How to earn money to live on or how to earn extra money to supplement your main job – these questions have always been topical. At the moment, this issue is particularly topical because there are so many ways in which this can be done. Additional income opportunities are particularly available to people living in Riga.

You must have heard of all these companies that offer everyone an extra income – Wolt (food delivery), Bolt (formerly TAXIFY, a taxi service), Airbnb.

In this article, we will explore how much money you can earn from these income-generating opportunities, how much you have to work and what the requirements are to qualify for these jobs.

How to make money as a courier in Riga?

There are many companies in Riga that offer you the opportunity to work as a courier for a living. Cycle messengers and couriers with their own cars are certainly not uncommon on the streets of Riga. These people, who work as couriers, deliver things like food, documents or even orders from online shops.

Wolt food delivery courier jobs

On the streets of Riga, it is quite common to see people with big blue bags on their backs, most often with “Wolt” written on them. These people earn or make money delivering food from restaurants and other catering establishments.

Becoming a Wolt food delivery courier gives you the opportunity to plan your working hours and earn as much money as you work.

You’ll need to pick up food from restaurants and deliver it to customers’ homes, offices or other locations. You can choose when to work – evenings, midday or whenever you feel like it.

How to become a Wolt courier?

To become a Wolt courier, you need to fill in the application form on the Wolt website.

In the questionnaire you will need to indicate:

• Information about yourself;
• Which vehicle you will use to make the delivery (bicycle, scooter or car);
• Your phone’s operating system;
• The languages you speak;
• Planned opening hours;
• Are you ready to start work within a week?

Once you have completed the application form, a Wolt representative will contact you and go through the further processes required to start working as a Wolt courier.

How much do Wolt couriers earn?

Let’s be real – this is definitely not the best paid job. With hard work, you can earn around €4-5 per hour with Wolt. If we multiply this hourly rate by a typical 8-hour working day, you can earn around €32-40 per day. This could be €650-800 per month if we work the usual 160 hours. Of course, you can also work more than 8 hours a day on weekends, so your income will increase accordingly.

Feedback on Wolt courier service

Let’s take a look at some real people’s online reviews of courier work at Wolt:

Feedback from Dāvja:

Here are the statistics:

• 15 food deliveries
• 9h 30min total time
• 72 kilometres travelled
• €45.62 Income (including tip)
• €5.94 Micro company tax
• €10.76 Fuel (Audi TT)
• €2.00 Depreciation
• €26.92 Net Profit (€2.83/hour)

But… that’s before bonuses

Wolt offers weekly bonuses to couriers who deliver X amount of orders. There are also weekend bonuses. As far as I know, bonuses average €0.80-1.50 per order.

If I had placed more orders by working more days per week, then 1.)€0.80 bonus per order would increase my net profit to €37.12 (€3.91/hour). 2.) €1.50 bonus per order would increase my net profit to €46.04 (€4.85/hour).

Besides the bonuses, there is of course also the opportunity to increase efficiency by 1.) using a more efficient car like an Audi TT (or a bike) 2.) delivering only at announced times when there are lots of orders, so you don’t spend time waiting in the car 3.)Getting a VAT number and getting an advantage on fuel costs.

Another review – a bit more pessimistic:

It also requires luck:

Wolt also has competitors, such as Foodout:

How to make money as a taxi driver in Riga?

The taxi industry in Riga has evolved and gone digital. The days when you could only get a taxi by calling or catching one on the street are long gone. Today, most people use taxi services through apps on their mobile devices.

Thanks to companies like Bolt (formerly Taxify) and Yandex TAXI, any driver with a car under 10 years old can work as a taxi driver in their spare time. If you really like driving, you can also do it as a full-time job.

Bolt (taxify) taxi driver job

Bolt is the most popular taxi service provider in Latvia. Anyone with a driving licence and a Bolt-compliant car can become a Bolt driver.

Not only does Bolt offer an extremely easy way to get a taxi, but they also offer the opportunity to earn money in your spare time, or even work independently.

How do I become a Bolt (Taxify) driver?

To become a Bolt driver, you need to fill in the application form on the Bolt website

To become a driver on the Bolt platform, you must meet the following criteria, which vary from city to city:

• Valid driving licence;
• Car registration documents;
• Copy of car insurance;
• Driving experience;
• Matching car;
• Criminal record.

How much do Bolt (taxify) drivers earn?

This is definitely the most interesting question! How much do Bolt drivers really earn and is the job even worth it?

A good friend of mine worked as a Bolt driver for nine months and I asked him how much he actually earned in a month. The answer was interesting – “I never really calculated how much profit I made per month”. But the approximate amount could be around €1000, after all the expenses – fuel, car maintenance, taxes.

Calculating the hourly rate for 160 hours a week, it works out at €6.25, which is not bad at all given the minimum hourly rate in Latvia.

Of course, this is just one review, which is about a year old, so it would be a good idea to check with the Bolt executives themselves about the current situation before throwing yourself into this business.

