Living in Sapporo
In Sapporo, rents across existing tenancies average €7.56 per m² a month (2023).
Sapporo's unemployment stood at 4.65% at the end of 2020. Sapporo's population density measured 1,760 people per km² at the end of 2020.
Pricier rent than 75% of Japanese cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 84% of Japanese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 94% of Japanese cities that publish it.
Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Sapporo?
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 Sapporo?
Average net cold rent is about 7.56 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): 7.56 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp15
Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club. The others are published prices.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness club membership, monthly | 44.07 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 32.03 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet10Official · national market |
| Private kindergarten, monthly | 279.8 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | 7.73 EUR | 31 Dec 2022 | Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 21.56 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | docomo mini 10GB3Official · national market |
| Monthly transport pass | 140.6 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² home | 235.3 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context |
| Housing vacancy rate | 13.81 % | 31 Oct 2023 | 2023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status1Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 7.56 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 | 31 Dec 2023 | www.e-stat.go.jp15Official |
| Average monthly rent (whole dwelling) | 345.1 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 Sapporo 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.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 454 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 7.56 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.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Sapporo?
The unemployment rate is about 4.7 % (October 2020).
- Unemployment rate: 4.65 % · 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
Sapporo 4.7%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public employment offices | 3 count | 15 Sept 2026 | MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list9Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 302.8 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2024 | www.e-stat.go.jp16Official |
| Unemployment rate | 4.65 %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 Sapporo?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentUtilitiesTransportInternetMobile
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€7.56/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31 | − €454 |
| Public transport pass€141 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31 | − €141 |
| Utilities, 85 m²€235 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31 | − €235 |
| 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 bills this city does not publish | — |
Public employment offices in Sapporo
MHLW lists 3 public employment offices in Sapporo (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.
Hello Work — Public employment service
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
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public language course providers | 1 count | 31 Aug 2026 | Official public language-service provider/location register11Official |
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians per 100,000 residents | 355.6 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17Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sapporo 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 guideSafety
How safe is Sapporo?
Police recorded about 619 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: 618.7 incidents per 100,000 · JP-01-Hokkaido-20258
Mobility and administration
Sapporo's nearest major airport was 6 km away.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destinations from nearest airport | 12 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.14Official |
| Distance to the nearest major airport | 6 km | 3 Aug 2026 | OurAirports12Official |
| Nearest major airport (IATA code) | OKD | 3 Aug 2026 | OurAirports12Official |
Language courses and integration in Sapporo
1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.
Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation
MN Building, Kita 1 Nishi 3-3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0001 Japan
+81-11-211-2105
View official recordClimate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Sapporo?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.1 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.
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
hours
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Sapporo 6.1
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 — annual mean | 6.1 µg/m³country median 8.4 | 31 Dec 2023 | tenbou.nies.go.jp13Official |
| Average daytime high by month | Jan -0.4 · Feb 0.4 · Mar 4.5 · Apr 11.7 · May 17.9 · Jun 21.8 · Jul 25.4 · Aug 26.4 · Sep 22.8 · Oct 16.4 · Nov 8.7 · Dec 2 °C | 31 Dec 2020 | JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan -6.4 · Feb -6.2 · Mar -2.4 · Apr 3.4 · May 9 · Jun 13.4 · Jul 17.9 · Aug 19.1 · Sep 14.8 · Oct 8 · Nov 1.6 · Dec -4 °C | 31 Dec 2020 | JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official |
| Average temperature by month | Jan -3.2 · Feb -2.7 · Mar 1.1 · Apr 7.3 · May 13 · Jun 17 · Jul 21.1 · Aug 22.3 · Sep 18.6 · Oct 12.1 · Nov 5.2 · Dec -0.9 °C | 31 Dec 2020 | JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 108.4 · Feb 91.9 · Mar 77.6 · Apr 54.6 · May 55.5 · Jun 60.4 · Jul 90.7 · Aug 126.8 · Sep 142.2 · Oct 109.9 · Nov 113.8 · Dec 114.5 mm | 31 Dec 2020 | JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 90.4 · Feb 103.5 · Mar 144.7 · Apr 175.8 · May 200.4 · Jun 180 · Jul 168 · Aug 168.1 · Sep 159.3 · Oct 145.9 · Nov 99.1 · Dec 82.7 hours | 31 Dec 2020 | JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official |
Population and city profile
How many people live in Sapporo?
