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Living in Hikone

In Hikone, rents across existing tenancies average €7.43 per m² a month (2023).

An unemployment rate of 3.29% was measured at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-2432 sources

Population110,489people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total
Median gross salary (region)307.7EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Average net rent7.43EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 19% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Unemployment rate3.29%country median 3.8% — 13% belowOfficial source · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)
Recorded crime738.3incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-25-Shiga-2025
PM2.5, annual mean8.8µg/m³country median 8.4 — 5% aboveOfficial source · MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 彦根市

Pricier rent than 74% of Japanese cities that publish it and lower unemployment than 74% of Japanese cities that publish it.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Hikone?

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

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 Hikone?

Average net cold rent is about 7.43 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): 7.43 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp15
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Hikone recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32
Mobile plan, 10 GB€22
Net rent across major citiesHikone highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Hikone highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36
Yokohama€11.97
Osaka€10.65
Kyoto€10.46
Sapporo€7.56
Hikone€7.43
Show the other 6 cities
Saitama€10.37
Fukuoka€9.00
Kobe€8.87
Sendai€8.85
Nagoya€8.81
Hiroshima€8.38
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited31.61 EUR/month30 Sept 2026ドコモ光 月額料金 — NTTドコモ17Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB21.56 EUR/month30 Sept 2026docomo mini 10GB3Official · national market
Housing vacancy rate14.81 %31 Oct 20232023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status1Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.43 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.2731 Dec 2023www.e-stat.go.jp15Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)327 EUR/month31 Oct 2023Housing and Land Survey 2023, Table 112-3-2: Monthly Rent of Dwelling by Type of Dwelling — Japan, prefecture, shi, ku, machi and mura5Official

Is Hikone 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 worker55%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 47–63%
Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on education · range 54–70%
Student56%strong on safety, weak on education · range 47–65%
Family65%strong on family, weak on education · range 57–73%
Retirement55%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 46–64%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 446 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 7.43 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 Hikone?

The unemployment rate is about 3.3 % (October 2020).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.29 % · 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)21
Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Hikone is 3.3%. Of 1,816 cities with data, 818 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median gross salary (regional)307.7 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.e-stat.go.jp16Official
Unemployment rate3.29 %country median 3.8%31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表)21Official

What does a salary buy in Hikone?

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

regional median gross pay: €308 (e-stat.go.jp, 2024-12-31).
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€7.43/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31− €446
Internet€32 · official · ドコモ光 月額料金 · 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 Hikone Salary needed to live in Hikone

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Hikone. 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

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents7.93 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20246Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents792.9 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20246Official
Hospitals3 count1 Jun 2026医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV18Official
Pharmacies61 count1 Jun 2026医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV19Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents1.75 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20247Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents174.6 per 100,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20247Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Hikone 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
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents792.9 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-09-16
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Hikone?

Police recorded about 738 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: 738.3 incidents per 100,000 · JP-25-Shiga-20259
MetricValuePeriodSource
Burglaries per 100,000 residents42.24 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-25-Shiga-20259Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents738.3 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-25-Shiga-20259Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents49.28 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-25-Shiga-20259Official

Mobility and administration

Hikone's nearest airport was NKM, 61 km away and offered 6 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport6 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights11Official
Destinations from nearest airport9 count2024Unique 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.14Official
Distance to the nearest major airport61 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)NKM3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Hikone. 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
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Hikone.

Find courses near Hikone

Climate and air quality

Hikone's monthly mean temperatures were 3.9°C in January and 26.1°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 112 mm in January and 219 mm in July. Average monthly sunshine totalled 99.8 hours in January and 169.8 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Hikone?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.8 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 — 彦根市10

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
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

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 Hikone is 8.8 µg/m³. Of 804 cities with data, 209 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean8.8 µg/m³country median 8.431 Mar 2024MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 彦根市10Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 7.1 · Feb 7.7 · Mar 11.6 · Apr 17.4 · May 22.6 · Jun 26 · Jul 30.2 · Aug 32.1 · Sep 27.6 · Oct 21.8 · Nov 15.6 · Dec 9.9 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根8Official · parent municipality
Average night-time low by monthJan 1 · Feb 1 · Mar 3.5 · Apr 8.1 · May 13.5 · Jun 18.4 · Jul 22.9 · Aug 24.1 · Sep 20.2 · Oct 14 · Nov 8 · Dec 3.2 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根8Official · parent municipality
Average temperature by monthJan 3.9 · Feb 4.2 · Mar 7.3 · Apr 12.4 · May 17.6 · Jun 21.8 · Jul 26.1 · Aug 27.5 · Sep 23.6 · Oct 17.7 · Nov 11.7 · Dec 6.5 °C31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根8Official · parent municipality
Average precipitation by monthJan 112 · Feb 99.6 · Mar 114.9 · Apr 117.3 · May 146.9 · Jun 175.6 · Jul 219 · Aug 124.6 · Sep 167.7 · Oct 140.7 · Nov 85.8 · Dec 105.9 mm31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根8Official · parent municipality
Average sunshine by monthJan 99.8 · Feb 115.6 · Mar 162.6 · Apr 183.8 · May 197.3 · Jun 154.4 · Jul 169.8 · Aug 213 · Sep 162.9 · Oct 163 · Nov 134.6 · Dec 106.4 hours31 Dec 2020JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根8Official · parent municipality

Population and city profile

At the end of 2020, the population density reached 577.3 people per km².

