Living in Arakawa-ku

In Arakawa-ku, rents across existing tenancies average €15.07 per m² a month (2023).

荒川区 is a city in Japan, with a population of 217,475 in October 2020. There were 127.3 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2022. The median age was 44.9 years in 2020. The unemployment rate was 3.8% in October 2020. In May 2024, the city had 49 schools. The city covered 10.2 km² in 2024. Population density was 21,877.8 people per km² in 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-1018 sources

Population217,475people1 Oct 2020Official source · Japan 2020 Census municipality population table

Median gross salary (region)370.1EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent15.07EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 140% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate3.8%country median 3.8% — about the sameOfficial source · Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality

Recorded crime652.8incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)

PM2.5, annual mean9.8µg/m³country median 8.4 — 17% aboveOfficial source · MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 荒川区

Pricier rent than 98% of Japanese cities that publish it and dirtier air than 81% of Japanese cities that publish it.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Arakawa-ku?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in JapanNational rates and thresholds that apply in Arakawa-ku.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Japan's Housing and Land Survey monthly-rent measure excludes security deposits, key money/right money and common-area charges. The Ministry of Land says deposit terms vary by regional custom; these sources provide context, not a comparable city-level distribution. Statistics Bureau glossary (2018) · MLIT rental-housing Q&A.

How much does it cost to rent in 荒川区?

Average net cold rent is about 15.07 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

Average net rent (nettokalt): 15.07 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁷

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Net rent across major citiesArakawa-ku highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Arakawa-ku€15.07

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Hiroshima€8.38

Sapporo€7.56

Show the other 6 cities

Kyoto€10.46

Saitama€10.37

Fukuoka€9.00

Kobe€8.87

Sendai€8.85

Nagoya€8.81

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	32.03 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet¹⁴Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB²Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)	15.07 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁷Official

Is Arakawa-ku a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker42%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 34–50%

Skilled employee58%strong on work, weak on housing · range 50–66%

Student35%strong on education, weak on work · range 28–42%

Family63%strong on safety, weak on cost · range 56–70%

Retirement44%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 35–53%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 904 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 15.07 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2023 Housing and Land Survey

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in 荒川区?

The unemployment rate is 3.8 % (October 2020). Source: Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality⁷

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Arakawa-ku is 3.8%. Of 1,816 cities with data, 818 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.

250

818

531

126

0–11–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Arakawa-ku 3.8%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	370.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁸Official
Unemployment rate	3.8 %country median 3.8% — about the same	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Arakawa-ku?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€0of €0 take-home

Rent
Internet
Mobile

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	outside the model's range
Rent, 60 m²€15.07/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €904
Internet€32 · official · NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet · 2026-09-30	− €32
Mobile plan€22 · official · docomo mini 10GB · 2026-09-30	− €22
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	—

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Arakawa-ku Salary needed to live in Arakawa-ku

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Arakawa-ku. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Hello Work — Public employment service

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the Japan service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Arakawa-ku. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	49 schools	1 May 2024	MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127¹²Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	5.44 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024¹⁰Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	1.41 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024¹¹Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	127.3 per 100,000	2022	Exact e-Stat municipality row I6100 (医師数), derived with the exact same-JIS e-Stat A2301 total resident population row. No prefecture or parent-area value is used.⁶Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Arakawa-ku when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Physicians per 1,000 residents1.41 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is 荒川区?

Police recorded about 653 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 652.8 incidents per 100,000 · Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	652.8 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)¹Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	98 count	2024	Unique direct scheduled destination endpoints for the nearest scheduled-service airport in the complete 97-airport MLIT universe; domestic endpoints come from the official 2024 annual route table and international endpoints from the official 2024 summer and winter direct scheduled-flight tables.¹⁵Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Arakawa-ku. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Japanese Language Education Program for Foreigners Living in Japan — State Language Course

Agency for Cultural Affairs

For foreigners living in Japan.

JapaneseIn Person, Online

Open official information

Open the full Japan section

National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Arakawa-ku.

Find courses near Arakawa-ku

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in 荒川区?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 荒川区¹³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

10°1°

11°2°

14°5°

19°10°

24°15°

26°18°

30°22°

31°24°

28°20°

22°15°

17°9°

12°4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

116

134

140

168

156

155

225

235

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

193

170

175

179

180

124

151

174

127

129

150

174

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.59.8WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in JapanAnnual PM2.5 in Arakawa-ku is 9.8 µg/m³. Of 804 cities with data, 209 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

