Living in Jōetsu

In Jōetsu, rents across existing tenancies average €6.72 per m² a month (2023).

Jōetsu's unemployment stood at 2.92% at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-2424 sources

Population180,440people31 Dec 2024Official source · e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 — A2301 住民基本台帳人口（総数）, 調査年 2024年度

Median gross salary (region)269.7EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent6.72EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 7% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate2.93%country median 3.8% — 22% 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 crime418incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-15-Niigata-2025

PM2.5, annual mean8.9µg/m³country median 8.4 — 6% aboveOfficial source · MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 上越市

Lower unemployment than 86% of Japanese cities that publish it and dirtier air than 61% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Jōetsu.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 Jōetsu?

Average net cold rent is about 6.72 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): 6.72 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Net rent across major citiesJōetsu highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Kyoto€10.46

Sapporo€7.56

Jōetsu€6.72

Show the other 6 cities

Saitama€10.37

Fukuoka€9.00

Kobe€8.87

Sendai€8.85

Nagoya€8.81

Hiroshima€8.38

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	31.61 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	ドコモ光月額料金 — NTTドコモ¹⁶Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB³Official · national market
Housing vacancy rate	13.4 %	31 Oct 2023	2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status¹Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	6.72 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	307.8 EUR/month	31 Oct 2023	Housing and Land Survey 2023, Table 112-3-2: Monthly Rent of Dwelling by Type of Dwelling — Japan, prefecture, shi, ku, machi and mura⁶Official

Is Jōetsu 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 worker58%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 50–66%

Skilled employee70%strong on work, weak on safety · range 62–78%

Student70%strong on education, weak on work · range 63–77%

Family78%strong on family, weak on cost · range 71–85%

Retirement59%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 50–68%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 403 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 6.72 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 Jōetsu?

The unemployment rate is about 2.9 % (October 2020).

Unemployment rate: 2.93 % · 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)²⁰

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Jōetsu is 2.9%. 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

Jōetsu 2.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	269.7 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁵Official
Unemployment rate	2.93 %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)²⁰Official

What does a salary buy in Jōetsu?

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€6.72/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €403
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 Jōetsu Salary needed to live in Jōetsu

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Jōetsu. 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 Jōetsu. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	87 schools	1 May 2024	MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127¹⁰Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	13.11 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁷Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	1,311 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁷Official
Hospitals	9 count	1 Jun 2026	医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV¹⁷Official
Pharmacies	110 count	1 Jun 2026	医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV¹⁸Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	2.2 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁸Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	220.3 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁸Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Jōetsu 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 residents1,311 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-09-16

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Jōetsu?

Police recorded about 418 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-15-Niigata-2025⁹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	418 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	JP-15-Niigata-2025⁹Official

Mobility and administration

Jōetsu was 103 km from its nearest major airport.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	5 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.¹³Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	103 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	SDS	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Jōetsu. 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 Jōetsu.

Find courses near Jōetsu

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Jōetsu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.9 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 — 上越市¹¹

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

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

PM2.58.9WHO 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 Jōetsu is 8.9 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

Jōetsu 8.9

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.9 µg/m³country median 8.4	31 Mar 2024	MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 上越市¹¹Official

Population and city profile

At the end of 2020, the population density reached 193.1 people per km².

How many people live in Jōetsu?

The published population was 180,440 people in 2024. Source: e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 — A2301 住民基本台帳人口（総数）, 調査年 2024年度⁵

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport98.6%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	973.9 km²	3 Aug 2026	国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)¹⁹Official
Foreign-resident share	1.45 %	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)²²Official
Foreign residents	2,577 people	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)²²Official
Population density	193.1 people/km²	31 Dec 2020	総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)²¹Official
Population	180,440 people	31 Dec 2024	e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 — A2301 住民基本台帳人口（総数）, 調査年 2024年度⁵Official

International community in Jōetsu

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	188,047	100.0%
Japanese	185,027	98.4%
Nationality not reported	1,513	0.8%
Foreigner	1,507	0.8%
Republic of the Philippines	542	0.3%
People's Republic of China	305	0.2%
Others	183	0.1%
Republic of Korea	178	0.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	143	0.1%
Kingdom of Thailand	40	0.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil	37	0.0%

Show 5 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Republic of Peru	29	0.0%
Republic of Indonesia	18	0.0%
United States of America	17	0.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	10	0.0%
India	5	0.0%

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

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median age	53.3 years	31 Dec 2026	2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)²Official

Alternatives for people set on Jōetsu

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.

Nagano as a Jōetsu alternative in the same region

56 km away, better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 362,609 Nagano vs 180,440 Jōetsu+101%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 462 Nagano vs 418 Jōetsuno percentage
Annual PM2.5: 7.0 µg/m³ Nagano vs 8.9 µg/m³ Jōetsu−21%
Median gross pay, region: €298 Nagano vs €270 Jōetsu+10%
Empty flats: 15.4% Nagano vs 13.4% Jōetsu+15%
Unemployment: 3.1% Nagano vs 2.9% Jōetsu+7%
Rent: €6.93/m² Nagano vs €6.72/m² Jōetsu+3%

Full comparison More about Nagano

Kofu as a Jōetsu alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 168 km, better on 5 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Foreign residents: 4.3% Kofu vs 1.4% Jōetsu+197%
Unemployment: 3.7% Kofu vs 2.9% Jōetsu+27%
Annual PM2.5: 5.6 µg/m³ Kofu vs 8.9 µg/m³ Jōetsu−37%
Empty flats: 18.1% Kofu vs 13.4% Jōetsu+35%
Median gross pay, region: €311 Kofu vs €270 Jōetsu+16%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,788.2 Kofu vs 1,311.0 Jōetsu+36%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 416 Kofu vs 418 Jōetsuno percentage

Full comparison More about Kofu

Cities near Jōetsu

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

Myoko 13.7 km away

Rent: 4.58 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

Chuo-ku (Niigata)180,345 residents Asao-ku (Kawasaki)180,705 residents Tottori-shi179,215 residents Tottori179,215 residents Izumi182,481 residents Uji178,294 residents

How does Jōetsu compare?

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

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Put Jōetsu'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 Jōetsu?

The published population was 180,440 people in 2024. Source: e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 — A2301 住民基本台帳人口（総数）, 調査年 2024年度.

How much does it cost to rent in Jōetsu?

Average net cold rent is about 6.72 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 470 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Jōetsu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.9 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 — 上越市.

How safe is Jōetsu?

Police recorded about 418 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-15-Niigata-2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Jōetsu?

The unemployment rate is about 2.9 % (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 Jōetsu?

The median gross salary is 269.7 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Jōetsu a good place to live?

Jōetsu 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 Jōetsu?

Myoko is near Jōetsu. 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 Jōetsu?

The official citizenship distribution records 185,027 people (98.4%) 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). Jōetsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version edd45836239b927d1ad7e2107b2ea22f]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/joetsu/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_joetsu-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_8197c649bd82,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Jōetsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {edd45836239b927d1ad7e2107b2ea22f},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/joetsu/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Jōetsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/joetsu/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version edd45836239b927d1ad7e2107b2ea22f; 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

2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-17
2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents) e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-24
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
e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 — A2301 住民基本台帳人口（総数）, 調査年 2024年度 e-Stat 社会・人口統計体系市区町村データ基礎データ（オリジナル）0000020101 · e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-18
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
Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
JP-15-Niigata-2025 pref.niigata.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-15
MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127 e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16

Show 14 more sources

MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 上越市 MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 · env.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
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
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
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
医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
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
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
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
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q279642 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q582289 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.