ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Viana do Castelo

For Viana do Castelo, annual NO₂ was 2.61 µg/m³ in 2024. The city covered 319 km² in 2021. Population density was 278.1 people per km² in 2021. There were 680 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024. The unemployment rate was 1.81% in June 2026. Viana do Castelo, a city in Portugal, had a population of 88,725 in 2021.

Pricier rent than 65% of Portuguese cities that publish it, lower unemployment than 72% of Portuguese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 89% of Portuguese cities that publish it.

Which Portugal-wide rules apply when you move to Viana do Castelo?

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 Viana do Castelo.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Viana do Castelo?

Average net cold rent is 7.67 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): 7.67 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt11

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

Net rent across major citiesViana do Castelo highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Viana do Castelo highlighted€16.50Cascais€15.42Oeiras€13.43Almada€13.00Amadora€11.98Matosinhos€11.73Loures€11.33Seixal€11.24Sintra€10.61Vila Nova de Gaia€10.15Porto€8.57Braga€7.67Viana do Castelonet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.67 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.1926 Aug 2026www.ine.pt11Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 460 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 7.67 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 Viana do Castelo?

The unemployment rate is about 1.8 % (June 2026).

  • Unemployment rate: 1.81 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202613
Unemployment across cities in PortugalUnemployment in Viana do Castelo is 1.8%. 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%761–2Viana do Castelo 1.8%118 cities: 2% to under 3%1182–341 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 rate1.81 %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 Viana do Castelo. 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 Viana do Castelo. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents680 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.7Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Viana do Castelo 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 Viana do Castelo?

Police recorded 2,580 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: 2,580 incidents per 100k · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20223
Recorded crime across major citiesViana do Castelo highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Viana do Castelo highlighted5,240Porto3,580Almada3,330Amadora2,910Matosinhos2,800Loures2,700Cascais2,640Sintra2,580Viana do Castelo2,570Vila Nova de Gaia2,440Braga2,380Oeiras2,170Seixalrecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents2,580 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 20223Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport61 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat8Official
Nearest airportOPO13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv9Official
Distance to nearest airport51.8 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv9Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Viana do Castelo. 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 Viana do Castelo.

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 3.82 µg/m³ in 2024. Annual PM10 was 7 µg/m³ in 2024.

Is the air quality good in Viana do Castelo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline.

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

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 3.82 µg/m³ · official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found14
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Viana do Castelo average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND29°4°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Viana do Castelo average monthly precipitation, mm06012018024022313914513610647303973203220231JFMAMJJASONDmm
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Viana do Castelo annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5253.8PM2.515407.0PM1010402.6NO₂µg/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 Viana do Castelo is 3.8 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/m³43–4Viana do Castelo 3.89 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/m³57–826 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 mean2.61 µg/m³country median 10.52024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found14Independent
PM10 — annual mean7.02 µg/m³country median 18.62024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found14Independent
PM2.5 — annual mean3.82 µg/m³country median 6.22024official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found14Independent
Average daytime high by monthJan 14.4 · Feb 15.8 · Mar 18.4 · Apr 19.7 · May 22.6 · Jun 25.8 · Jul 28.1 · Aug 28.6 · Sep 26.3 · Oct 22 · Nov 17.2 · Dec 15.1 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PONTE LIMA (Escola Agrícola) (nº 615)6Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 3.8 · Feb 4 · Mar 6.3 · Apr 7.6 · May 10.2 · Jun 12.7 · Jul 14 · Aug 13.6 · Sep 12 · Oct 10.3 · Nov 6.9 · Dec 4.8 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PONTE LIMA (Escola Agrícola) (nº 615)6Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 9.1 · Feb 9.9 · Mar 12.3 · Apr 13.7 · May 16.4 · Jun 19.2 · Jul 21.1 · Aug 21.1 · Sep 19.2 · Oct 16.2 · Nov 12 · Dec 9.9 °C31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PONTE LIMA (Escola Agrícola) (nº 615)6Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 223.1 · Feb 138.8 · Mar 145.1 · Apr 136.3 · May 105.9 · Jun 47.2 · Jul 29.9 · Aug 39.4 · Sep 73.3 · Oct 202.6 · Nov 219.5 · Dec 231.4 mm31 Dec 1991IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PONTE LIMA (Escola Agrícola) (nº 615)6Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Portugal

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

All Portugal cities
Paredes86,854 residentsAveiro91,397 residentsFaro80,256 residentsVila do Conde79,533 residentsTorres Vedras79,465 residentsViseu99,274 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Viana do Castelo?

The published population was 88,725 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)2

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Viana do Castelo residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport93.9%Foreign residents 6.1%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area319 km²2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)2Official
Foreign-resident share6.3 %31 Dec 2023Eurostat1Official
Foreign residents5,450 people2023Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.12Independent
Population density278.1 people/km²2021Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.10Official
Population88,725 people2021INE — Portal municipal (quadro)2Official
Population over time16 published observations, 2010–2025
Population in Viana do Castelo by year, residents85,41286,77288,13189,491201020142020202586,975residents

Population fell 2.5% between 2010 and 2025, from 89,210 to 86,975.

