Belfast

Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

8
96/265
Details
Large apartment$1100.00
Medium apartment$950.00
Rent index [score]0.77
Small apartment$780.00

Cost of Living

6
114/248
Details
5km taxi ride$8.40
A Cappuccino$3.50
A beer$2.40
A kilogram of Apples$2.70
Bread$0.62
Inflation [score]0.60
Lunch$15.00
Monthly fitness club membership$40.00
Monthly public transport$83.00
Movie ticket$9.30
Price of a meal at a restaurant$78.21

Startups

4
172/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups2
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.27
Coworking spaces [score]0.10
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co5
Meetups [score]0.29
Meetups groups68
Meetups members26287
Number of investors5
Number of startup events in the last 12 months196
Number of upcoming meetup events31
Startup climate scene [score]0.44
Startup events44
Startup events [score]0.55
Startups [score]0.44
Total number of startups159

Venture Capital

2
173/192
Details
Venture capital [score]0.16

Travel Connectivity

4
90/266
Details
Airport hub38
Airport hub [score]0.23
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.59

Commute

5
111/255
Details
Traffic handling [score]0.79

Business Freedom

9
35/264
Details
Business freedom86.00
Business freedom [score]0.89
Freedom from corruption78.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.84
Lack of labor restrictions71.80
Lack of labor restrictions [score]0.66
Time to open a business4.50
Time to open a business [score]0.96

Safety

8
102/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.57
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year0
Guns per 100 residents6
Lack of gun related deaths [score]1.00
Lack of guns [score]0.97
Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score]0.98

Healthcare

8
158/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.82
Healthcare quality [score]0.74
Life expectancy (years)81.22
Life expectancy [score]0.87

Education

5
100/240
Details
Best university in rankingQueen’s University Belfast
Best university ranking225
Country mean scores in PISA math test494.15
Country mean scores in PISA reading test499.32
Country mean scores in PISA science test514.13
PISA math ranking (high school)21
PISA ranking17
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.81
PISA reading (high school)15
PISA science (high school)13
Percent of happy students0.82
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.22
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.17
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.15
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.12
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.09
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.11
University quality [score]0.13

Environmental Quality

8
40/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.89
Cleanliness [score]0.76
Drinking water quality [score]0.95
Urban greenery [score]0.75

Economy

5
119/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area0.77
Currency for urban areaGBP
GDP growth rate0.03
GDP growth rate [score]0.45
GDP per capita$39510.94
GDP per capita [score]0.64

Taxation

6
65/266
Details
Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score]0.78
Income tax level [score]0.41
Profit tax (% of profit)0.31
Time overhead to file company taxes110
VAT (Sales Tax)0.20

Internet Access

6
121/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)54.27
Internet access (download) [score]0.65
Internet access (upload) [score]0.47
Upload speed (Mbps)10.77

Leisure & Culture

5
174/264
Details
Art galleries58
Art galleries [score]0.52
Cinemas22
Cinemas [score]0.36
Comedy clubs4
Comedy clubs [score]0.48
Concert venues47
Concerts [score]0.45
Historical sites23
Historical sites [score]0.48
Museums17
Museums [score]0.51
Performing art venues36
Performing arts [score]0.47
Sport venues13
Sports [score]0.41
Zoos2
Zoos [score]0.59

Tolerance

6
193/266
Details
Homosexuality acceptance (percent of the surveyed population in favor)0.76
LGBT Equality Index86.67
LGBT Equality Index [score]0.89
LGBT adoption rights✔ Legal
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✖ Banned (1-year deferral)
LGBT conversion therapy regulationsAmbiguous
LGBT discrimination legality✔ Illegal
LGBT employment discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT gender changing rights✔ Legal, surgery not required
LGBT homosexuality rights✔ Legal
LGBT housing discrimination legality✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
LGBT marriage rights✔ Legal
Tolerance towards minorities [score]0.31

Outdoors

1
249/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.18
Median peak in meters344.00
Presence of hills in city1.00
Presence of mountains in city1.00
Seaside access1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)7.00
Water access [score]0.10
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Cost of living

Costs of living in Belfast are in the 114th place of all 248 Teleport cities. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international  cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.

