
Cabo Verde	60	0.2%
Angola	59	0.2%
Nepal	55	0.1%
Suíça	54	0.1%
Guiné-Bissau	53	0.1%
Irlanda	51	0.1%
Bangladeche	50	0.1%
Outros países - América	47	0.1%
Espanha	42	0.1%
Estados Unidos da América	36	0.1%
Outros países - Ásia	34	0.1%
Outros	29	0.1%
África do Sul	25	0.1%
Moçambique	21	0.1%
Polónia	20	0.1%
Federação da Rússia	20	0.1%
Venezuela	20	0.1%
Finlândia	15	0.0%
Dinamarca	9	0.0%
Oceânia	8	0.0%
São Tomé e Príncipe	7	0.0%
Áustria	5	0.0%
Austrália	5	0.0%
Grécia	4	0.0%
Hungria	4	0.0%
Outros países - Oceânia	3	0.0%
Eslováquia	3	0.0%
Argentina	2	0.0%
Canadá	2	0.0%
Chéquia	2	0.0%
Lituânia	2	0.0%
Luxemburgo	2	0.0%
Eslovénia	2	0.0%
Apátrida	1	0.0%

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

Alternatives for people set on Silves

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.

Monchique as a Silves alternative in the same region

21 km away, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,110 Monchique vs 3,920 Silves−46%
Unemployment: 1.3% Monchique vs 2.4% Silves−46%
Rent: €7.87/m² Monchique vs €9.73/m² Silves−19%
Residents: 6,045 Monchique vs 37,126 Silves−84%
Nearest airport: 18.7 km Monchique vs 13.9 km Silves+35%

Full comparison More about Monchique

Pombal as a Silves alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 304 km, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Nearest airport: 109.7 km Pombal vs 13.9 km Silves+689%
Rent: €5.56/m² Pombal vs €9.73/m² Silves−43%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,100 Pombal vs 3,920 Silves−46%
Unemployment: 1.8% Pombal vs 2.4% Silves−24%
Residents: 55,217 Pombal vs 37,126 Silves+49%

Full comparison More about Pombal

Cities near Silves

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

Portimão 10.5 km away

Rent: 11.62 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26

Alvor 15.2 km away

Rent: 11.62 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-03-31

Albufeira 19.6 km away

Rent: 12.14 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26

Monchique 20.9 km away

Rent: 7.87 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26

Alternative cities in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities

Torres Novas36,717 residents Funchal37,594 residents Cantanhede36,595 residents Évora35,903 residents Beja35,854 residents Câmara de Lobos35,666 residents

How does Silves compare?

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

Open the full comparison

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; Silves's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Put Silves's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

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 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.

Which cities are near Silves?

Portimão, Armação de Pêra, Alvor, Tunes, São Bartolomeu de Messines are near Silves. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Portuguesa live in Silves?

The official country of birth distribution records 30,750 people (81.4%) 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, October 16). Silves, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e962858980a1707c501ab0a64c35f485]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/silves/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_silves-portugal-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_cad511536b21,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Silves, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {e962858980a1707c501ab0a64c35f485},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/silves/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Silves, Portugal: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/silves/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e962858980a1707c501ab0a64c35f485; 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

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
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
INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-09-23
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
MEO fixed fibre meo.pt · checked 2026-09-15
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
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

Show 16 more sources

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
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
Vodafone Portugal mobile plan vodafone.pt · checked 2026-09-15
www.ine.pt ine.pt · checked 2026-08-26
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
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.