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Living in Karlstad

The city covered 1,174.9 km² in 2024. Population density was 84.3 people per km² in 2025. Car density was 474.8 vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2025. In 2024, annual NO₂ was 13.3 µg/m³. The unemployment rate was 11.6% at the end of 2024. In 2024, annual PM2.5 was 5.67 µg/m³.

Pricier rent than 69% of Swedish cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 62% of Swedish cities that publish it and dirtier air than 70% of Swedish cities that publish it.

Which Sweden-wide rules apply when you move to Karlstad?

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 SwedenNational rates and thresholds that apply in Karlstad.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Karlstad?

Average net cold rent is about 10.89 EUR/m² per month (2025), 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): 10.89 EUR/m²/month · api.scb.se1

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

Net rent across major citiesKarlstad highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Karlstad highlighted€13.35Stockholm€13.04Malmö€12.09Helsingborg€11.91Västerås€11.83Göteborg€11.42Norrköping€10.89Karlstad€7.85Uppsala€7.45Umeå€7.38Linköping€7.00Örebro€6.88Jönköpingnet rent, € / m² / month
MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.89 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €10.0031 Dec 2025api.scb.se1Official

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 653 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 10.89 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: 2025

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Karlstad?

The unemployment rate is 11.6 % (2024). Source: SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–202411

Unemployment across cities in SwedenUnemployment in Karlstad is 11.6%. Of 216 cities with data, 61 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Sweden per band3 cities: 4% to under 6%34–625 cities: 6% to under 8%256–861 cities: 8% to under 10%618–1053 cities: 10% to under 12%5310–12Karlstad 11.6%41 cities: 12% to under 14%4112–1422 cities: 14% to under 16%2214–169 cities: 16% to under 18%916–182 cities: 18% to under 20%218–20

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
People in employment50,061 people31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)10Official
Employment rate80.1 %31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)11Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,298 EUR/month31 Dec 2025api.scb.se2Official
Unemployment rate11.6 %country median 10.6%31 Dec 2024SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–202411Independent

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Karlstad. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Arbetsförmedlingen — Public employment service

Swedish Public Employment Service

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Sweden service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Karlstad. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Karlstad?

Police recorded 9,960 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 9,960 offences per 100,000 · Brå — reported offences by municipality, 20253
Recorded crime across major citiesKarlstad highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Karlstad highlighted19,159Stockholm16,183Malmö15,583Helsingborg14,153Västerås13,915Örebro13,878Göteborg12,832Norrköping11,137Uppsala10,322Linköping9,960Karlstad9,782Jönköping9,210Umeårecorded incidents per 100k residents
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,960 offences per 100,000country median 9,986 — about the same31 Dec 2025Brå — reported offences by municipality, 20253Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport2 count13 Jun 2026OpenFlights — routes.dat7Official
Nearest airportKSD13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official
Distance to nearest airport10.9 km13 Jun 2026OurAirports — airports.csv8Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Karlstad. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Municipal civic orientation for newly arrived residents — Civic Orientation

Swedish municipalities

For newly arrived residents with residence permits.

In Person, Onlinefree
Open official information

Swedish for immigrants (SFI) municipal adult education — State Language Course

Swedish municipalities under the national SFI framework

For persons over 16 eligible for SFI.

SwedishIn Person, Online
Open official information
Open the full Sweden section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Karlstad.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Karlstad?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.7 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: 5.67 µg/m³ · Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Karlstad average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C-10°0°10°20°30°JFMAMJJASOND22°-6°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Karlstad average monthly precipitation, mm0255075100473732395361678464706455JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Karlstad average monthly sunshine, hours07014021028049781602082672742742251671004738JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Karlstad annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5255.7PM2.5154013.4PM10104013.3NO₂µg/m³