183

209

167

4–55–66–77–88–99–1010–1111–1212–1313–14

Arakawa-ku 9.8

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	9.8 µg/m³country median 8.4	31 Mar 2024	MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 荒川区¹³Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 9.8 · Feb 10.9 · Mar 14.2 · Apr 19.4 · May 23.6 · Jun 26.1 · Jul 29.9 · Aug 31.3 · Sep 27.5 · Oct 22 · Nov 16.7 · Dec 12 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.2 · Feb 2.1 · Mar 5 · Apr 9.8 · May 14.6 · Jun 18.5 · Jul 22.4 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 20.3 · Oct 14.8 · Nov 8.8 · Dec 3.8 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.4 · Feb 6.1 · Mar 9.4 · Apr 14.3 · May 18.8 · Jun 21.9 · Jul 25.7 · Aug 26.9 · Sep 23.3 · Oct 18 · Nov 12.5 · Dec 7.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 59.7 · Feb 56.5 · Mar 116 · Apr 133.7 · May 139.7 · Jun 167.8 · Jul 156.2 · Aug 154.7 · Sep 224.9 · Oct 234.8 · Nov 96.3 · Dec 57.9 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 192.6 · Feb 170.4 · Mar 175.3 · Apr 178.8 · May 179.6 · Jun 124.2 · Jul 151.4 · Aug 174.2 · Sep 126.7 · Oct 129.4 · Nov 149.8 · Dec 174.4 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁶Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Japan: Ichinomiya ±0.7 °C. Elsewhere: Little Rock (United States) ±2.1 °C, Oklahoma City (United States) ±2.4 °C, Murfreesboro (United States) ±2.5 °C, Carrollton (United States) ±3.1 °C, Lewisville (United States) ±3.1 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in 荒川区?

The published population was 217,475 people in October 2020. Source: Japan 2020 Census municipality population table⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport89.2%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	10.16 km²	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2.⁵Official
Foreign residents	23,539 people	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row A2201: 住民基本台帳人口（外国人）.⁴Official
Population density	21,878 people/km²	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2.⁵Official
Population	217,475 people	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census municipality population table⁹Official

International community in Arakawa-ku

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Citizenship

Persons in the official 2020 Population Census Basic Complete Tabulation on Population and Households; sex-total population by source-native nationality category. · 2020

Published group	People	Share
Total	217,475	100.0%
Japanese	199,289	91.6%
Foreigner	16,814	7.7%
People's Republic of China	7,237	3.3%
Republic of Korea	4,686	2.2%
Others	1,409	0.6%
Nationality not reported	1,372	0.6%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	1,296	0.6%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	1,005	0.5%
Republic of the Philippines	519	0.2%
United States of America	176	0.1%

Show 6 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Kingdom of Thailand	146	0.1%
India	123	0.1%
Republic of Indonesia	97	0.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	74	0.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil	32	0.0%
Republic of Peru	14	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median age	44.9 years	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census municipality median age table⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Arakawa-ku

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Nishi-ku (Sapporo) as an Arakawa-ku alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Rent: €7.53/m² Nishi-ku (Sapporo) vs €15.07/m² Arakawa-ku−50%
Annual PM2.5: 6.0 µg/m³ Nishi-ku (Sapporo) vs 9.8 µg/m³ Arakawa-ku−39%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 524 Nishi-ku (Sapporo) vs 653 Arakawa-kuno percentage
Unemployment: 4.3% Nishi-ku (Sapporo) vs 3.8% Arakawa-ku+13%
Residents: 217,040 Nishi-ku (Sapporo) vs 217,475 Arakawa-ku−0%

Full comparison More about Nishi-ku (Sapporo)

Alternative cities in Japan

Other cities in Japan to compare with Arakawa-ku, nearest in population first.

All Japan cities

Nishi-ku (Sapporo)217,040 residents Tarumi-ku (Kobe)215,302 residents Konan-ku (Yokohama)215,248 residents Hachinohe215,080 residents Nagareyama214,972 residents Nakagawa-ku (Nagoya)220,728 residents

How does Arakawa-ku compare?

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Open the full comparison

Arakawa-ku in rankings

#12 of 30 in Most densely populated cities

Put Arakawa-ku's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in 荒川区?

The published population was 217,475 people in October 2020. Source: Japan 2020 Census municipality population table.

How much does it cost to rent in 荒川区?

Average net cold rent is about 15.07 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 1,055 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in 荒川区?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.8 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 荒川区.

How safe is 荒川区?

Police recorded about 653 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025).

What is the unemployment rate in 荒川区?

The unemployment rate is 3.8 % (October 2020). Source: Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality.

What is the typical salary around Arakawa-ku?

The median gross salary is 370.1 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Arakawa-ku a good place to live?

Arakawa-ku may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people are in the Japanese citizenship group in Arakawa-ku?

The official citizenship distribution records 199,289 people (91.6%) in the source-defined population for 2020. This is a citizenship measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Arakawa-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 89e620d661d3a82c63eb24856143c347]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/arakawaku/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_arakawa-ku-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_2b76410cc1c7,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Arakawa-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {89e620d661d3a82c63eb24856143c347},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/arakawaku/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Arakawa-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/arakawaku/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 89e620d661d3a82c63eb24856143c347; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025) keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp · checked 2026-10-08
docomo mini 10GB docomo.ne.jp · checked 2026-09-15
e-Stat / Statistics Bureau of Japan 2020 Population Census table 44-1 nationality e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-01
Exact e-Stat municipality row A2201: 住民基本台帳人口（外国人）. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Exact e-Stat municipality row I6100 (医師数), derived with the exact same-JIS e-Stat A2301 total resident population row. No prefecture or parent-area value is used. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan 2020 Census municipality median age table e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan 2020 Census municipality population table e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13

Show 8 more sources

Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127 e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 荒川区 MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 · env.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet flets.com · checked 2026-09-15
Unique direct scheduled destination endpoints for the nearest scheduled-service airport in the complete 97-airport MLIT universe; domestic endpoints come from the official 2024 annual route table and international endpoints from the official 2024 summer and winter direct scheduled-flight tables. mlit.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.