Living in Vila Real de Santo António
In Vila Real de Santo António, average gross earnings are €1,258 a month (2024), rents in new contracts average €9.68 per m² a month (2026) and unemployment is 2.1% (2026).
The unemployment rate was 2.11% in June 2026. Vila Real de Santo António is in Portugal; its population was 17,956 in 2021. For Vila Real de Santo António, the foreign population count was 3,753 in 2023. There were 260 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2024.
Pricier rent than 80% of Portuguese cities that publish it, lower unemployment than 62% of Portuguese cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 85% of Portuguese cities that publish it.
Which Portugal-wide rules apply when you move to Vila Real de Santo António?
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 Vila Real de Santo António?
Average net cold rent is 9.68 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): 9.68 EUR/m²/month · www.ine.pt14
| 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 plan13Official · national market |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 9.68 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.20 | 26 Aug 2026 | www.ine.pt14Official |
Is Vila Real de Santo António 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.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 581 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 9.68 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.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Vila Real de Santo António?
The unemployment rate is about 2.1 % (June 2026).
- Unemployment rate: 2.11 % · IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202623
Vila Real de Santo António 2.1%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average gross earnings | 1,258 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | INE — Ganho médio mensal (€), indicator 0012649 (Quadros de Pessoal)2Official |
| Unemployment rate | 2.11 %country median 2.3% | 30 Jun 2026 | IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 202623Independent |
What does a salary buy in Vila Real de Santo António?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft 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€9.68/m² · official · ine.pt · 2026-08-26 | − €581 |
| 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 | €294 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Vila Real de Santo António. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Vila Real de Santo António. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians per 100,000 residents | 260 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.9Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Vila Real de Santo António 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 guideSafety
How safe is Vila Real de Santo António?
Police recorded 3,750 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: 3,750 incidents per 100k · INE — Taxa de criminalidade (‰) por Localização geográfica (NUTS 2013) e Categoria de crime; Anual, indicador 0008074, categoria Total, ano 20224
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 3,750 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 20224Official |
Mobility and administration
The nearest airport was FAO, 53.2 km away, with 63 listed destinations in June 2026.
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Vila Real de Santo António. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
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.
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.
Climate and air quality
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average daytime high by month | Jan 15.7 · Feb 16.8 · Mar 19.2 · Apr 21.2 · May 24.1 · Jun 27.6 · Jul 30.5 · Aug 30.4 · Sep 27.2 · Oct 23.4 · Nov 19.1 · Dec 16.5 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (nº 866)7Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan 7 · Feb 7.8 · Mar 10 · Apr 11.7 · May 14.3 · Jun 17.3 · Jul 19.4 · Aug 19.7 · Sep 17.8 · Oct 15 · Nov 11 · Dec 8.3 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (nº 866)7Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 11.3 · Feb 12.3 · Mar 14.6 · Apr 16.5 · May 19.2 · Jun 22.4 · Jul 24.9 · Aug 25.1 · Sep 22.5 · Oct 19.2 · Nov 15 · Dec 12.4 °C | 31 Dec 1991 | IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (nº 866)7Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 46.2 · Feb 42.6 · Mar 44.3 · Apr 40.3 · May 25.1 · Jun 3.9 · Jul 0.5 · Aug 2.2 · Sep 18.5 · Oct 45.6 · Nov 69.1 · Dec 78.4 mm | 31 Dec 1991 | IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (nº 866)7Official · nearest-station reading |
Similar climate. In Portugal: Almada ±1.0 °C. Elsewhere: Downey (United States) ±1.4 °C, Cagliari (Italy) ±1.1 °C, Castellón de la Plana (Spain) ±0.6 °C, Dos Hermanas (Spain) ±1.7 °C, Elche (Spain) ±0.8 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month
Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.
Population and city profile
The city covered 61.3 km² in 2021. Population density was 293.2 people per km² in 2021.
How many people live in Vila Real de Santo António?