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

PM2.5 across cities in SwedenAnnual PM2.5 in Karlstad is 5.7 µg/m³. Of 197 cities with data, 64 have annual PM2.5 of 4 to under 5 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Sweden per band4 cities: 2 µg/m³ to under 3 µg/m³42–328 cities: 3 µg/m³ to under 4 µg/m³283–464 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³644–558 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³585–6Karlstad 5.735 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³356–75 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³57–83 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³38–9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean13.28 µg/m³country median 4.02024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
NO₂ — latest reading5.86 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
PM10 — annual mean13.35 µg/m³country median 9.32024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
PM2.5 — annual mean5.67 µg/m³country median 5.12024Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.4Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 0.2 · Feb 0.8 · Mar 4.7 · Apr 10.6 · May 16.1 · Jun 19.8 · Jul 22.1 · Aug 20.7 · Sep 16.1 · Oct 9.8 · Nov 4.6 · Dec 1.3 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Flygplats19Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan -5.3 · Feb -5.6 · Mar -3.2 · Apr 0.3 · May 4.9 · Jun 9.1 · Jul 11.7 · Aug 11 · Sep 7.3 · Oct 3.1 · Nov -0.3 · Dec -4.2 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Flygplats19Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan -2 · Feb -2 · Mar 0.9 · Apr 5.8 · May 11.1 · Jun 15.1 · Jul 17.6 · Aug 16.5 · Sep 12.2 · Oct 6.9 · Nov 2.9 · Dec -0.7 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Aut18Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 46.9 · Feb 36.5 · Mar 31.5 · Apr 39.1 · May 53.4 · Jun 61.3 · Jul 67 · Aug 83.5 · Sep 63.6 · Oct 69.7 · Nov 63.9 · Dec 54.8 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Flygplats19Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 48.7 · Feb 78.2 · Mar 160 · Apr 208 · May 267 · Jun 274.1 · Jul 273.7 · Aug 225.1 · Sep 166.6 · Oct 100 · Nov 46.9 · Dec 38 hours1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Sol20Official · nearest-station reading

Cities of a similar size in Sweden

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

All Sweden cities
Växjö98,334 residentsSundsvall99,048 residentsBotkyrka95,905 residentsHaninge100,895 residentsSödertälje102,911 residentsGävle103,838 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Karlstad?

The published population was 98,084 people in 2024. Source: SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Karlstad residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport94.9%Foreign residents 5.1%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
Area1,175 km²31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)12Official
Cars per 1,000 residents474.8 cars/1000 residents31 Dec 2025Official vehicles-in-use table: Fordonsslag=10 is passenger cars, stock at the last month of 2025; divided by official SCB population at 31 December 2025.6Official
City area1,175 km²1 Jan 2024SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9Official
Foreign-resident share5.03 %31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)13Official
Foreign residents4,982 people31 Dec 2025Official number of foreign citizens at municipality grain, all ages and all sexes, reference 31 December 2025.5Official
Population density84.3 people/km²31 Dec 2025Official SCB population density per square kilometre at municipality grain. SCB states that it uses the population figure at 31 December with the following 1 January land-area figure.9Official
Population Female49,871 people31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)15Official
Population Male49,871 people31 Dec 2025Statistics Sweden (SCB)15Official
Population98,084 people31 Dec 2024SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.9Official

International community in Karlstad

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Registered population by municipality and country of birth; total sex · 2024

Published groupPeopleShare
All birth countries98,084100.0%
Sweden83,41185.0%
Syrian Arab Republic1,7871.8%
Iraq1,4981.5%
Norway8790.9%
Afghanistan8500.9%
Iran (Islamic Republic of)7820.8%
Finland5110.5%
Türkiye4320.4%
Thailand3970.4%
Show 95 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Poland3950.4%
Somalia3760.4%
Germany3680.4%
Bosnia and Herzegovina3620.4%
Yugoslavia3000.3%
Ukraine2850.3%
Eritrea2500.3%
India2200.2%
other countries2120.2%
China1960.2%
United Kingdom1860.2%
Kingdom of the Netherlands 1800.2%
Russian Federation1760.2%
United States of America1670.2%
Philippines1520.2%
Lithuania1380.1%
Romania1310.1%
Pakistan1240.1%
Denmark1200.1%
Chile1190.1%
Greece1180.1%
Morocco1080.1%
Lebanon1020.1%
Serbia1000.1%
Brazil970.1%
Korea, Republic of Korea950.1%
Colombia930.1%
Viet Nam890.1%
Ethiopia760.1%
Democratic Republic of the Congo750.1%
Hungary750.1%
Sri Lanka720.1%
Sudan720.1%
Bangladesh690.1%
Latvia650.1%
Yemen650.1%
Tunisia640.1%
Saudi Arabia630.1%
Italy620.1%
Austria590.1%
Bulgaria570.1%
Estonia570.1%
Spain570.1%
Palestinian territory, occupied520.1%
Croatia490.0%
Egypt480.0%
Kosovo480.0%
France450.0%
Canada430.0%
Serbia and Montenegro420.0%
Kenya410.0%
Burundi400.0%
Iceland390.0%
Nigeria370.0%
Albania360.0%
Armenia350.0%
Australia320.0%
Azerbaijan300.0%
Switzerland300.0%
Kuwait300.0%
Uzbekistan300.0%
United Arab Emirates290.0%
Jordan290.0%
South Africa290.0%
Ecuador270.0%
Belgium260.0%
Soviet Union250.0%
Algeria230.0%
Mongolia220.0%
Indonesia210.0%
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya210.0%
Bolivia180.0%
Czech Republic180.0%
Tanzania, United Republic of180.0%
Cameroon170.0%
Mexico170.0%
Belarus160.0%
North Macedonia150.0%
Nepal150.0%
Czechoslovakia150.0%
Gambia140.0%
Ireland140.0%
Israel140.0%
Zambia140.0%
Dominican Republic130.0%
Kazakhstan130.0%
Argentina120.0%
Japan120.0%
El Salvador120.0%
Cuba110.0%
Malaysia110.0%
Uganda110.0%
Venezuela110.0%
New Zealand100.0%
unknown country of birth100.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source17