How many people live in Hikone?

The published population was 110,489 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total13

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area196.9 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)20Official
Foreign-resident share3.86 %3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)23Official
Foreign residents4,269 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)23Official
Population density577.3 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)22Official
Population110,489 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total13Official

International community in Hikone

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 groupPeopleShare
Total113,647100.0%
Japanese109,85996.7%
Foreigner2,2742.0%
Nationality not reported1,5141.3%
People's Republic of China4570.4%
Federative Republic of Brazil4450.4%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam3960.3%
Republic of the Philippines3660.3%
Others2880.3%
Republic of Korea1730.2%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal470.0%
Show 6 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Republic of Peru330.0%
Republic of Indonesia260.0%
United States of America240.0%
Kingdom of Thailand70.0%
India60.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland60.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source4

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median age48.3 years31 Dec 20262026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)2Official

Alternatives for people set on Hikone

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.

Nagahama as a Hikone alternative in the same region

12 km away, better on 6 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Rent: €6.37/m² Nagahama vs €7.43/m² Hikone−14%
  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,207.7 Nagahama vs 792.9 Hikone+52%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 616 Nagahama vs 738 Hikone−17%
  • Empty flats: 18.5% Nagahama vs 14.8% Hikone+25%
  • Median gross pay, region: €277 Nagahama vs €308 Hikone−10%
  • Unemployment: 3.1% Nagahama vs 3.3% Hikone−5%
  • Annual PM2.5: 8.5 µg/m³ Nagahama vs 8.8 µg/m³ Hikone−3%

Beppu as a Hikone alternative in the same country

Better on 5 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 3,114.4 Beppu vs 792.9 Hikone+293%
  • Unemployment: 4.8% Beppu vs 3.3% Hikone+47%
  • Rent: €5.86/m² Beppu vs €7.43/m² Hikone−21%
  • Empty flats: 21.7% Beppu vs 14.8% Hikone+47%
  • Foreign residents: 5.3% Beppu vs 3.9% Hikone+37%
  • Median gross pay, region: €265 Beppu vs €308 Hikone−14%
  • Annual PM2.5: 6.4 µg/m³ Beppu vs 8.8 µg/m³ Hikone−27%

Cities near Hikone

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Maibara 5.4 km away
Rent
6.6 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Nagahama 12.0 km away
Rent
6.37 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Aisho-cho 12.5 km away
Rent
6.93 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Higashiomi 18.6 km away
Rent
6.59 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

Other cities in Japan to compare with Hikone, nearest in population first.

All Japan cities

How does Hikone compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Hikone's.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Hikone?

The published population was 110,489 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total.

How much does it cost to rent in Hikone?

Average net cold rent is about 7.43 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 520 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Hikone?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.8 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 — 彦根市.

How safe is Hikone?

Police recorded about 738 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: JP-25-Shiga-2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Hikone?

The unemployment rate is about 3.3 % (October 2020). Source: 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表).

What is the typical salary around Hikone?

The median gross salary is 307.7 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Hikone a good place to live?

Hikone 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.

Which cities are near Hikone?

Maibara, Taga-cho, Kora-cho, Toyosato-cho, Nagahama are near Hikone. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people are in the Japanese citizenship group in Hikone?

The official citizenship distribution records 109,859 people (96.7%) 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). Hikone, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 4ca025c8f1bba0374ef7a506857d20c1]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/hikone/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_hikone-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_ed6faa55b725,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Hikone, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {4ca025c8f1bba0374ef7a506857d20c1},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/hikone/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Hikone, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/hikone/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 4ca025c8f1bba0374ef7a506857d20c1; 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
  1. 2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-17
  2. 2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-24
  3. docomo mini 10GB docomo.ne.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  4. e-Stat / Statistics Bureau of Japan 2020 Population Census table 44-1 nationality e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-01
  5. Housing and Land Survey 2023, Table 112-3-2: Monthly Rent of Dwelling by Type of Dwelling — Japan, prefecture, shi, ku, machi and mura Housing and Land Survey 2023, Table 112-3-2: Monthly Rent of Dwelling by Type of Dwelling · e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-12
  6. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  7. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  8. JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 彦根 JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
  9. JP-25-Shiga-2025 pref.shiga.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  10. MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 彦根市 MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 · env.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
Show 22 more sources
  1. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  2. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  4. 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
  5. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  6. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  7. ドコモ光 月額料金 — NTTドコモ ドコモ光 月額料金 · docomo.ne.jp · checked 2026-09-19
  8. 医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  9. 医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  10. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  11. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 就業状態等基本集計 第1-2表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  12. 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  13. 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民) soumu.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  14. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  15. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1346747 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  16. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1346806 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  17. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1354747 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  18. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q240891 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  19. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q386635 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  20. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q824020 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  21. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q844130 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  22. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q937037 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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.