The published population was 1,955,678 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
By nationality
National passport98.8%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 1,121 km² | 3 Aug 2026 | 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)18Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 1.22 % | 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 | 23,881 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 | 1,760 people/km² | 31 Dec 2020 | 総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)20Official |
| Population | 1,955,678 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 Sapporo
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 | 1,973,395 | 100.0% |
| Japanese | 1,933,094 | 98.0% |
| Nationality not reported | 27,667 | 1.4% |
| Foreigner | 12,634 | 0.6% |
| People's Republic of China | 4,573 | 0.2% |
| Others | 2,399 | 0.1% |
| Republic of Korea | 2,363 | 0.1% |
| Socialist Republic of Viet Nam | 1,377 | 0.1% |
| United States of America | 522 | 0.0% |
| Republic of the Philippines | 445 | 0.0% |
| Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal | 231 | 0.0% |
Show 6 more groups
| Published group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Thailand | 181 | 0.0% |
| Republic of Indonesia | 176 | 0.0% |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 163 | 0.0% |
| India | 134 | 0.0% |
| Federative Republic of Brazil | 58 | 0.0% |
| Republic of Peru | 12 | 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 | 50.6 years | 31 Dec 2026 | 2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)2Official |
Alternatives for people set on Sapporo
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.
Tomakomai as a Sapporo alternative in the same region
51 km away, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.
- Rent: €5.21/m² Tomakomai vs €7.56/m² Sapporo−31%
- Unemployment: 3.7% Tomakomai vs 4.7% Sapporo−20%
- Empty flats: 16.8% Tomakomai vs 13.8% Sapporo+21%
- Median gross pay, region: €276 Tomakomai vs €303 Sapporo−9%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 572 Tomakomai vs 619 Sapporo−8%
- Foreign residents: 1.1% Tomakomai vs 1.2% Sapporo−9%
Kitakyushu as a Sapporo alternative in the same country
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: 2.1% Kitakyushu vs 1.2% Sapporo+68%
- Rent: €6.71/m² Kitakyushu vs €7.56/m² Sapporo−11%
- Residents: 913,577 Kitakyushu vs 1,955,678 Sapporo−53%
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 718 Kitakyushu vs 619 Sapporono percentage
- Empty flats: 16.0% Kitakyushu vs 13.8% Sapporo+16%
- A meal out: €6 Kitakyushu vs €8 Sapporo−27%
- Basic utilities, 85 m²: €199 Kitakyushu vs €235 Sapporo−15%
Cities near Sapporo
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 5.55 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
- Rent
- 5.45 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
- Rent
- 5.27 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
- Rent
- 4.74 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Alternative cities in Japan
Other cities in Japan to compare with Sapporo, nearest in population first.
How does Sapporo compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Sapporo's.
Sapporo in rankings
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Sapporo?
The published population was 1,955,678 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 Sapporo?
Average net cold rent is about 7.56 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 529 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.
Is the air quality good in Sapporo?
The annual PM2.5 mean is 6.1 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 Sapporo?
Police recorded about 619 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-01-Hokkaido-2025.
What is the unemployment rate in Sapporo?
The unemployment rate is about 4.7 % (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 Sapporo?
The median gross salary is 302.8 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.
Is Sapporo a good place to live?
Sapporo 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 Sapporo?
Ebetsu, Kitahiroshima, Ishikari, Tobetsu-cho, Nanporo-cho are near Sapporo. 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 Sapporo?
The official citizenship distribution records 1,933,094 people (98.0%) 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). Sapporo, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version b8ac9d0715f06aa4239d411d1476c384]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_sapporo-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_6719c6c95b5a,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Sapporo, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {b8ac9d0715f06aa4239d411d1476c384},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Sapporo, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/sapporo/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version b8ac9d0715f06aa4239d411d1476c384; 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
- 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
- JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
- JP-01-Hokkaido-2025 police.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-15
- MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list MHLW · mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
- NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet flets.com · checked 2026-09-15
Show 18 more sources
- Official public language-service provider/location register plaza-sapporo.or.jp · checked 2026-09-15
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
- tenbou.nies.go.jp tenbou.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-08-26
- 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
- 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
- Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1348675 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1355427 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q37951 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q496681 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
- Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q817278 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.