Moving to Slovakia
In Slovakia, the median gross salary is €1,281 a month (2022) and a single worker on the average wage keeps 75.7% of gross pay after income tax and employee contributions (2025).
Slovakia had GDP per capita of US$25,993 and life expectancy of 78.4 years in 2024. The national unemployment rate was 5.4% in 2025. Slovak is the official language. Average gross salary was €1,414 per month in 2024, while national median net income was €719 per month in 2024.
Can I move to Slovakia?
Across 198 passports, 93 passports enter visa-free and 105 passports need a visa for Slovakia. Check your passport below.
- Visa-free
- 93
- Visa required
- 105
Choose citizenship and purpose to see the relevant entry steps.
Entry.
Living & working.
Official requirements [69] · Visitor-entry rules
Residence rules and exceptions
| Citizenship / situation | Starting point |
|---|---|
| EU / EEA citizenship | Free movement; longer residence has conditions.[68] |
| Swiss citizenship | Separate Swiss arrangements, including residence documentation for longer stays.[68] |
| Other citizenship | Check work, study or family requirements.[69] |
| Existing status or family rights | A passport alone cannot establish your eligibility. Check the relevant authority’s guidance. |
These are national starting points, not an eligibility decision. Long-stay residence, work authorisation and in-country application rules differ by route; a visa-free visit never settles them. Check the route that matches your purpose and circumstances with the responsible authority.
Visa and entry rules
Sources checked through 22 Oct 2026.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Slovakia?
The national unemployment rate was 5.4 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)17
This is the Eurostat labour-force survey series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.
What is the median gross salary in Slovakia?
The median gross salary was 1,281 EUR/month in 2022.
Half of employees earn less than this. Mean gross and national-accounts averages use different definitions and are shown in the table below.
What is the minimum wage in Slovakia?
The statutory minimum wage is about 5.26 EUR/hour, gross (as of January 2026). Source: Official statistics: minimum gross hourly wage45
National statutory floor, gross, before tax and social contributions.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary, monthly | 1,281 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly)18Official · national figure |
| National unemployment rate | 5.4 % | 31 Dec 2025 | Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a)17Official · national figure |
| Minimum gross hourly wage | 5.26 EUR/hour | 1 Jan 2026 | Official statistics: minimum gross hourly wage45Official · national figure |
Public employment service in Slovakia
Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.
Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family — Public employment service
A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Taxes in Slovakia
National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.
What does an average earner take home in Slovakia?
A single person on an average wage keeps about 14,835 EUR/year of about 19,590 EUR/year gross per year — 75.7% of pay.
Standardized OECD Taxing Wages (standardized scenario): single person, no children, earning the average wage. The same scenario is published for every covered country, so take-home shares compare directly.
| Component | Amount / year |
|---|---|
| Net wage earnings, kept | 14,835 |
| Employee social contributions | −2,625 |
| Income taxes | −2,130 |
| Gross wage earnings | 19,590 |
- Gross-to-net pay for a sample household: single person no children — 19,590 gross → 14,835 net a year (2025, national currency) · Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition
Benefits newcomers may qualify for in Slovakia
Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.