How? Quite simply. If you are really considering the idea of becoming a Bolt driver, you should go out with five drivers and try to find out how much you can actually earn in this job.

Reviews of the Bolt driver

Let’s take a look at some of the online reviews of the Bolt:

Review from Andrejs 2016. November 2009

I have to say that I am happy as a taxi driver working under the Taxify brand, having previously worked for Panda Taxi! I work alone, without a partner, and I can plan to collect 200 euros a week and earn around 300 euros a week. You have to accept that no one is born a taxi driver and that experience and stamina are built up over time, as taxi work is both physically and psychologically demanding. I’ve been a taxi driver for 5 years.

Review of Marina – Taxify is a scam

Taxify – Scams

The ad reads Come and work and earn up to €15 an hour. Sounds good doesn’t it??? So working 12 hours a day will put around 180 euros in my pocket… Reality is different
I contacted ilmar from taxify, whose office is in vecriga krastmala, and I found out that you need a new car to be able to use the app because that’s the rules and people can see the model and year of the car and the tariff you are working with in the app and there is more acceptance for newer cars. But there is no limit to how much you can earn. Well, as I am going to work at least 12 hours and it will be around 180 euros a day, I go and take out a car loan I took out for 7000 euros for a 2009 car. I bought a meter and a plafond for 270, put it on at Igor Mikom’s for 160, made a verification for the metrology centre for 50, changed the numbers in the taxi for another 60 or so. I made 80 stickers. Well, it’s ready. Here are 2 options… Make your own sia, hire an accountant etc and don’t have your own transport licence which costs 15 eur per month from Riga City Council or go with your own car to a ready-made company that someone has, there are 1000 of them in Riga, and pay 100 euro per month and they give you a licence. I chose the second one because it’s cheaper than hiring an accountant and setting up my own sia. Licence hand we can start dancing. I need a long phone for this job, I forgot to add one with a permanent internet connection so that it doesn’t hang up and doesn’t glitch. We plug in the taxify app on our phone and turn it on, we can set a radius of 1 or 2 or 3 km etc. and wait and wonder why there are so many cars in that radius and no calls??? You can go where there are no cars, of course, but there are no orders. The order arrives. We go from the centre to the domina. Around 5km. A woman comes in and says… To the furniture house. We take you there and give you €1.80. And again we have to wait from 40-80 min. You have to move to another area and park, etc. At the end of the day, 20 euros in fuel goes anyway, and now let’s calculate .4 euros times 12 hours is 48 euros. Minus 20 for fuel is 28euro… This is what I have left after a 12-hour working day and 300 km on Riga’s famous pavement and rails… I forgot to count off the money for the licence 100 divide for 30 days say 3 euro remains 25 u now the funniest thing tyres have to be changed so much driving 4 times a year and oil with filters every 45 days because 300km a day comes up. If something breaks then you can go and shoot yourself because there will be no money for repairs and no credit because you have not paid your taxes because if you do you will starve to death before the car you have driven, which like a taxi has a check-up 2 times a year and insurance 4 times more expensive, breaks down. I would add that those who work without the app earn even less. I have heard of others returning their pension on the day of retirement for the plan they owe. Now I’m going to Germany to work so I can pay off my car loan. So never go there and don’t believe you will earn anything. I wish you good luck

Reviews vary, so only those on the inside can judge the reality of the industry!

Yandex TAXI taxi driver job

Although only recently launched in Latvia, Yandex Taxi has quickly gained popularity and you can see its stickers on many of our taxis. Jandex Taxi works in the same way as Bolt – you can call a taxi through an app on your mobile phone, which will arrive within minutes.

This company also offers anyone who is eligible to become their flag bearer – to earn or earn money working as a taxi driver.

How to become a Yandex TAXI driver?

To become a Yandex taxi driver, you need to fill in the application form on

How much do Yandex TAXI drivers earn?

The Yandex Taxi website states that drivers can earn up to €200 per day. Wouldn’t it be bad to earn €200 a day as a taxi driver? That would be 4000 euros a month!

However, as with all offers of this kind, you will see a small “*”, which means that it is not actually possible.

How much Yandex taxi drivers actually earn is probably something only they can answer. There is also no one in my contacts who has worked for this company as a taxi driver.

Reviews about Yandex TAXI driver

Unfortunately, there are no reviews about Yandex taxi on the internet, in Latvian. This could be because the company is relatively new to Latvia.

How to make money renting short-term property in Riga?

Another very real way to earn extra money is by renting out short-term property. However, this will only be possible if you own a property that can be rented out (or part of it). The most popular services for renting your property are Airbnb and Booking.com.

Let’s take a look at the requirements, potential profits and feedback from people who are already doing it on both of these services.

Airbnb short-term house, apartment or room rentals

Airbnb is one of the most popular sharing economy services, offering anyone the opportunity to rent their own property to anyone around the world.

This profit opportunity combines both the internet and your property. You can rent your apartment, room, bed or even a tent to people from all over the world. If you have a property that is not used on your own, or you don’t mind having frequent visitors from abroad in the property you live in, Airbnb is a good way to earn extra money.