Citizenship

Registered population by municipality and citizenship; total sex · 2024

Published groupPeopleShare
total98,084100.0%
Swedish93,16295.0%
Rest of the world incl. Stateless and unknown2,5752.6%
European citizenship except Swedish2,3472.4%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source16

Is Karlstad 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 worker59%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–67%
Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on education · range 52–70%
Student56%strong on cost, weak on education · range 46–66%
Family38%strong on family, weak on education · range 29–47%
Retirement53%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 43–63%
Foreign residents4,982 people31 Dec 2025Official source · Official number of foreign citizens at municipality grain, all ages and all sexes, reference 31 December 2025.
Population98,084 people31 Dec 2024Official source · SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year.
NO₂ — latest reading5.86 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Official source · Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate.
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.89 EUR/m²/month31 Dec 2025Official source · api.scb.se
People in employment50,061 people31 Dec 2024Official source · Statistics Sweden (SCB)
Employment rate80.1 %31 Dec 2024Official source · Statistics Sweden (SCB)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Households50,538 households31 Dec 2024Statistics Sweden (SCB)14Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Karlstad 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.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Karlstad?

The published population was 98,084 people in 2024. Source: SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year..

How much does it cost to rent in Karlstad?

Average net cold rent is about 10.89 EUR/m² per month (2025), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 762 EUR a month before utilities. Source: api.scb.se.

Is the air quality good in Karlstad?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 5.7 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate..

How safe is Karlstad?

Police recorded 9,960 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Brå — reported offences by municipality, 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Karlstad?

The unemployment rate is 11.6 % (2024). Source: SCB labour-market variables by municipality, 2022–2024.

What is the typical salary around Karlstad?

The median gross salary is 3,298 EUR/month. Source: api.scb.se.

Is Karlstad a good place to live?

Karlstad 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 United Arab Emirates live in Karlstad?

The official country of birth distribution records 29 people (0.0%) in the source-defined population for 2024. 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). Karlstad, Sweden: rent, salary, jobs, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/se/karlstad/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_karlstad-sweden-rent-salary-jobs-safety_15f1157bda7b,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Karlstad, Sweden: 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/se/karlstad/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Karlstad, Sweden: rent, salary, jobs, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/se/karlstad/) — 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. api.scb.se api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-27
  2. api.scb.se api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-27
  3. Brå — reported offences by municipality, 2025 Brå · bra.se · checked 2026-07-26
  4. Official exact-kommun station observations are derived to a kommun aggregate. datavardluft.smhi.se · checked 2026-07-15
  5. Official number of foreign citizens at municipality grain, all ages and all sexes, reference 31 December 2025. api.scb.se · checked 2025-12-31
  6. Official vehicles-in-use table: Fordonsslag=10 is passenger cars, stock at the last month of 2025; divided by official SCB population at 31 December 2025. api.scb.se · checked 2025-12-31
  7. OpenFlights — routes.dat OpenFlights · raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-07-14
  8. OurAirports — airports.csv OurAirports · davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-07-14
  9. SCB table BefArealTathetKon: municipality land area/population by year. api.scb.se · checked 2026-07-14
  10. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
Show 10 more sources
  1. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  2. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  3. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  4. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  5. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-07
  6. Statistics Sweden (SCB) api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-30
  7. Statistics Sweden (SCB) country_of_birth distribution api.scb.se · checked 2026-08-28
  8. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Aut WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  9. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Flygplats WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  10. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station Karlstad Sol WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31

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.