| Programme | Published amount | Source and application |
|---|---|---|
Material-need assistance for asylum seekers and complementary-protection persons — Arrival and reception support | 91.7–183.3 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe 2026 activation allowance is EUR 183.30 for qualifying employment at least at the minimum-wage level, EUR 137.50 for qualifying education or retraining and EUR 91.70 for qualifying projects/programmes. The Slovak Ministry expressly includes asylum seekers, aliens granted complementary protection and displaced persons with residence in the Slovak Republic based on a permit from the pertinent authority among persons entitled to material-need assistance, subject to special-law exceptions. | ||
Material-need assistance (pomoc v hmotnej núdzi) — Minimum-income support | 89.7–314.4 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe 2026 basic material-need benefit ranges from EUR 89.70 for one person to EUR 314.40 for a couple with more than four children; the official table lists separate household categories. The Slovak Ministry states that aliens are among the persons entitled to material-need assistance, subject to the special-law exceptions. The same statutory list also names citizens, stateless persons, asylum seekers, persons with complementary protection and displaced persons with residence in the Slovak Republic based on a permit from the pertinent authority. | ||
Prídavok na dieťa (Child allowance) — Family and child support | 60 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsMonthly child allowance: EUR 60 per dependent child. The Slovak Ministry states that the claimant may be a non-national permanently or temporarily resident in Slovakia, or a person covered by EU social-security coordination, while caring for a dependent child. | ||
Príspevok na bývanie within material-need assistance — Housing support | 100.6–308.4 EUR / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsThe 2026 housing contribution component ranges from EUR 100.60 to EUR 308.40 across the statutory household categories in the official measure. The Slovak Ministry states that aliens are among the persons entitled to material-need assistance, subject to the special-law exceptions; the housing contribution is a component of that assistance. The same statutory list also names stateless persons, asylum seekers, persons with complementary protection and displaced persons with residence in the Slovak Republic based on a permit from the pertinent authority. | ||
Unemployment benefit — Unemployment support | Percentage-based / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount details40% of daily assessment base (DVZ) in month 4. The official Slovak Social Insurance Agency cross-border route states that a person is entitled to unemployment benefits if they are an unemployed person after termination of employment in the territory of another EU Member State, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Switzerland or the United Kingdom (until 31 December 2020), and meet all conditions for entitlement to unemployment benefits according to Slovak legislation. The domestic entitlement page requires registration in the Register of Job Seekers and at least 730 days of unemployment insurance in the last four years. bounded cross-border worker with an EU/EEA/Swiss insurance period claiming Slovak unemployment benefit; it does not generalize to all foreign nationals. | ||
ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 12 Aug 2026.
Can migrants receive medical care in Slovakia?
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Slovakia when the official insurance or residence conditions are met.
Language courses and integration in Slovakia
Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.
Integration of third-country nationals including migrants — national project — Integration course
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic
For third-country nationals, migrants.
Integration policy of the Slovak Republic — Welcome Program
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic / Government of Slovakia
For foreigners with long-term residence, third-country nationals.
Open Slovak-language courses for foreigners through the IOM Migration Information Centre — State Language Course
Migration Information Centre of IOM Slovakia, referenced by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family
For foreigners, third-country nationals.
Living and moving context for Slovakia
Household electricity was €0.188/kWh in the second half of 2025. The gross hourly minimum wage was €5.259 from 1 January 2026. In 2026, the top income-tax rate was 35% and standard VAT was 23%. The corporate tax rate was 24% for the stated 2025 tax year or 2025–2026 financial year.
Slovakia cities by population
The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.
All published cities in Slovakia (144)
60 of 144 shownSearch all cities
Reports with this country
Accepted report pages with a row for this country.
What different occupation groups earn in Slovakia
Mean gross monthly earnings by occupation major group, from ILO ILOSTAT, converted to EUR at the annual-average exchange rate recorded with each row.
| Occupation group | Earnings | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Managers | ≈ 2,058 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Professionals | ≈ 1,578 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Technicians and associate professionals | ≈ 1,440 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Clerical support workers | ≈ 1,171 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Service and sales workers | ≈ 1,170 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | ≈ 1,000 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Craft and related trades workers | ≈ 1,241 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Plant and machine operators, and assemblers | ≈ 1,206 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
| Elementary occupations | ≈ 1,007 EUR/month (gross) | 2024 |
Source: ILO (ILOSTAT mean earnings by occupation (EAR_EMTA_SEX_OCU_CUR_NB)) · observed 2024 · checked 2026-07-30.
Method and sources for these figures
Mean gross monthly earnings in EUR from ILO ILOSTAT (EAR_EMTA_SEX_OCU_CUR_NB); employees; converted from the local currency at the annual-average exchange rate recorded with each row; ISCO-08 major groups (some series ISCO-88).