The published population was 17,956 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3
By nationality
National passport79.1%Foreign residents20.9%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 61.25 km² | 2021 | INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official |
| Foreign residents | 3,753 people | 2023 | Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value.22Independent |
| Population density | 293.2 people/km² | 2021 | Reproducible derived density from the same-period INE populationTotal divided by areaKm2; no external density number was substituted.12Official |
| Population | 17,956 people | 2021 | INE — Portal municipal (quadro)3Official |
International community in Vila Real de Santo António
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 | 18,824 | 100.0% |
| Portuguesa | 16,469 | 87.5% |
| Estrangeira | 2,355 | 12.5% |
| Europa | 1,341 | 7.1% |
| União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020) | 891 | 4.7% |
| Outros países - Europa | 450 | 2.4% |
| América | 418 | 2.2% |
| África | 366 | 1.9% |
| Brasil | 334 | 1.8% |
| Itália | 230 | 1.2% |
| Ásia | 229 | 1.2% |
Show 42 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| França | 202 | 1.1% |
| Reino Unido | 200 | 1.1% |
| Angola | 167 | 0.9% |
| Ucrânia | 135 | 0.7% |
| Roménia | 110 | 0.6% |
| Espanha | 95 | 0.5% |
| Alemanha | 91 | 0.5% |
| Nepal | 87 | 0.5% |
| Moçambique | 81 | 0.4% |
| Bulgária | 47 | 0.2% |
| Outros países - África | 46 | 0.2% |
| China | 42 | 0.2% |
| Moldávia | 42 | 0.2% |
| Suíça | 40 | 0.2% |
| Cabo Verde | 40 | 0.2% |
| Países Baixos (Reino dos) | 38 | 0.2% |
| Índia | 34 | 0.2% |
| Bangladeche | 32 | 0.2% |
| Outros países - América | 29 | 0.2% |
| Venezuela | 29 | 0.2% |
| Federação da Rússia | 26 | 0.1% |
| Bélgica | 25 | 0.1% |
| Suécia | 23 | 0.1% |
| Outros países - Ásia | 22 | 0.1% |
| Estados Unidos da América | 18 | 0.1% |
| Guiné-Bissau | 15 | 0.1% |
| Irlanda | 13 | 0.1% |
| Paquistão | 12 | 0.1% |
| África do Sul | 11 | 0.1% |
| Outros | 7 | 0.0% |
| Polónia | 6 | 0.0% |
| São Tomé e Príncipe | 6 | 0.0% |
| Argentina | 4 | 0.0% |
| Canadá | 4 | 0.0% |
| Luxemburgo | 3 | 0.0% |
| Áustria | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dinamarca | 2 | 0.0% |
| Grécia | 2 | 0.0% |
| Oceânia | 1 | 0.0% |
| Austrália | 1 | 0.0% |
| Finlândia | 1 | 0.0% |
| Eslováquia | 1 | 0.0% |
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 group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 18,824 | 100.0% |
| Portuguesa | 17,110 | 90.9% |
| Estrangeira | 1,714 | 9.1% |
| Europa | 1,091 | 5.8% |
| União Europeia 27 (s/ PT - a partir de 2020) | 771 | 4.1% |
| Outros países - Europa | 320 | 1.7% |
| América | 311 | 1.7% |
| Itália | 298 | 1.6% |
| Brasil | 262 | 1.4% |
| Ásia | 240 | 1.3% |
| Reino Unido | 181 | 1.0% |
Show 43 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 99 | 0.5% |
| França | 94 | 0.5% |
| Roménia | 92 | 0.5% |
| Ucrânia | 89 | 0.5% |
| Espanha | 69 | 0.4% |
| África | 68 | 0.4% |
| Alemanha | 56 | 0.3% |
| China | 54 | 0.3% |
| Bulgária | 47 | 0.2% |
| Países Baixos (Reino dos) | 40 | 0.2% |
| Bangladeche | 32 | 0.2% |
| Índia | 27 | 0.1% |
| Suécia | 25 | 0.1% |
| Suíça | 22 | 0.1% |
| Bélgica | 21 | 0.1% |
| Outros países - América | 20 | 0.1% |
| Angola | 19 | 0.1% |
| Cabo Verde | 18 | 0.1% |
| Irlanda | 16 | 0.1% |
| Paquistão | 16 | 0.1% |
| Moldávia | 15 | 0.1% |
| Outros países - África | 14 | 0.1% |
| Estados Unidos da América | 14 | 0.1% |
| Outros países - Ásia | 12 | 0.1% |
| Venezuela | 12 | 0.1% |
| Guiné-Bissau | 10 | 0.1% |
| Federação da Rússia | 9 | 0.0% |
| Oceânia | 4 | 0.0% |
| Polónia | 4 | 0.0% |
| Outros | 4 | 0.0% |
| Outros países - Oceânia | 3 | 0.0% |
| Moçambique | 3 | 0.0% |
| Argentina | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dinamarca | 2 | 0.0% |
| Finlândia | 2 | 0.0% |
| Grécia | 2 | 0.0% |
| São Tomé e Príncipe | 2 | 0.0% |
| África do Sul | 2 | 0.0% |
| Áustria | 1 | 0.0% |
| Austrália | 1 | 0.0% |
| Canadá | 1 | 0.0% |
| Luxemburgo | 1 | 0.0% |
| Eslováquia | 1 | 0.0% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source5
Alternatives for people set on Vila Real de Santo António
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.
