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Living in Sintra

The unemployment rate was 2.42% in June 2026. For Sintra, the foreign population count was 63,222 in 2023. The population of Sintra, in Portugal, was 385,606 in 2021. There were 280 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024.

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

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 Sintra.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Sintra?

Average net cold rent is 11.24 EUR/m² per month (2026), 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): 11.24 EUR/m²/month · Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Portugal)5

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

Net rent across major citiesSintra highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Sintra highlighted€16.50Cascais€15.42Oeiras€13.43Almada€13.00Amadora€11.98Matosinhos€11.73Loures€11.33Seixal€11.24Sintra€10.61Vila Nova de Gaia€10.15Porto€8.82Gondomar€8.57Braganet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)11.24 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.194 Aug 2026Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Portugal)5Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 674 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 11.24 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

Is rent affordable on a local salary?

A 60 m² flat at the published average rent is about 674 EUR a month, which is 50% of the published median gross salary of 1,355 (2022). Gross, not take-home, and before heating and operating charges.

Source period: 2026

Work and income

What is the typical salary in Sintra?

The median gross salary is about 1,355 EUR/month (2022). Source: Collected source1

City-scope median, gross, before tax and social contributions.

What is the unemployment rate in Sintra?

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

  • Unemployment rate: 2.42 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202614
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Sintra 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%1182–3Sintra 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
Median gross salary1,355 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Collected source1Official
Unemployment rate2.42 %country median 2.3%30 Jun 2026IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202614Independent

Public employment service

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents280 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.10Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sintra 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 Sintra?

Police recorded 2,640 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: 2,640 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 citiesSintra highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Sintra highlighted5,240Porto3,580Almada3,330Amadora2,910Matosinhos2,800Loures2,700Cascais2,640Sintra2,570Vila Nova de Gaia2,440Braga2,380Oeiras2,170Seixal1,900Gondomarrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents2,640 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 airportCAT13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official
Distance to nearest airport8.6 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv11Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 7.38 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual NO₂ was 10.4 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual PM10 was 18.8 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Sintra?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

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

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 7.38 µg/m³ · official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found15
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Sintra average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND22°10°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sintra average monthly precipitation, mm0204060805547434135103624707759JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Sintra annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5257.4PM2.5154018.8PM10104010.4NO₂µg/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 Sintra is 7.4 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/m³57–8Sintra 7.426 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 mean10.38 µg/m³country median 10.52024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found15Independent
PM10 — annual mean18.77 µg/m³country median 18.6 — about the same2024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found15Independent
PM2.5 — annual mean7.38 µg/m³country median 6.22024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found15Independent
Annual mean temperature (modelled)16 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)573.4 mm/year2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)11.6 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)0.95 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)33.92 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)20.07 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)1.57 mm/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)4.8 kWh/m²/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Average daytime high by monthJan 14.3 · Feb 14.5 · Mar 16 · Apr 16.8 · May 18.6 · Jun 20.3 · Jul 20.9 · Aug 21.9 · Sep 21.5 · Oct 20.1 · Nov 17.1 · Dec 15.3 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação CABO DA ROCA (nº 750)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 10 · Feb 10 · Mar 11 · Apr 11.9 · May 13.5 · Jun 15.2 · Jul 16 · Aug 16.5 · Sep 16.4 · Oct 15.3 · Nov 12.8 · Dec 11.1 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação CABO DA ROCA (nº 750)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 12.1 · Feb 12.3 · Mar 13.5 · Apr 14.3 · May 16 · Jun 17.8 · Jul 18.5 · Aug 19.2 · Sep 19 · Oct 17.7 · Nov 14.9 · Dec 13.2 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação CABO DA ROCA (nº 750)8Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 55.4 · Feb 46.7 · Mar 42.7 · Apr 41.1 · May 35.4 · Jun 10.3 · Jul 3.2 · Aug 6.2 · Sep 23.7 · Oct 69.5 · Nov 77.4 · Dec 58.7 mm31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação CABO DA ROCA (nº 750)8Official · nearest-station reading
Annual PM2.5 over time10 published observations, 2015–2024
Annual PM2.5 in Sintra by year, µg/m³7.08.810.612.4201520172019202120247.4µg/m³

Annual PM2.5 fell 38.5% between 2015 and 2024, from 12.0 to 7.4.

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities
Vila Nova de Gaia303,824 residentsPorto273,476 residentsCascais214,124 residentsBraga212,635 residentsLoures201,590 residentsAlmada177,238 residents

Population and city profile

The city covered 319.2 km² in 2021. Population density was 1,207.9 people per km² in 2021.

How many people live in Sintra?

The published population was 385,606 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Sintra residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport83.6%Foreign residents16.4%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area319.2 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official
Foreign-resident share16.3 %31 Dec 2023Eurostat2Official
Foreign residents63,222 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.13Independent
Population density1,208 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.12Official
Population385,606 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official
Population over time16 published observations, 2010–2025
Population in Sintra by year, residents374,999384,289393,579402,8692010201420202025400,947residents

Population rose 6.4% between 2010 and 2025, from 376,921 to 400,947.

Foreign residents over time12 published observations, 2011–2023
Foreign residents in Sintra by year, residents26,63539,73452,83365,9322011201420162020202363,222residents

Foreign residents rose 80.7% between 2011 and 2023, from 34,994 to 63,222.