ILO — ILOSTAT mean earnings by occupation (EAR_EMTA_SEX_OCU_CUR_NB)
An occupation major group (ISCO or national equivalent) is not a job title: each figure is the average across all occupations in the group, so it is never a salary "for" one profession. Rows from different surveys, periods or statistics are shown as separate rows and are never merged or ranked against each other.
Profession pages for Slovakia: Nurse · Physician · Teacher · Engineer · Architect · Software developer · Accountant · Childcare worker · Electrician · Plumber.
Slovakia facts
Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.
Population and profile
How many people live in Slovakia?
The published population was 5,422,069 people in 2024. Source: World Bank62
National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.
How many foreign residents live in Slovakia?
The foreign-resident population was 65,673 people in 2025. Source: Eurostat7
Residents without Slovakia citizenship. The migration-background population is a broader measure and appears in the table below.
Legal, tax and other context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent deposit can be paid in instalments | 0 | 31 Jul 2026 | Act No. 40/1964 Coll. Civil Code2Official · national figure |
| Typical rent deposit | 3 months | 1 Jul 2016 | Act No. 98/2014 Coll. on Short-Term Apartment Tenancy3Official · national figure |
| Public healthcare access for foreign residents | Conditional | 3 Aug 2026 | VšZP — Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company, Slovakia)59Official · national figure |
| Area | 49,030 km² | 31 Dec 2023 | World Bank63Official · national figure |
| Cost level against the capital | 76 index (EU27=100) | 31 Dec 2024 | Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx)13Official · national figure |
| Gross-to-net pay for a sample household | single person no children — 19,590 gross → 14,835 net a year (2025, national currency) | 31 Dec 2025 | Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition57Official · country household scenario |
| Population by year | 5,434,712 people (2022) | 1 Jan 2022 | Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN)50Official · country annual series |
| Doctors per 1,000 residents | 317.2 per 1,000 | 2025 | Official statistics: doctors per 1,000 residents42Official · national figure |
| Household electricity price | 0.188 EUR/kWh | 2025-S2 | Official statistics: household electricity price43Official · national figure |
| Employer social contribution rate | 25.2 % | 8 Aug 2026 | Slov-Lex / Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic52Official · national figure |
| People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing | 66,930 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in mining and quarrying | 3,610 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in manufacturing | 503,420 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning | 17,340 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in water supply, sewerage and waste management | 25,230 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in construction | 191,770 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair | 368,890 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in transportation and storage | 141,300 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in accommodation and food services | 98,560 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in information and communication | 82,230 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in finance and insurance | 44,360 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in real estate | 29,680 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in professional, scientific and technical services | 153,830 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
| People employed in administrative and support services | 116,610 people | 2024 | ec.europa.eu4Official · national figure |
School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 6 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: jazykové kurzy pre deti cudzincov (language courses for children of foreigners, organised and funded by self-governing regions). How to enrol a child (minedu.sk).
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Typical city (median): about 4.1%
Unemployment rate (%)
Settling-in index
How the conditions a newcomer meets in Slovakia compare with the other 35 scored destinations: integration policy, getting by in English, an established foreign community and language courses. Every point comes from the component table below.
Below it on integration policy and the size of the foreign community; about the median on getting by in English.
Working as… in Slovakia
Open a profession for its available regulation, recognition and work-route evidence.
Regions of Slovakia
Each region's page lists its published cities with population, rent, salary, unemployment and air quality.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
What is the unemployment rate in Slovakia?
The national unemployment rate was 5.4 % in 2025. Source: Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a).
How many people live in Slovakia?
The published population was 5,422,069 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.
What is the median gross salary in Slovakia?
The median gross salary was 1,281 EUR/month in 2022. Source: Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly).
What is the minimum wage in Slovakia?
The statutory minimum wage is about 5.26 EUR/hour, gross (as of January 2026). Source: Official statistics: minimum gross hourly wage.
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 23). Moving to Slovakia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version aa5883ae439ebcf95a6106a95a09dbc1]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/slovakia/ Retrieved 2026-10-23. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-slovakia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_99138a0e6a51,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Moving to Slovakia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-23},
version = {aa5883ae439ebcf95a6106a95a09dbc1},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/slovakia/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-23. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Moving to Slovakia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/slovakia/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version aa5883ae439ebcf95a6106a95a09dbc1; retrieved 2026-10-23; built 2026-10-23.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
Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.
