Living in Kitakyushu

In Kitakyushu, rents across existing tenancies average €6.71 per m² a month (2023).

The unemployment rate was 4.45% at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-2422 sources

Population913,577people31 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)301.3EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent6.71EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 7% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate4.45%country median 3.8% — 18% 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 crime718.1incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-40-Fukuoka-2025

PM2.5, annual mean10.41µg/m³country median 8.4 — 24% aboveOfficial source · NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023

Higher unemployment than 78% of Japanese cities that publish it and dirtier air than 90% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Kitakyushu.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 Kitakyushu?

Average net cold rent is about 6.71 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): 6.71 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴

What recurs every month4 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Utilities, 85 m² flat€199

Private kindergarten€105

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten. The others are published prices.

Net rent across major citiesKitakyushu highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Kyoto€10.46

Sapporo€7.56

Kitakyushu€6.71

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	32.03 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet¹⁰Official · national market
Private kindergarten, monthly	105.5 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	5.63 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB³Official · national market
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	199.2 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2²²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Housing vacancy rate	15.97 %	31 Oct 2023	2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status¹Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	6.71 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)	299.4 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 Kitakyushu 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 worker59%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 51–67%

Skilled employee66%strong on work, weak on education · range 58–74%

Student61%strong on cost, weak on education · range 52–70%

Family68%strong on family, weak on education · range 60–76%

Retirement58%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 49–67%

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 6.71 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 Kitakyushu?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (October 2020).

Unemployment rate: 4.45 % · 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)¹⁹

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Kitakyushu is 4.5%. 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

Kitakyushu 4.5%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public employment offices	2 count	15 Sept 2026	MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list⁸Official
Median gross salary (regional)	301.3 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁵Official
Unemployment rate	4.45 %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)¹⁹Official

What does a salary buy in Kitakyushu?

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
Utilities
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€6.71/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €403
Public transport passnot published for this city	—
Utilities, 85 m²€199 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €199
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
Left overbefore the bill this city does not publish	—

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

Public employment offices in Kitakyushu

MHLW lists 2 public employment offices in Kitakyushu (checked 2026-09-16). Use the official office finder for addresses and appointments; registration and job search are also available online through the national service below.

Office count verified

Hello Work — Public employment service

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan

Job Search

Search jobs

Open the Japan service overview

The office count comes from the service's own directory. Individual addresses and opening hours are not listed here yet. Sources checked through 16 Sept 2026.

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
GP practices	452 count	1 Jun 2026	医療情報ネット clinics facility and specialty CSV 2026-06-01¹⁷Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	382.5 per 100,000	31 Dec 2024	令和6年医師・歯科医師・薬剤師統計医師第22表¹⁶Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Kitakyushu 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

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Kitakyushu?

Police recorded about 718 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: 718.1 incidents per 100,000 · JP-40-Fukuoka-2025⁷

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Burglaries per 100,000 residents	12.67 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	JP-40-Fukuoka-2025⁷Official
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	718.1 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	JP-40-Fukuoka-2025⁷Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents	63.68 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	JP-40-Fukuoka-2025⁷Official

Mobility and administration

Kitakyushu's nearest airport was KKJ, 17 km away and offered 1 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	1 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹¹Official
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	17 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	KKJ	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹²Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Kitakyushu

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Kitakyushu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.4 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

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

PM2.5 — annual mean: 10.41 µg/m³ · NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023⁹

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

PM2.510.4WHO 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 Kitakyushu is 10.4 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

Kitakyushu 10.4

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	10.41 µg/m³country median 8.4	31 Dec 2023	NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023⁹Official

Population and city profile

Kitakyushu had a population density of 1,909.8 people per km² at the end of 2020.

How many people live in Kitakyushu?

The published population was 913,577 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%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	492.3 km²	3 Aug 2026	国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)¹⁸Official
Foreign-resident share	2.05 %	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)²¹Official
Foreign residents	18,574 people	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)²¹Official
Population density	1,910 people/km²	31 Dec 2020	総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)²⁰Official
Population	913,577 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 Kitakyushu

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	939,029	100.0%
Japanese	898,013	95.6%
Nationality not reported	30,201	3.2%
Foreigner	10,815	1.2%
Republic of Korea	3,388	0.4%
Others	3,134	0.3%
People's Republic of China	1,935	0.2%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	1,243	0.1%
Republic of the Philippines	405	0.0%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	235	0.0%
Republic of Indonesia	192	0.0%

Show 6 more groups

Published group	People	Share
United States of America	111	0.0%
Kingdom of Thailand	62	0.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	52	0.0%
India	41	0.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil	15	0.0%
Republic of Peru	2	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	51.4 years	31 Dec 2026	2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)²Official

Alternatives for people set on Kitakyushu

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.

Hamamatsu as a Kitakyushu alternative in the same country

Better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Foreign residents: 4.0% Hamamatsu vs 2.1% Kitakyushu+95%
Rent: €7.41/m² Hamamatsu vs €6.71/m² Kitakyushu+10%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 471 Hamamatsu vs 718 Kitakyushuno percentage
Unemployment: 3.8% Hamamatsu vs 4.4% Kitakyushu−13%
Empty flats: 12.8% Hamamatsu vs 16.0% Kitakyushu−20%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €144 Hamamatsu vs €199 Kitakyushu−28%
A meal out: €5 Hamamatsu vs €6 Kitakyushu−19%

Full comparison More about Hamamatsu

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

Setagaya-ku943,664 residents Chiba986,605 residents Sakai809,032 residents Sendai1,063,198 residents Hamamatsu778,346 residents Ōta759,409 residents

How does Kitakyushu compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Kitakyushu in rankings

#15 of 30 in Largest cities in Japan

Put Kitakyushu'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 Kitakyushu?

The published population was 913,577 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 Kitakyushu?

Average net cold rent is about 6.71 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 Kitakyushu?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 10.4 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023.

How safe is Kitakyushu?

Police recorded about 718 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-40-Fukuoka-2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Kitakyushu?

The unemployment rate is about 4.4 % (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 Kitakyushu?

The median gross salary is 301.3 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Kitakyushu a good place to live?

Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu?

The official citizenship distribution records 898,013 people (95.6%) 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). Kitakyushu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e803251217d6c77f97f54596af4debb9]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/kitakyushu/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_kitakyushu-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_ce8590c8e405,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Kitakyushu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {e803251217d6c77f97f54596af4debb9},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/kitakyushu/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Kitakyushu, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/kitakyushu/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e803251217d6c77f97f54596af4debb9; 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
JP-40-Fukuoka-2025 police.pref.fukuoka.jp · checked 2026-09-15
MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list MHLW · mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023 gis.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-09-23
NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet flets.com · checked 2026-09-15

Show 12 more sources

OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
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
令和6年医師・歯科医師・薬剤師統計医師第22表 e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-16
医療情報ネット clinics facility and specialty CSV 2026-06-01 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-18
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
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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