Living in Karatsu

In Karatsu, rents across existing tenancies average €5.01 per m² a month (2023).

At the end of 2020, unemployment in Karatsu reached 3.92%.

Last checked 2026-09-2427 sources

Population113,890people31 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)256.6EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent5.01EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 20% belowOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate3.92%country median 3.8% — 4% aboveOfficial 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 crime528.2incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Regional figureOfficial source · 令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2

PM2.5, annual mean9.1µg/m³country median 8.4 — 8% aboveOfficial source · MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 唐津市

Cheaper rent than 75% of Japanese cities that publish it and dirtier air than 65% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Karatsu.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 Karatsu?

Average net cold rent is about 5.01 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): 5.01 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹³

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Net rent across major citiesKaratsu highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Kyoto€10.46

Sapporo€7.56

Karatsu€5.01

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¹⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB³Official · national market
Housing vacancy rate	14.79 %	31 Oct 2023	2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status¹Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	5.01 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹³Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	284.8 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 Karatsu 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 worker56%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 47–65%

Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on education · range 53–71%

Student58%strong on cost, weak on education · range 48–68%

Family63%strong on family, weak on education · range 53–73%

Retirement56%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 46–66%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 300 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 5.01 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 Karatsu?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (October 2020).

Unemployment rate: 3.92 % · 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 Karatsu is 3.9%. 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

Karatsu 3.9%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	256.6 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴Official
Unemployment rate	3.92 %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 Karatsu?

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€5.01/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €300
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 Karatsu Salary needed to live in Karatsu

Public employment service

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

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	16.19 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁷Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents	1,619 beds per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁷Official
Hospitals	15 count	1 Jun 2026	医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV¹⁷Official
Pharmacies	71 count	1 Jun 2026	医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV¹⁸Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	2.53 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁸Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	252.9 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁸Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Karatsu 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 residents1,619 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-09-16

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	528.2 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2¹⁶Official · regional context

Mobility and administration

Karatsu's nearest airport was IKI, 38 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹⁰Official
Destinations from nearest airport	1 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.¹²Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	38 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	IKI	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹¹Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Karatsu

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Karatsu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.1 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 — 唐津市⁹

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

PM2.59.1WHO 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 Karatsu is 9.1 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

Karatsu 9.1

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	9.1 µg/m³country median 8.4	31 Mar 2024	MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 唐津市⁹Official

Population and city profile

The city recorded a population density of 240.7 people per km² at the end of 2020.

How many people live in Karatsu?

The published population was 113,890 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 passport98.9%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	487.6 km²	3 Aug 2026	国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)¹⁹Official
Foreign-resident share	1.14 %	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	1,276 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	240.7 people/km²	31 Dec 2020	総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)²¹Official
Population	113,890 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 Karatsu

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	117,373	100.0%
Japanese	116,391	99.2%
Foreigner	722	0.6%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	346	0.3%
Nationality not reported	260	0.2%
People's Republic of China	166	0.1%
Republic of Korea	65	0.1%
Republic of the Philippines	55	0.0%
Others	44	0.0%
United States of America	13	0.0%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	11	0.0%

Show 6 more groups

Published group	People	Share
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	8	0.0%
Republic of Indonesia	6	0.0%
Kingdom of Thailand	3	0.0%
India	3	0.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil	1	0.0%
Republic of Peru	1	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	52.5 years	31 Dec 2026	2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)²Official

Alternatives for people set on Karatsu

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.

Sasebo as a Karatsu alternative in the same region

38 km away, better on 5 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Recorded crime, per 100k: 336 Sasebo vs 528 Karatsu−36%
Rent: €5.88/m² Sasebo vs €5.01/m² Karatsu+17%
Residents: 233,507 Sasebo vs 113,890 Karatsu+105%
Empty flats: 18.1% Sasebo vs 14.8% Karatsu+23%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,869.5 Sasebo vs 1,619.4 Karatsu+15%
Foreign residents: 1.3% Sasebo vs 1.1% Karatsu+13%
Median gross pay, region: €266 Sasebo vs €257 Karatsu+4%

Full comparison More about Sasebo

Niihama as a Karatsu alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 312 km, better on 5 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

Empty flats: 22.5% Niihama vs 14.8% Karatsu+52%
Foreign residents: 1.8% Niihama vs 1.1% Karatsu+58%
Rent: €5.63/m² Niihama vs €5.01/m² Karatsu+12%
Annual PM2.5: 11.9 µg/m³ Niihama vs 9.1 µg/m³ Karatsu+30%
Unemployment: 3.3% Niihama vs 3.9% Karatsu−17%
Median gross pay, region: €289 Niihama vs €257 Karatsu+12%
Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,889.2 Niihama vs 1,619.4 Karatsu+17%

Full comparison More about Niihama

Cities near Karatsu

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

Imari 22.2 km away

Rent: 5.13 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Taku 22.3 km away

Rent: 3.51 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Itoshima 24.2 km away

Rent: 6.09 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

Nobeoka113,936 residents Fujimi113,404 residents Tōkai113,281 residents Fujimino114,559 residents Sano112,988 residents Kuroiso114,896 residents

How does Karatsu compare?

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Put Karatsu'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 Karatsu?

The published population was 113,890 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 Karatsu?

Average net cold rent is about 5.01 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 350 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Karatsu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 9.1 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 — 唐津市.

What is the unemployment rate in Karatsu?

The unemployment rate is about 3.9 % (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 Karatsu?

The median gross salary is 256.6 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Karatsu a good place to live?

Karatsu 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 Karatsu?

Imari, Taku, Itoshima, Maebaru-chūō are near Karatsu. 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 Karatsu?

The official citizenship distribution records 116,391 people (99.2%) 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). Karatsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 56da04b265946a12bd295792a62d611b]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/karatsu/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_karatsu-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_115f77064a28,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Karatsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {56da04b265946a12bd295792a62d611b},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/karatsu/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Karatsu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/karatsu/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 56da04b265946a12bd295792a62d611b; 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
MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 唐津市 MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 · env.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03

Show 17 more sources

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
令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2 npa.go.jp · checked 2026-09-23
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
Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1011145 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q738275 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q857266 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q877177 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

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