Tavira as a Vila Real de Santo António alternative in the same region
22 km away, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.
- Unemployment: 1.1% Tavira vs 2.1% Vila Real de Santo António−46%
- Rent: €11.42/m² Tavira vs €9.68/m² Vila Real de Santo António+18%
- Residents: 26,167 Tavira vs 17,956 Vila Real de Santo António+46%
- Nearest airport: 31.2 km Tavira vs 53.2 km Vila Real de Santo António−41%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 3,630 Tavira vs 3,750 Vila Real de Santo António−3%
Paços de Ferreira as a Vila Real de Santo António alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 462 km, better on 3 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.
- Rent: €5.61/m² Paços de Ferreira vs €9.68/m² Vila Real de Santo António−42%
- Residents: 56,340 Paços de Ferreira vs 17,956 Vila Real de Santo António+214%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,330 Paços de Ferreira vs 3,750 Vila Real de Santo António−38%
- Nearest airport: 25.2 km Paços de Ferreira vs 53.2 km Vila Real de Santo António−53%
- Unemployment: 2.2% Paços de Ferreira vs 2.1% Vila Real de Santo António+5%
Cities near Vila Real de Santo António
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 4.5 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 8.3 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
- Rent
- 5 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 4.8 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
- Rent
- 11.42 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2026-08-26
- Rent
- 4.4 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2022-12-31
Alternative cities in Portugal
Other cities in Portugal to compare with Vila Real de Santo António, nearest in population first.
How does Vila Real de Santo António compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Vila Real de Santo António's.
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; Vila Real de Santo António'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 Vila Real de Santo António?
The published population was 17,956 people in 2021. Source: INE — Portal municipal (quadro).
How much does it cost to rent in Vila Real de Santo António?
Average net cold rent is 9.68 EUR/m² per month (2026-Q1), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 678 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.ine.pt.
How safe is Vila Real de Santo António?
Police recorded 3,750 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 Vila Real de Santo António?
The unemployment rate is about 2.1 % (June 2026). Source: IEFP — registered unemployment by municipality, June 2026.
How many foreign residents live in Vila Real de Santo António?
3,753 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Foreign population with legal resident status at 31 December; Total Nacionalidade; annual municipality value..
Is Vila Real de Santo António a good place to live?
Vila Real de Santo António 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 Vila Real de Santo António?
Ayamonte, Castro Marim, Isla Cristina, Lepe, Tavira are near Vila Real de Santo António. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people born in Portuguesa live in Vila Real de Santo António?
The official country of birth distribution records 16,469 people (87.5%) 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). Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal: population, rent, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 435b19a3e244448a32240b893bbe1d56]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/vila-real-de-santo-antonio/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_vila-real-de-santo-antonio-portugal-population-rent-jobs_f668fb70a0e8,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal: population, rent, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {435b19a3e244448a32240b893bbe1d56},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/vila-real-de-santo-antonio/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal: population, rent, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/pt/vila-real-de-santo-antonio/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 435b19a3e244448a32240b893bbe1d56; 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
- cdn.mivau.gob.es cdn.mivau.gob.es · checked 2026-08-26
- 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
- IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 — IPMA estação VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (nº 866) IPMA Normais Climatológicas 1991-2020 · ipma.pt · checked 2026-07-31
- MEO fixed fibre meo.pt · checked 2026-09-15
- 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
- OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
Show 13 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
- 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
- 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.