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Living in Belfast

In Belfast, tenants pay an average rent of €1,206 a month (2024).

Belfast is a city in the United Kingdom.

Last checked 2026-10-0219 sources

Population352,390people30 Jun 2024Official source · ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 — MYE2: Persons by single year of age (All ages totals)
Median gross salary (region)2,908EUR/month30 Apr 2025Official source · Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency — ASHE Table 8 (NI).1, 2025 provisional
Average rent1,206EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · Performance of the Private Rental Market in Northern Ireland, H2 2024 (Issue 24), Tables 3–4
Recorded crime9,156incidents per 100,000country median 9,646 — 5% belowOfficial source · Annual Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland 1998/99 to 2024/25 - spreadsheet (PSNI Statistics Branch)
PM2.5, annual mean7.4µg/m³country median 6.5 — 14% aboveOfficial source · DEFRA UK air quality statistics — annual mean PM2.5 station tables 2025

Less recorded crime than 62% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and dirtier air than 91% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

Which United Kingdom-wide rules apply when you move to Belfast?

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 United KingdomNational rates and thresholds that apply in Belfast.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent figure is published for Belfast. The available city-level cost figures remain below.

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month
Belfast recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Utilities, 85 m² flat€227
Transport pass€86
Internet, 60 Mbps€40
Mobile plan, 10 GB€20

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited40.13 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/19Community estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB20.26 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/19Community estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass86.25 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/19Community estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home226.5 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/19Community estimate · Supplemental context
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)1,206 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Performance of the Private Rental Market in Northern Ireland, H2 2024 (Issue 24), Tables 3–413Official

Is Belfast 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 worker31%strong on work, weak on safety · range 20–42%
Skilled employee53%strong on work, weak on safety · range 43–63%
Student24%strong on education, weak on safety · range 16–32%
Family33%strong on family, weak on cost · range 25–41%
Retirement32%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 22–42%

Work and income

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)2,908 EUR/month30 Apr 2025Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency — ASHE Table 8 (NI).1, 2025 provisional9Official · regional context
Average net monthly salary2,812 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/19Community estimate · Supplemental context

What does a salary buy in Belfast?

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

regional median gross pay: €2,908 (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2025-04-30).
Left over each month€859of €2,438 take-home
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Transport
  • 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; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.€2,438
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · Performance of the Private Rental Market in Northern Ireland, H2 2024 (Issue 24), Tables 3–4 · 2024-12-31− €1,206
Public transport pass€86 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-09-30− €86
Utilities, 85 m²€227 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-09-30− €227
Internet€40 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-09-30− €40
Mobile plan€20 · market price · Numbeo city cost-of-living page · 2026-09-30− €20
Left over€859
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Belfast Salary needed to live in Belfast

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

Jobcentre Plus — Public employment service

Department for Work and Pensions

Job SearchUnemployment Claim
Open official service
Open the United Kingdom service overview

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public language course providers1 count31 Dec 2026ESOL Skills for Life — Belfast Metropolitan College3Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 16, and public school is free.

A country-wide rule for United Kingdom; Belfast's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · 1996–2026.

Safety

How safe is Belfast?

Police recorded about 9,156 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Annual Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland 1998/99 to 2024/25 - spreadsheet (PSNI Statistics Branch)1

Recorded crime across major citiesBelfast highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Belfast highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Manchester14,267
Bristol13,099
Liverpool12,409
Leeds11,462
Birmingham11,416
Leicester11,001
Sheffield9,693
Cardiff9,379
Belfast9,156
Coventry8,836
Glasgow757
Edinburgh549
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents9,156 incidents per 100,000country median 9,64631 Dec 2025Annual Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland 1998/99 to 2024/25 - spreadsheet (PSNI Statistics Branch)1Official

Mobility and administration

Belfast's nearest airport was BHD, 4 km away and offered 18 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport18 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights11Official
Distance to the nearest major airport4 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)BHD3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official

Climate and air quality

Belfast's monthly mean temperatures were 4.7°C in January and 15.4°C in July. Belfast's monthly precipitation totalled 77 mm in January and 78.8 mm in July. Belfast's average monthly sunshine was 48.7 hours in January and 152 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Belfast?