- Act No. 145/1995 Coll. on Administrative Fees static.slov-lex.sk · checked 2026-10-09
- Act No. 40/1964 Coll. Civil Code static.slov-lex.sk · checked 2026-10-09
- Act No. 98/2014 Coll. on Short-Term Apartment Tenancy static.slov-lex.sk · checked 2026-10-09
- ec.europa.eu ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-12
- EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurofound, Working time in 2021–2022 (EF23007EN), Figure 11 'Minimum number of days of paid annual leave, 2022' and Annex 2 notes assets.eurofound.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-18
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-20
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-07
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
Show 59 more sources
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
- Eurostat — Comparative price levels and HICP (prc_ppp_ind, prc_hicp_midx) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-06-12
- Eurostat — Distribution of income by household composition (ilc_di04) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — Household energy prices (nrg_pc_204 electricity, nrg_pc_202 gas) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-06-12
- Eurostat — National accounts aggregates (nama_10_a10) and employment (nama_10_a10_e) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat — Unemployment by sex and age — annual data (une_rt_a) Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
- Eurostat (Structure of Earnings Survey, earn_ses_monthly) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat crim off cat (ICCS0101, NR) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat demo_pjan ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-05
- Eurostat earn mw cur ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat hbs exp t121 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat ilc_di03 ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-06
- Eurostat lfsta_ewhuis — Usual weekly hours of work of full-time employees (sex total, 15-64, employees, main job) Eurostat lfsta_ewhuis · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-18
- GDP per capita (current US$), World Development Indicators api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
- Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- ILOSTAT — Average monthly earnings of employees by sex, occupation and currency (annual) ILOSTAT · rplumber.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-30
- Labour Code (Act No. 311/2001), §85(5) slov-lex.sk · checked 2026-09-25
- Minimálna mzda - MPSVR SR employment.gov.sk · checked 2026-09-17
- Minimálne mzdové nároky — MPSVR SR (Minimum wage claims) Minimálne mzdové nároky · employment.gov.sk · checked 2026-10-08
- MIPEX mirovni-institut.si · checked 2026-08-03
- National holidays, days of rest, and memorial days — current 2026 list National holidays, days of rest, and memorial days · vlada.gov.sk · checked 2026-09-25
- OECD sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD — Taxing Wages (DF_TAXINGWAGES) tax wedge and net income OECD · oecd.org · checked 2026-06-12
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-07
- OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-08-05
- Official statistics: corporate tax rate podpora.financnasprava.sk · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: doctors per 1,000 residents ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: household electricity price ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: life expectancy api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: minimum gross hourly wage employment.gov.sk · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: official language vlada.gov.sk · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: standard VAT rate financnasprava.sk · checked 2026-07-18
- Official statistics: top income-tax rate podpora.financnasprava.sk · checked 2026-07-18
- Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- Population on 1 January by age and sex (DEMO_PJAN) ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-29
- Sign up for permanent residence slovensko.sk · checked 2026-10-09
- Slov-Lex / Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic static.slov-lex.sk · checked 2026-08-08
- Slovakia — compulsory education age range Slovakia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Slovakia — public school free Slovakia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Slovakia — school enrolment authority url Slovakia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Slovakia — school language support programme Slovakia · eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-20
- Taxing Wages 2026 — labour taxation decomposition Taxing Wages 2026 · sdmx.oecd.org · checked 2026-07-29
- UNdata Table 28 — Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence UNdata Table 28 · data.un.org · checked 2026-07-30
- VšZP — Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company, Slovakia) VšZP · vszp.sk · checked 2026-08-03
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Slovakia central government portal — residence of Union citizens
Official Slovakia starting point for EU/EEA/Swiss residence; national guidance only, not a personal eligibility decision.
- Slovak Ministry of Interior — foreigners
Official Slovakia national residence and immigration guidance; not a personal eligibility decision.