Working and Hiring in Riga: Pay, Rent and What Employers Should Know
The average gross wage in Riga was €2,011 a month in 2025. On that pay, an employer adds 23.59% social contributions at 2026 rates, €5,692.74 a year, so the cost is €29,824.74 a year.
Thinking of hiring in Riga, or working there? This guide covers what an employee costs in the city, pay and housing costs, the local labor market in figures and the ways a company outside Latvia can employ someone there. National rules are in our Latvia guide.
Riga in figures
Employer cost on the Riga average wage, 2026
What it costs to employ someone in Riga
Latvian employer costs are national, so they are the same in Riga as in the rest of Latvia. In 2026 the employer pays 23.59% state social insurance contributions on top of gross pay, and the employee pays 10.5%, which the employer withholds. On the Riga average gross wage of €2,011 a month, or €24,132 a year, the employer adds €5,692.74, for a total of €29,824.74 a year.
The minimum wage, income tax, notice periods and leave follow national law. Our guide to hiring in Latvia covers them.
Pay in Riga
The Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) publishes wages for Riga itself. The average gross wage in Riga was €2,011 a month in 2025, 10.8% above the Latvian average of €1,815, and the average net wage was €1,479. Pay in Riga rose 7.6% from €1,869 in 2024. In the 2nd quarter of 2026, the average gross wage in the Riga statistical region, which also covers the towns and municipalities around the city, was €2,068. See average salary in Riga.
Rent and living costs in Riga
CSB does not publish an average rent for Riga. Its income and living conditions survey shows that a Riga household spent an average of €274.40 a month on housing in 2025, or 12.4% of disposable income, against €235.01 across Latvia. A one-month public transport ticket from Rīgas satiksme costs €30 for unlimited trips on trams, trolleybuses and buses, and a 90-minute ticket costs €1.50. See cost of living in Riga.
The Riga labor market
Riga had 588,911 residents on 1 January 2026, 6,142 fewer than a year earlier. At the start of 2025, the unemployment rate in Riga was 4.5%, against 5.7% in Latvia, and the employment rate was 57.1%, against 54.6%. Private sector employees in Riga earned an average of €1,972 a month in 2025 and public sector employees €2,097.
How to hire in Riga
- Find the person. Write the role, set the salary against Riga pay levels, then source and interview candidates. You can run the search yourself with a job post, or use a placement service that delivers a shortlist.
- Choose how to employ them. A Latvian entity running payroll, an employer of record or a contractor agreement.
- Make the offer. The contract has to meet the Latvian Labor Law and pay at least the national minimum wage. Pay is usually quoted as a gross monthly salary in euros.
There are 3 ways to employ someone in Riga. With a Latvian entity, you register a company in Latvia, run payroll and pay the employer contributions yourself. With an employer of record (EOR), a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Latvian payroll for a monthly fee per employee, while your company directs the work. With a contractor agreement, the person invoices you as a self-employed worker, and the relationship has to be genuinely independent.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We handle the placement: we find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
How Euro Remote Talent can help
We do placement. We source, screen and interview remote professionals across Europe, then deliver a shortlist of 3 candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299 and reach candidates who want to work remotely.
See how placement works, post a job or book a 30-minute call. Browse remote jobs in Latvia to see who is hiring there now.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to employ someone in Riga?
On the Riga average gross wage of €2,011 a month, the employer adds 23.59% social contributions, €5,692.74 a year at 2026 rates, for a total of €29,824.74 a year.
Are employer costs different in Riga from the rest of Latvia?
No. Social contributions of 23.59% for the employer and 10.5% for the employee are national. What differs is the pay level, which is higher in Riga.
What is the average salary in Riga?
The average gross wage in Riga was €2,011 a month in 2025 and the average net wage €1,479, according to CSB. That is 10.8% above the Latvian average.
How much does public transport cost in Riga?
A one-month Rīgas satiksme ticket costs €30 for unlimited trips on trams, trolleybuses and buses. A 90-minute ticket costs €1.50 and a 24-hour ticket €5.
Can a company outside Latvia hire someone in Riga without a Latvian entity?
Yes. The usual routes are an employer of record, a third-party provider that employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: we find, screen and shortlist the person, and you choose the route.
Sources
- CSB, DSV041, average monthly wages and salaries by region. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- CSB, IRS031, population at the beginning of the year. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- CSB, EKA140, activity, employment and unemployment rate. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- CSB, MAI010, housing maintenance expenditure per household. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- CSB, Press release, wages and salaries in Q2 2026. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- likumi.lv, Law on State Social Insurance. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
- Rīgas satiksme, One-month ticket. Checked 5 Nov 2026.
