Living in Thurso

In Thurso, unemployment is 2.5% (2023).

Thurso is a city in the United Kingdom, and the figures below are its published values.

Last checked 2026-10-0712 sources

Population7,390people30 Jun 2020Official source · Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2

Median gross salary (region)3,025EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.ons.gov.uk

Average rent863.3EUR/month31 Aug 2026Regional figureOfficial source · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price

Unemployment rate2.5%country median 3.4% — 26% belowOfficial source · www.ons.gov.uk

Recorded crime4,299incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4

PM2.5, annual mean3.84µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · uk-air.defra.gov.uk

Lower unemployment than 90% of United Kingdom cities that publish it and less recorded crime than 97% of United Kingdom cities that publish it.

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

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 Thurso.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

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

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€24

Mobile plan, 10 GB€13

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	24.02 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	BT Full Fibre 150¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	12.87 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Three 100GB one-month data pack⁹Official · national market
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	863.3 EUR/month	31 Aug 2026	ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price²Official · regional context

Is Thurso 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on safety · range 44–66%

Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–73%

Student34%strong on education, weak on work · range 24–44%

Family54%strong on family, weak on cost · range 43–65%

Retirement52%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 38–66%

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Thurso?

The unemployment rate is 2.5 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk¹²

Unemployment across cities in United KingdomUnemployment in Thurso is 2.5%. Of 999 cities with data, 652 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

652

263

0–22–44–66–88–1010–1216–18

Thurso 2.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	3,025 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.ons.gov.uk¹¹Official
Unemployment rate	2.5 %country median 3.4%	31 Dec 2023	www.ons.gov.uk¹²Official

What does a salary buy in Thurso?

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

Left over each month€1,617of €2,517 take-home

Rent
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.	€2,517
Rentaverage rent of a whole dwelling · official · ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price · 2026-08-31	− €863
Internet€24 · official · BT Full Fibre 150 · 2026-09-30	− €24
Mobile plan€13 · official · Three 100GB one-month data pack · 2026-09-30	− €13
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	€1,617

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Thurso Salary needed to live in Thurso

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Primary schools	6 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Government⁸Official
Schools	7 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Government⁸Official

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; Thurso's school authority applies it locally.

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

Safety

How safe is Thurso?

Police recorded about 4,299 incidents per 100,000 (2025-26). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4⁶

Recorded crime across major citiesThurso highlighted among comparable cities

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	4,299 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4⁶Official · county

Mobility and administration

Thurso's nearest airport was WIC, 29 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights³Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	29 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁴Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	WIC	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports⁴Official

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Thurso?

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: 3.84 µg/m³ · uk-air.defra.gov.uk¹⁰

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.53.8WHO 5 · EU 25

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 Thurso is 3.8 µg/m³. Of 941 cities with data, 487 have annual PM2.5 of 6 to under 7 µg/m³.

211

487

200

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Thurso 3.8

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	3.84 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	uk-air.defra.gov.uk¹⁰Official source, approximated value · Supplemental context

Population and city profile

How many people live in Thurso?

The published population was 7,390 people in June 2020. Source: Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2⁵

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Population	7,390 people	30 Jun 2020	Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2⁵Official

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Universities	0 count	3 Aug 2026	Scottish Funding Council⁷Official

Alternatives for people set on Thurso

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

Alternative cities in United Kingdom

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

All United Kingdom cities

Breaston and Draycott7,395 residents Southwell7,410 residents Leicester Forest East7,427 residents Beddau7,350 residents Bude7,350 residents Wivenhoe7,350 residents

How does Thurso compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Thurso 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.

Put Thurso's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Thurso?

The published population was 7,390 people in June 2020. Source: Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2.

Is the air quality good in Thurso?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 3.8 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: uk-air.defra.gov.uk.

How safe is Thurso?

What is the unemployment rate in Thurso?

The unemployment rate is 2.5 % (January 2023). Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

What is the typical salary around Thurso?

The median gross salary is 3,025 EUR/month. Source: www.ons.gov.uk.

Is Thurso a good place to live?

Thurso 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.

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). Thurso, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 5c23153dc2ad49df10db17afaaafa151]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/thurso/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_thurso-united-kingdom-population-rent-salary-jobs_830d9bf19df3,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Thurso, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {5c23153dc2ad49df10db17afaaafa151},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/thurso/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Thurso, United Kingdom: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/uk/thurso/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 5c23153dc2ad49df10db17afaaafa151; 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

BT Full Fibre 150 bt.com · checked 2026-09-15
ONS Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics, Table 1, Rental price ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-25
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 — Tables 1.2 and 2.2 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland, mid-2020 · nrscotland.gov.uk · checked 2026-09-23
Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 4 gov.scot · checked 2026-10-05
Scottish Funding Council sfc.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
Scottish Government gov.scot · checked 2026-08-03
Three 100GB one-month data pack three.co.uk · checked 2026-09-15
uk-air.defra.gov.uk uk-air.defra.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

Show 2 more sources

www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-27
www.ons.gov.uk ons.gov.uk · checked 2026-08-26

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.