Living in Liepāja, Latvia
Liepāja is a smaller coastal city in Liepaja, Latvia (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 9°C over the year with about 681 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,717 a month to live centrally, and Latvia sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Latvia is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $2,714 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,717
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 9°C
- 681 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 69/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~90 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
Limited data for Latvia. Figures for safety, healthcare and cost of living in Latvia are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no social openness figures for Latvia, so the quiz scores that factor conservatively and this page leaves it out.
What stands out about Liepāja
- Colder than 94% of the cities we track
- On or near the sea
Climate
Liepāja averages 9°C across the year with about 681 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 6% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Latvia (EU member) offers accessible self-funded routes: a relatively cheap residence-by-investment program (company equity, real estate, bonds, or bank deposit) plus self-employment and EU Blue Card / digital-nomad permits for capable applicants.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Latvia:
- Income: about $2,714 a month (Latvia self-employed residence permit, sufficient-means requirement EUR 2,340/mo (3x minimum wage), per PMLP subsistence regulation effective 2026-04-01; converted at EUR/USD 1.16; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $58k (Latvia residence-by-investment cheapest route: EUR 50,000 equity into a Latvian company (small-firm criteria; plus EUR 10,000 state duty); converted at EUR/USD 1.16; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Latvian. English proficiency: some.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level).
Safety and stability
Latvia scores 69 out of 100 on safety, safer than 62% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.4 out of 10.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Latvia: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2023) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: EIU Democracy Index. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Latvia runs at about 90 Mbps, faster than 40% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Taxes
Latvia sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Liepāja in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Healthcare
Latvia scores 66 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 59% of the cities we compare.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Latvia: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,717 a month to live centrally in Liepāja, in line with the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 51% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Questions couples ask about Liepāja
Is Liepāja a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Liepāja scores well on English. Our figures for Latvia are partial: no social openness data, and country-level World Bank estimates for safety, healthcare and cost of living. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (9°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Liepāja?
We estimate about €2,717 a month for a couple living centrally, in line with the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Latvia, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Liepāja?
Latvia is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Liepāja in their results.
Can foreigners live in Latvia long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Latvia (EU member) offers accessible self-funded routes: a relatively cheap residence-by-investment program (company equity, real estate, bonds, or bank deposit) plus self-employment and EU Blue Card / digital-nomad permits for capable applicants. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $2,714 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $58k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Liepāja?
Liepāja averages 9°C across the year with about 681 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 6% of the cities we track.
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Near Liepāja
Moving to Latvia as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.