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: DEFRA UK air quality statistics — annual mean PM2.5 station tables 20252

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

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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

PM2.5 across cities in United KingdomAnnual PM2.5 in Belfast is 7.4 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean7.4 µg/m³country median 6.531 Dec 2024DEFRA UK air quality statistics — annual mean PM2.5 station tables 20252Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 7.2 · Feb 7.9 · Mar 9.7 · Apr 12.3 · May 15.2 · Jun 17.6 · Jul 19.1 · Aug 18.7 · Sep 16.6 · Oct 13.1 · Nov 9.8 · Dec 7.6 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO4Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by monthJan 2.1 · Feb 2 · Mar 3 · Apr 4.7 · May 7.1 · Jun 9.9 · Jul 11.8 · Aug 11.7 · Sep 9.9 · Oct 7.2 · Nov 4.4 · Dec 2.4 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO5Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by monthJan 4.7 · Feb 4.9 · Mar 6.3 · Apr 8.5 · May 11.2 · Jun 13.8 · Jul 15.4 · Aug 15.2 · Sep 13.2 · Oct 10.2 · Nov 7.1 · Dec 5 °C31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO6Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 77 · Feb 63.3 · Mar 60.6 · Apr 55.6 · May 55.9 · Jun 68 · Jul 78.8 · Aug 84.5 · Sep 69.2 · Oct 88 · Nov 87.7 · Dec 83.5 mm31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO7Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by monthJan 48.7 · Feb 72.1 · Mar 108.4 · Apr 157.8 · May 197.9 · Jun 167.6 · Jul 152 · Aug 146.4 · Sep 121.5 · Oct 91.2 · Nov 61.3 · Dec 47.1 hours31 Dec 1991NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO8Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In United Kingdom: Blackpool ±0.6 °C. Elsewhere: Cork (Ireland) ±0.6 °C, Saanich (Canada) ±1.3 °C, Heide (Germany) ±1.7 °C, Meldorf (Germany) ±1.7 °C, Neustadt in Holstein (Germany) ±1.7 °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

How many people live in Belfast?

The published population was 352,390 people in June 2024. Source: ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 — MYE2: Persons by single year of age (All ages totals)10

MetricValuePeriodSource
Population352,390 people30 Jun 2024ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 — MYE2: Persons by single year of age (All ages totals)10Official

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities2 count3 Aug 2026Ulster University / Queen's University Belfast15Official

Alternatives for people set on Belfast

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Belfast from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Cities near Belfast

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

Other cities in United Kingdom to compare with Belfast, nearest in population first.

All United Kingdom cities
Coventry344,285 residentsBradford333,950 residentsCardiff383,919 residentsLeicester406,580 residentsCroydon407,821 residentsNottingham299,790 residents

How does Belfast compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Belfast in rankings

#11 of 30 in Largest cities in United Kingdom #24 of 30 in Safest cities in United Kingdom by recorded crime

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Belfast under the national coverage rules.

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 Belfast?

The published population was 352,390 people in June 2024. Source: ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 — MYE2: Persons by single year of age (All ages totals).

Is the air quality good in Belfast?

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: DEFRA UK air quality statistics — annual mean PM2.5 station tables 2025.

How safe is Belfast?

Police recorded about 9,156 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Annual Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland 1998/99 to 2024/25 - spreadsheet (PSNI Statistics Branch).

What is the typical salary around Belfast?

The median gross salary is 2,908 EUR/month. Source: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency — ASHE Table 8 (NI).1, 2025 provisional.

How much is public transport in Belfast?

A monthly transport pass is 86.25 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/.

Is Belfast a good place to live?

Belfast 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 Belfast?

Holywood, Crumlin are near Belfast. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

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). Belfast, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, safety [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 338a5061d7fca3ff77fd35d2b3df2ac5]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/belfast/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_belfast-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-safety_64fad7cf9c35,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Belfast, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, safety},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {338a5061d7fca3ff77fd35d2b3df2ac5},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/belfast/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Belfast, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, safety](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/belfast/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 338a5061d7fca3ff77fd35d2b3df2ac5; 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
  1. Annual Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland 1998/99 to 2024/25 - spreadsheet (PSNI Statistics Branch) psni.police.uk · checked 2026-09-18
  2. DEFRA UK air quality statistics — annual mean PM2.5 station tables 2025 DEFRA UK air quality statistics · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-28
  3. ESOL Skills for Life — Belfast Metropolitan College ESOL Skills for Life · www-live.belfastmet.ac.uk · checked 2026-09-15
  4. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  5. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  6. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  7. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  8. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information / WMO nodc.noaa.gov · checked 2026-08-06
  9. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency — ASHE Table 8 (NI).1, 2025 provisional Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency · nisra.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-11
  10. ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 — MYE2: Persons by single year of age (All ages totals) ONS Mid-Year Population Estimates UK, mid-2024 · ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-18
Show 9 more sources
  1. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  2. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Performance of the Private Rental Market in Northern Ireland, H2 2024 (Issue 24), Tables 3–4 ulster.ac.uk · checked 2026-09-25
  4. Travel to Work Areas (December 2011) full extent boundaries in the United Kingdom services1.arcgis.com · checked 2026-09-19
  5. Ulster University / Queen's University Belfast ulster.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  7. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  8. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  9. Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/uk/belfast/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

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