To get an idea of how big and popular Airbnb is, you might find these figures interesting:

More than 160 million people in 190 countries have used Airbnb.

A total of around 3 million different types of short-term rental offers are available on the portal

How do I rent a house, apartment or room on Airbnb?

To become a Guest Host on the Airbnb platform, you need to visit the Airbnb website and create an account, and follow these steps:

1. Free advertisement for short-term rentals
2. Decide how and when you will host guests (preferred dates, prices and conditions for guests)
3. All ready! You can welcome your first guests. You can contact guests and ask any questions you may have.

How much can I earn renting a house, apartment or room on Airbnb?

The profit opportunities with Airbnb are vast. In principle, you can earn €100 per month or €10,000 per month. Your profit will depend on the following factors:

• Number of properties you offer for short-term rent;
• The price you offer for renting the property for one day;
• Number of bookings per month.

For example, if you offer to rent an apartment in the centre of Riga for €50 per day and get 20 bookings per month (each for one day), your paper profit will be €1000. From this amount you will need to deduct Airbnb’s commission of 6-12%.

Reviews of Airbnb short term rentals

There are a lot of reviews about Airbnb’s short-term rental profit opportunity on the internet. Let’s take a look at some:

Reinis tells Riga.lv:

I decided to do Airbnb when I realised that my apartment was the right place for it. It was very easy to get started: I registered the apartment and within the first hour I had two enquiries from everyone. I think it’s very interesting, because I myself am looking for accommodation for my travels in this way, and it’s great to compare my experience with someone else’s.

Nora, on Riga.lv, says:

I started working with Airbnb last week and the property that is rented out is not my own. The landlord decided to rent the apartment because it was empty, with no long-term residents. It was easy to get started, guests started booking as soon as they checked in. The Platform team is very responsive and answered any questions I had.

Juris says the following on the Swedbank blog:

Juris is renting a room in his private house in Marupe. The idea came about because he is an active traveller himself and likes to use Airbnb services. “I used to travel alone. I was sitting in my hotel room watching TV in the evenings, bored, until I found out that Airbnb offers you the chance to stay with other people. I believe that Airbnb the main advantage is the chance to get not only a cheaper bed, but a unique experience. I have spent evenings in Ljubljana with a very real American writer who has moved there and is looking for types for her novels, and played guitar with another landlord all night. It’s a unique experience, a chance to meet people from different parts of the world. Money can’t buy that!” By renting out a room in his house, Juris has hosted Chinese visitors, South African surfers, Belarusian long-distance travellers and even a real Hollywood actress. So far, there have been no problems. The only problem is that foreign Latvians have a reluctance to bring friends to the house and have parties, but this can be avoided by stating in the advertisement that they are not welcome. Juris introduces guests to the leisure and entertainment opportunities, is happy to keep them company if they wish, and still earns money. As he says, he manages to pay both the gas and electricity bills. He believes that where you live is irrelevant. Experience hunters choose the most interesting offers over those closer to the centre.

Rent an apartment or house short term on Booking.com

Booking.com operates on a slightly different basis to Airbnb. This site is basically for hotel and whole-house bookings, but you can also book apartments or flats. Unlike Airbnb, Booking.com has stricter requirements regarding the condition of the rental property.

How to rent an apartment or house on Booking.com?

To add your property to Booking.com, you need to fill in the application form on the website.

Booking.com allows you to add the following types of accommodation: apartments, villas, mountain chalets, holiday homes, guest houses, campsites, farmhouses, boat accommodation, luxury tents.

When you list your property on Booking.com, you do the following:

• Choose the prices, conditions and terms for your guests;
• Get 24-hour support and the possibility to report guest irregularities;
• Set the conditions and criteria that guests must meet.

How much can I earn renting a house or apartment on Booking.com?

Like Airbnb, Booking.com’s profit opportunities are virtually limitless. You can earn as much as your properties, their locations, daily price and other criteria allow.

One person in my circle of friends is renting an apartment in Ventspils. In summer, it is possible to earn at least €1000 per apartment. During city fiestas and other events for the general public, the daily rate may be significantly increased. The record price for a one-room apartment in Ventspils for one night is EUR 140.

Reviews of Booking.com short term rentals

David Cjuksa on his blog about Booking.com, the short-term rental business:

A gentleman from Switzerland who bought an apartment in the centre of Riga so he could stay there 2-3 times a year and spends up to 20 days a year in Riga. On other days the apartment is unoccupied and during the conversation I suggested that the apartment could be rented short term on booking.com, that way he could go to Riga when he needs to, booking in advance, and earn income the rest of the time. We agreed to split the income 70/30. 70% for the owner, 30% for me. We agreed that the owner would provide all the bed linen, household equipment, furniture and other things, and I would take care of the guest management. On average, we earned around €600-750 a month, minus expenses of €100-150. And BINGO 135-195 euros/month. without investing your own money and experience in the short-term rental business. Probably, if such an agreement were to be repeated today, I would definitely move the percentage split closer to 50/50.