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Living in Niigata

In Niigata, rents across existing tenancies average €7.26 per m² a month (2023).

At the end of 2020, unemployment in Niigata reached 3.89%. Niigata had a population density of 1,086.8 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-2428 sources

Population755,462people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026
Median gross salary (region)282.4EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Average net rent7.26EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 16% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Unemployment rate3.89%country median 3.8% — 3% 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 crime559incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-15-Niigata-2025
PM2.5, annual mean7.8µg/m³country median 8.4 — 7% belowOfficial source · tenbou.nies.go.jp

Pricier rent than 71% of Japanese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 66% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Niigata?

Average net cold rent is about 7.26 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): 7.26 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp16
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Niigata recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Utilities, 85 m² flat€162
Private kindergarten€105
Fitness club€69
Transport pass€56
Internet, 60 Mbps€32
Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

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

Net rent across major citiesNiigata highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Niigata highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36
Yokohama€11.97
Osaka€10.65
Kyoto€10.46
Sapporo€7.56
Niigata€7.26
Show the other 6 cities
Saitama€10.37
Fukuoka€9.00
Kobe€8.87
Sendai€8.85
Nagoya€8.81
Hiroshima€8.38
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly68.9 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v225Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited32.03 EUR/month30 Sept 2026NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet9Official · national market
Private kindergarten, monthly105.5 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v225Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant5.63 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v225Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB21.56 EUR/month30 Sept 2026docomo mini 10GB3Official · national market
Monthly transport pass56.25 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v225Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home161.7 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v225Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Housing vacancy rate13.12 %31 Oct 20232023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status1Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.26 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.2731 Dec 2023www.e-stat.go.jp16Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)326.4 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 Niigata 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 worker62%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 54–70%
Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on safety · range 55–71%
Student54%strong on education, weak on work · range 47–61%
Family62%strong on family, weak on legal route · range 55–69%
Retirement63%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 54–72%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 435 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 7.26 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 Niigata?

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

  • Unemployment rate: 3.89 % · 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 Niigata is 3.9%. Of 1,816 cities with data, 818 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public employment offices3 count15 Sept 2026MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list8Official
Median gross salary (regional)282.4 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.e-stat.go.jp17Official
Unemployment rate3.89 %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 Niigata?

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

regional median gross pay: €282 (e-stat.go.jp, 2024-12-31).
Left over each month€0of €0 take-home
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Transport
  • 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€7.26/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31− €435
Public transport pass€56 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €56
Utilities, 85 m²€162 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31− €162
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 over—
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Niigata Salary needed to live in Niigata

Public employment offices in Niigata

MHLW lists 3 public employment offices in Niigata (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

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.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public language course providers1 count31 Dec 2025Want to Study Japanese — Niigata City15Official

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents314.8 per 100,00031 Dec 2024令和6年医師・歯科医師・薬剤師統計 医師 第22表18Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Niigata 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 Niigata?

Police recorded about 559 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-20257

MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents559 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-15-Niigata-20257Official

Mobility and administration

Niigata's nearest airport was KIJ, 7 km away and offered 10 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport10 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights10Official
Destinations from nearest airport13 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 airport7 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)KIJ3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Language courses and integration in Niigata

Want to Study Japanese lists 1 publicly funded course provider in Niigata (checked 2026-09-16). Their individual addresses are not listed here yet; the national programme below explains who can enrol and how.

Provider count verified

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 Niigata.

Find courses near Niigata

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Niigata?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.8 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: tenbou.nies.go.jp13

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 Niigata is 7.8 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 mean7.8 µg/m³country median 8.431 Dec 2023tenbou.nies.go.jp13Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 5.3 · Feb 6.4 · Mar 10.3 · Apr 16.1 · May 21.3 · Jun 24.8 · Jul 28.7 · Aug 30.8 · Sep 26.4 · Oct 20.7 · Nov 14.3 · Dec 8.7 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata6Official
Average night-time low by monthJan 0.1 · Feb -0.1 · Mar 2.4 · Apr 7 · May 12.7 · Jun 17.7 · Jul 21.8 · Aug 23.3 · Sep 19 · Oct 12.8 · Nov 6.9 · Dec 2.4 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata6Official
Average temperature by monthJan 2.5 · Feb 3.1 · Mar 6.2 · Apr 11.3 · May 16.7 · Jun 20.9 · Jul 24.9 · Aug 26.5 · Sep 22.5 · Oct 16.7 · Nov 10.5 · Dec 5.3 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata6Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 180.9 · Feb 115.8 · Mar 112 · Apr 97.2 · May 94.4 · Jun 121.1 · Jul 222.3 · Aug 163.4 · Sep 151.9 · Oct 157.7 · Nov 203.5 · Dec 225.9 mm31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata6Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 56.4 · Feb 74.3 · Mar 136.8 · Apr 177.7 · May 202.8 · Jun 179.2 · Jul 162.1 · Aug 205.2 · Sep 156.2 · Oct 138.2 · Nov 91.5 · Dec 62.9 hours31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata6Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Niigata?