Housing costs (USD)

$960$1,300
$1100
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Monthly fitness club membership$40
Movie ticket$9
Broadband internet connection$24
Monthly public transport$83
Lunch$15
-33%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in Belfast

Job salary calculator

Software Engineer salaries in Belfast are below average. For this job type, Belfast ranks 160th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Belfast.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$35,130
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in Belfast

Locals review Belfast

Do locals recommend living in Belfast?

What could Belfast do better?#improveBelfast

How could Belfast improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes.
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes Belfast a special place?#praiseBelfast

Is Belfast a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something nice about your city.

Taxation

Personal taxation

Effective income tax rate

20%
For annual salary of $40000
30%
For annual salary of $80000

Value added tax (VAT)

20%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.

Compared to other cities

102/266

Corporate taxation

Compared to other cities

45/263
See more details on taxation in Belfast
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Safety

Gun crimes & Ownership

6.20
Guns per 100 people
0.23
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
HIGH GUN CRIMELOW GUN CRIMEFEW GUNSMANY GUNS
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania

Overall crime rate city ranking

The overall crime rate puts Belfast in position 142 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.

WORSTBEST
See more details on gun crime and safety in Belfast

Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of

Startup Visa

Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa
Investment requiredFunding providedDuration
YesNo3 years
Oxygen accelerator
Investment requiredFunding providedDuration
NoYes26 weeks
Get more information about visas in Belfast here
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People in Belfast

Population of Belfast

344,600
1,715 /km²
81/264
Density (people per unit of area)
1%
Growth in 2015-2020
Belfast

Demographics of United Kingdom

Median age
41
Elderly people
18%
Life expectancy at birth
81
GDP per capita (in USD)
$39,511
137/263
Unemployment
5%
130/264

Languages

English proficiency score
100
1/228
Common spoken languages
English

Friends living in Belfast

Find out which of your friends are living in Belfast. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

Teleport Users  X  Belfast

Teleport users who are      Belfast

Work in:

Teacher
10.26%
Attorney
7.69%
Software Engineer
7.69%
UX Designer
5.13%
Founder
5.13%
Administrative Assistant
5.13%
Project Manager
5.13%
Other
53.85%

Come from:

Climate

Average number of days per year without rain

209.5

Climate type

Marine West Coast

Average daily maximum temperature

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Impressions from Belfast

5:47 What to Do in Belfast, Ireland | 36 Hours | The New York Times

A video by The New York Times

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On living in Belfast

Belfast (Irish: Béal Feirste, meaning "the mouth of the river Farset") is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland and the second largest city on the island of Ireland after Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. Situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on Belfast Lough, Belfast is surrounded by low hills and has a population of 267,500. This figure refers only to the Belfast City Council area whose borders date back to the 1950. Since then the city has expanded and the population of the Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area which incorporates the surrounding suburbs and towns is 483,000.

Belfast gained notoriety around the world during The Troubles (1969-1997) due to the frequency of gun and bomb attacks in the city. Parts of Belfast were effectively no-go areas for security forces and therefore took on a lawless quality. Today, the scars of Belfast's troubled past make it an intriguing destination for travellers from around the world.

Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, most of the politically-motivated violence has evaporated. Belfast was recently awarded the accolade of being the safest city in the UK, based on a comparison of nation-wide crime figures, and, as part of its commitment to maintain peace, now seeks tourism from all around the world, especially from countries other than the Irish Republic and the rest of the UK.

Read more

Good Country Index

Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.

Overall ranking

United Kingdom
5th from a total of 163 countries

World Order

14th

Refugees hosted

Refugees generated

Charity giving

Birth rate

UN Treaties signed

International Peace & Security

64th

Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

International violent conflict

Peacekeeping troops

Arms exports

Internet security (2014)

Planet & Climate

22nd

Ecological footprint

Reforestation since 1992

Hazardous pesticides exports

CO2 emissions

Ozone

Prosperity & Equality

5th

Development assistance

FDI outflows

Fairtrade market size

UN volunteers abroad

Open trading

Culture

11th

Freedom of movement

Press freedom

Creative services exports

UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

Creative goods exports

Science & Technology

1st

Nobel prizes

Patents

Journal exports

International publications

International Students

Health & Wellbeing

2nd

Pharmaceutical exports

Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

Food aid

Humanitarian aid donations

International Health Regulations Compliance

See details ▽

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