Japan City Database
17 major cities, one consistent set of fields — foreign residents, rent, living cost, wages — sortable, filterable, and sourced field by field.
Click a column header to sort.
| City | Foreign residents 1 | Share 1 | 1R/1K rent 2 | Monthly cost (single) 3 | Min. wage 1 | Typical gross pay 3 | English jobs 3 | SSW jobs 3 | Students 3 | Families 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | ≈801,438 | 5.7% | ¥80,000–¥120,000 | ¥180,000–¥280,000 | ¥1,226 | ¥250,000–¥400,000 | High | High | High | Medium |
| Yokohama | ≈317,353 | 3.4% | ¥60,000–¥85,000 | ¥160,000–¥230,000 | ¥1,225 | ¥240,000–¥360,000 | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |
| Osaka | ≈375,319 | 4.3% | ¥55,000–¥80,000 | ¥140,000–¥220,000 | ¥1,177 | ¥220,000–¥350,000 | Medium | High | High | Medium |
| Nagoya | ≈357,800 | 4.8% | ¥50,000–¥75,000 | ¥135,000–¥200,000 | ¥1,140 | ¥220,000–¥340,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Saitama | ≈290,937 | 4% | ¥55,000–¥70,000 | ¥140,000–¥210,000 | ¥1,141 | ¥220,000–¥350,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Chiba | ≈259,663 | 4.2% | ¥55,000–¥70,000 | ¥140,000–¥210,000 | ¥1,140 | ¥220,000–¥350,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Kyoto | ≈92,563 | 3.7% | ¥50,000–¥75,000 | ¥135,000–¥200,000 | ¥1,122 | ¥200,000–¥320,000 | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
| Kobe | ≈155,019 | 2.9% | ¥50,000–¥70,000 | ¥130,000–¥195,000 | ¥1,116 | ¥200,000–¥320,000 | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
| Fukuoka | ≈125,501 | 2.5% | ¥45,000–¥65,000 | ¥125,000–¥185,000 | ¥1,057 | ¥200,000–¥310,000 | Medium | Medium | High | High |
| Sapporo | ≈77,401 | 1.5% | ¥35,000–¥55,000 | ¥115,000–¥175,000 | ¥1,075 | ¥190,000–¥300,000 | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
| Hamamatsu | ≈132,100 | 3.7% | ¥35,000–¥50,000 | ¥115,000–¥170,000 | ¥1,097 | ¥195,000–¥310,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Tsukuba | ≈111,808 | 4% | ¥42,000–¥58,000 | ¥120,000–¥180,000 | ¥1,074 | ¥200,000–¥320,000 | Medium | High | High | High |
| Takasaki | ≈89,670 | 4.7% | ¥38,000–¥55,000 | ¥120,000–¥175,000 | ¥1,063 | ¥190,000–¥300,000 | Low | High | Low | High |
| Gifu | ≈80,766 | 4.2% | ¥30,000–¥45,000 | ¥110,000–¥165,000 | ¥1,065 | ¥188,000–¥295,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
| Yokkaichi | ≈73,551 | 4.3% | ¥40,000–¥56,000 | ¥120,000–¥175,000 | ¥1,087 | ¥195,000–¥310,000 | Low | High | Low | High |
| Hiroshima | ≈72,628 | 2.7% | ¥40,000–¥60,000 | ¥120,000–¥180,000 | ¥1,085 | ¥200,000–¥315,000 | Medium | Medium | High | High |
| Utsunomiya | ≈61,878 | 3.3% | ¥38,000–¥55,000 | ¥120,000–¥175,000 | ¥1,068 | ¥190,000–¥300,000 | Low | High | Medium | High |
Compare two cities
Official sources
- Official data 1 出入国在留管理庁 (2025年末) · 総務省統計局 · 厚生労働省 地域別最低賃金
- Market data 2 SUUMO
- Path2Japan estimate 3
Population and foreign-resident figures are prefecture-scoped (Tokyo-to, Osaka-fu, etc.) so cities stay comparable. Rent ranges are typical 1R/1K listing ranges; living cost and pay ranges are Path2Japan estimates built from official statistics and market samples — they are not official statistics.
Living costs across Japanese cities — FAQ
What is the cheapest city to live in Japan?
Among the major cities compared here, Gifu has the lowest typical monthly cost for a single person, around ¥110,000–¥165,000. Regional cities generally beat Tokyo on rent.
How much does it cost to live in a Japanese city?
It depends mostly on rent, which the table above breaks out per city alongside salary, minimum wage and foreign-resident share. Use the cost calculator to tailor it to your household.
Which Japanese city is best for foreigners?
There is no single answer — it depends on cost, job market and language needs. Compare the cities above, or use the city-match tool to rank them by your own priorities.
Every city comparison
Chiba / FukuokaChiba / KobeChiba / KyotoChiba / NagoyaChiba / OsakaChiba / SaitamaChiba / SapporoChiba / TokyoChiba / YokohamaFukuoka / KobeFukuoka / KyotoFukuoka / NagoyaFukuoka / OsakaFukuoka / SaitamaFukuoka / SapporoFukuoka / TokyoFukuoka / YokohamaKobe / KyotoKobe / NagoyaKobe / OsakaKobe / SaitamaKobe / SapporoKobe / TokyoKobe / YokohamaKyoto / NagoyaKyoto / OsakaKyoto / SaitamaKyoto / SapporoKyoto / TokyoKyoto / YokohamaNagoya / OsakaNagoya / SaitamaNagoya / SapporoNagoya / TokyoNagoya / YokohamaOsaka / SaitamaOsaka / SapporoOsaka / TokyoOsaka / YokohamaSaitama / SapporoSaitama / TokyoSaitama / YokohamaSapporo / TokyoSapporo / YokohamaTokyo / Yokohama