Foreign residents over time12 published observations, 2011–2023
Foreign residents in Viana do Castelo by year, residents6052,3404,0745,809201120142016202020235,450residents

Foreign residents rose 379.8% between 2011 and 2023, from 1,136 to 5,450.

International community in Viana do Castelo

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
Total85,778100.0%
Portuguesa78,38591.4%
Estrangeira7,3938.6%
Europa3,3533.9%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)2,9093.4%
França2,3302.7%
América2,2692.6%
Brasil1,6671.9%
África1,5401.8%
Angola7960.9%
Outros países - Europa4440.5%
Show 45 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Moçambique4310.5%
Venezuela2150.3%
Ásia2130.2%
Espanha1990.2%
Alemanha1570.2%
Canadá1560.2%
Outros1400.2%
Suíça1110.1%
Ucrânia1070.1%
África do Sul940.1%
Estados Unidos da América880.1%
Outros países - América810.1%
São Tomé e Príncipe790.1%
Outros países - África700.1%
Argentina620.1%
Outros países - Ásia580.1%
Reino Unido550.1%
Itália550.1%
Cabo Verde520.1%
Bélgica510.1%
China410.0%
Índia410.0%
Paquistão380.0%
Roménia340.0%
Luxemburgo280.0%
Nepal220.0%
Federação da Rússia190.0%
Oceânia180.0%
Austrália180.0%
Guiné-Bissau180.0%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)180.0%
Bangladeche130.0%
Moldávia120.0%
Polónia100.0%
Suécia60.0%
Grécia40.0%
Irlanda40.0%
Chéquia20.0%
Finlândia20.0%
Hungria20.0%
Lituânia20.0%
Eslováquia20.0%
Áustria10.0%
Dinamarca10.0%
Eslovénia10.0%

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

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
Total85,778100.0%
Portuguesa83,28897.1%
Estrangeira2,4902.9%
América1,4921.7%
Brasil1,2851.5%
Europa6170.7%
União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020)4620.5%
Ásia1920.2%
África1850.2%
Outros países - Europa1550.2%
França1350.2%
Show 44 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Espanha1110.1%
Venezuela850.1%
Itália770.1%
Ucrânia660.1%
São Tomé e Príncipe650.1%
Outros países - América550.1%
Angola530.1%
China510.1%
Alemanha430.1%
Reino Unido390.0%
Outros países - Ásia380.0%
Paquistão380.0%
Índia320.0%
Estados Unidos da América320.0%
Cabo Verde300.0%
Roménia300.0%
Bélgica240.0%
Outros230.0%
Nepal220.0%
Canadá180.0%
Outros países - África170.0%
Argentina170.0%
Suíça150.0%
Bangladeche110.0%
Moçambique110.0%
Países Baixos (Reino dos)110.0%
Federação da Rússia90.0%
Polónia80.0%
Guiné-Bissau50.0%
Irlanda50.0%
Oceânia40.0%
Austrália40.0%
Grécia40.0%
África do Sul40.0%
Moldávia30.0%
Suécia30.0%
Lituânia20.0%
Eslovénia20.0%
Eslováquia20.0%
Áustria10.0%
Chéquia10.0%
Finlândia10.0%
Hungria10.0%
Luxemburgo10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source4

Is Viana do Castelo 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 worker68%strong on work, weak on safety · range 60–76%
Skilled employee72%strong on work, weak on education · range 64–80%
Student57%strong on legal route, weak on education · range 48–66%
Family61%strong on family, weak on education · range 53–69%
Retirement65%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 56–74%
Foreign residents5,450 people2023Independent source · Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.
Population88,725 people2021Official source · INE — Portal municipal (quadro)
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.67 EUR/m²/month26 Aug 2026Official source · www.ine.pt
Unemployment rate1.81 %30 Jun 2026Independent source · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026
NO₂ — annual mean2.61 µg/m³2024Independent source · official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found
PM10 — annual mean7.02 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 2026-08-26

Common questions

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

How many people live in Viana do Castelo?

The published population was 88,725 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).

How much does it cost to rent in Viana do Castelo?

Average net cold rent is 7.67 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 537 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.

Is the air quality good in Viana do Castelo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: official validated air-quality station bulk; no exact target station-period input found.

How safe is Viana do Castelo?

Police recorded 2,580 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.

What is the unemployment rate in Viana do Castelo?

The unemployment rate is about 1.8 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.

How many foreign residents live in Viana do Castelo?

5,450 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value..

Is Viana do Castelo a good place to live?

Viana do Castelo 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 Viana do Castelo?

The official country of birth distribution records 3,353 people (3.9%) 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). Viana do Castelo, Portugal: rent, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/viana-do-castelo/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_viana-do-castelo-portugal-rent-jobs_689610ccd9bd,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Viana do Castelo, Portugal: rent, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/viana-do-castelo/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Viana do Castelo, Portugal: rent, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/viana-do-castelo/) — 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. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  2. INE — Portal municipal (quadro) INE · ine.pt · checked 2026-07-14
  3. 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
  4. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014632 nationality ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  5. Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal Censos 2021 indicator 0014633 country of birth ine.pt · checked 2026-09-01
  6. IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação PONTE LIMA (Escola Agrícola) (nº 615) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
  7. 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
  8. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  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 4 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
  4. 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.