The published population was 755,462 people in January 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 202612

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area726 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)19Official
Foreign-resident share1.06 %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 residents8,017 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)22Official
Population density1,087 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)21Official
Population755,462 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 202612Official

International community in Niigata

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
Total789,275100.0%
Japanese772,33797.9%
Nationality not reported12,2661.6%
Foreigner4,6720.6%
People's Republic of China1,4650.2%
Others8230.1%
Republic of Korea7690.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam6920.1%
Republic of the Philippines3310.0%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal1540.0%
United States of America1240.0%
Show 6 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Kingdom of Thailand1060.0%
Republic of Indonesia710.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil570.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland390.0%
India340.0%
Republic of Peru70.0%

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

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median age51.4 years31 Dec 20262026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)2Official

Alternatives for people set on Niigata

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.

Gosen as a Niigata alternative in the same region

22 km away, better on 3 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Rent: €4.20/m² Gosen vs €7.26/m² Niigata−42%
  • Median gross pay, region: €233 Gosen vs €282 Niigata−17%
  • Foreign residents: 1.5% Gosen vs 1.1% Niigata+40%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 463 Gosen vs 559 Niigatano percentage
  • Unemployment: 3.4% Gosen vs 3.9% Niigata−13%

Hamamatsu as a Niigata alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 371 km, better on 5 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Foreign residents: 4.0% Hamamatsu vs 1.1% Niigata+278%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 471 Hamamatsu vs 559 Niigatano percentage
  • Median gross pay, region: €311 Hamamatsu vs €282 Niigata+10%
  • A meal out: €5 Hamamatsu vs €6 Niigata−19%
  • Basic utilities, 85 m²: €144 Hamamatsu vs €162 Niigata−11%
  • Rent: €7.41/m² Hamamatsu vs €7.26/m² Niigatasame level
  • Annual PM2.5: 7.3 µg/m³ Hamamatsu vs 7.8 µg/m³ Niigata−6%

Cities near Niigata

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

Agano 20.2 km away
Rent
5.51 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Gosen 22.1 km away
Rent
4.2 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Kamo 24.7 km away
Rent
4.46 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

How does Niigata compare?

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

Niigata in rankings

Common questions

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

How many people live in Niigata?

The published population was 755,462 people in January 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026.

How much does it cost to rent in Niigata?

Average net cold rent is about 7.26 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 508 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Niigata?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.8 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: tenbou.nies.go.jp.

How safe is Niigata?

Police recorded about 559 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 Niigata?

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 Niigata?

The median gross salary is 282.4 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Niigata a good place to live?

Niigata 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 Niigata?

Maki, Agano, Gosen, Kamo are near Niigata. 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 Niigata?

The official citizenship distribution records 772,337 people (97.9%) 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). Niigata, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 1c369cf920d7144472115189678face5]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/niigata/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_niigata-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_4463d5a255ca,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Niigata, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {1c369cf920d7144472115189678face5},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/niigata/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Niigata, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/niigata/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 1c369cf920d7144472115189678face5; 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. JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Niigata JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
  7. JP-15-Niigata-2025 pref.niigata.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  8. MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list MHLW · mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  9. NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet flets.com · checked 2026-09-15
  10. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
Show 18 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey — Total, 1 January 2026 Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey · e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  3. tenbou.nies.go.jp tenbou.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-08-26
  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. Want to Study Japanese — Niigata City Want to Study Japanese · city.niigata.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-16
  6. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  7. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  8. 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
  9. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  14. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  15. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
  16. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q390466 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  17. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q857293 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  18. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q858364 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.