International community in Sintra

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
Total385,606100.0%
Portuguesa312,99181.2%
Estrangeira72,61518.8%
África41,03710.6%
América18,1304.7%
Brasil16,6174.3%
Angola15,0893.9%
Cabo Verde11,1032.9%
Europa10,0362.6%
Guiné-Bissau6,0271.6%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)5,3791.4%
Show 52 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Outros países - Europa4,6571.2%
Moçambique4,3441.1%
Ásia3,3490.9%
São Tomé e Príncipe2,6670.7%
Ucrânia2,0020.5%
França1,8870.5%
Outros países - África1,3790.4%
Roménia1,1010.3%
Moldávia1,0160.3%
Índia8480.2%
Reino Unido8260.2%
Outros países - Ásia7940.2%
China7590.2%
Alemanha7370.2%
Venezuela6730.2%
Espanha5170.1%
África do Sul4280.1%
Outros países - América3850.1%
Federação da Rússia3690.1%
Bangladeche3560.1%
Nepal3500.1%
Suíça3170.1%
Estados Unidos da América2830.1%
Itália2430.1%
Paquistão2420.1%
Bélgica1940.1%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)1570.0%
Outros1270.0%
Bulgária1140.0%
Luxemburgo1050.0%
Canadá1030.0%
Argentina690.0%
Oceânia630.0%
Suécia600.0%
Polónia520.0%
Austrália510.0%
Irlanda400.0%
Dinamarca270.0%
Lituânia230.0%
Áustria220.0%
Hungria210.0%
Grécia140.0%
Eslováquia130.0%
Outros países - Oceânia120.0%
Finlândia120.0%
Letónia110.0%
Chéquia100.0%
Estónia50.0%
Croácia50.0%
Malta40.0%
Eslovénia30.0%
Chipre20.0%

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
Total385,606100.0%
Portuguesa347,39290.1%
Estrangeira38,2079.9%
África16,9934.4%
América13,3093.5%
Brasil12,6623.3%
Cabo Verde5,8911.5%
Europa5,2521.4%
Angola4,9071.3%
Guiné-Bissau3,9771.0%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)2,9870.8%
Show 51 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Ásia2,6320.7%
Outros países - Europa2,2650.6%
Ucrânia1,2480.3%
São Tomé e Príncipe1,1550.3%
Roménia1,0440.3%
China8560.2%
Outros países - África7450.2%
Índia5500.1%
Moldávia3980.1%
Espanha3950.1%
Itália3860.1%
Nepal3610.1%
Bangladeche3580.1%
Reino Unido3450.1%
França3350.1%
Outros países - Ásia3100.1%
Moçambique2680.1%
Alemanha2580.1%
Outros países - América2230.1%
Paquistão1970.1%
Venezuela1850.0%
Estados Unidos da América1780.0%
Federação da Rússia1760.0%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)1210.0%
Bélgica850.0%
Bulgária810.0%
Outros560.0%
África do Sul500.0%
Suécia480.0%
Polónia440.0%
Suíça420.0%
Irlanda410.0%
Argentina330.0%
Canadá280.0%
Dinamarca230.0%
Oceânia210.0%
Lituânia210.0%
Áustria180.0%
Grécia170.0%
Austrália160.0%
Hungria120.0%
Eslováquia110.0%
Letónia90.0%
Chéquia80.0%
Finlândia80.0%
Apátrida70.0%
Estónia60.0%
Croácia60.0%
Luxemburgo60.0%
Outros países - Oceânia50.0%
Eslovénia40.0%

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

Is Sintra 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 worker50%strong on work, weak on safety · range 42–58%
Skilled employee59%strong on work, weak on education · range 51–67%
Student48%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 39–57%
Family54%strong on family, weak on education · range 46–62%
Retirement52%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 43–61%
Foreign residents63,222 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.
Population385,606 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average net rent (nettokalt)11.24 EUR/m²/month4 Aug 2026Official source · Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Portugal)
Median gross salary1,355 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · Collected source
Unemployment rate2.42 %30 Jun 2026Independent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
NO₂ — annual mean10.38 µg/m³2024Independent source · official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-04

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Sintra?

The published population was 385,606 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Sintra?

Average net cold rent is 11.24 EUR/m² per month (2026), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 787 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE Portugal).

Is the air quality good in Sintra?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found.

How safe is Sintra?

Police recorded 2,640 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 typical salary in Sintra?

The median gross salary is about 1,355 EUR/month (2022). Source: Collected source.

What is the unemployment rate in Sintra?

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

Is Sintra a good place to live?

Sintra 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 Sintra?

The official country of birth distribution records 10,036 people (2.6%) 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). Sintra, Portugal: rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sintra/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sintra-portugal-rent-salary-jobs-safety_95fad0c99f9e,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sintra, Portugal: rent, salary, jobs, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sintra/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Sintra, Portugal: rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/sintra/) — 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. Collected source ine.pt · checked 2026-08-04
  2. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  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) ine.pt · checked 2026-08-04
  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 CABO DA ROCA (nº 750) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
  9. NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-09-12
  10. 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 5 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. Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value. pordata.pt · checked 2026-07-15
  4. IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026 IEFP · iefp.pt · checked 2026-07-26
  5. official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found aqportal.discomap.eea.europa.eu · 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.