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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.

Last checked 2026-09-2428 sources

Population1,955,678people31 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)302.8EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Average net rent7.56EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 21% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Unemployment rate4.65%country median 3.8% — 23% 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 crime618.7incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-01-Hokkaido-2025
PM2.5, annual mean6.1µg/m³country median 8.4 — 27% belowOfficial source · tenbou.nies.go.jp

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
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Sapporo recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€280
Utilities, 85 m² flat€235
Transport pass€141
Fitness club€44
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 citiesSapporo highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Sapporo highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36
Yokohama€11.97
Osaka€10.65
Kyoto€10.46
Hiroshima€8.38
Sapporo€7.56
Show the other 6 cities
Saitama€10.37
Chiba€9.08
Fukuoka€9.00
Kobe€8.87
Sendai€8.85
Nagoya€8.81
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly44.07 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited32.03 EUR/month30 Sept 2026NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet10Official · national market
Private kindergarten, monthly279.8 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant7.73 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB21.56 EUR/month30 Sept 2026docomo mini 10GB3Official · national market
Monthly transport pass140.6 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home235.3 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v223Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Housing vacancy rate13.81 %31 Oct 20232023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status1Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.56 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.2731 Dec 2023www.e-stat.go.jp15Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)345.1 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 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.

Try your profile
Remote worker62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–70%
Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on safety · range 54–70%
Student53%strong on education, weak on work · range 46–60%
Family59%strong on family, weak on legal route · range 52–66%
Retirement65%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 56–74%

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.

Source period: 2023 Housing and Land Survey

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
Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Sapporo is 4.7%. 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 list9Official
Median gross salary (regional)302.8 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.e-stat.go.jp16Official
Unemployment rate4.65 %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.

regional median gross pay: €303 (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€7.56/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 over—
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Sapporo Salary needed to live in Sapporo

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.

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 Aug 2026Official public language-service provider/location register11Official

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Physicians per 100,000 residents355.6 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 guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

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
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents618.7 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-01-Hokkaido-20258Official
Violent crime per 100,000 residents80.77 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-01-Hokkaido-20258Official

Mobility and administration

Sapporo's nearest major airport was 6 km away.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport12 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 airport6 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)OKD3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official

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.

Verified locally
1verified local records
1publicly funded course provider

Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation

MN Building, Kita 1 Nishi 3-3, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0001 Japan

+81-11-211-2105

View official record
Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Sapporo

Climate 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.

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 Sapporo is 6.1 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 mean6.1 µg/m³country median 8.431 Dec 2023tenbou.nies.go.jp13Official
Average daytime high by monthJan -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 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official
Average night-time low by monthJan -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 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official
Average temperature by monthJan -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 °C31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official
Average precipitation by monthJan 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 mm31 Dec 2020JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo7Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 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 hours31 Dec 2020JMA 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

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area1,121 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)18Official
Foreign-resident share1.22 %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 residents23,881 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)21Official
Population density1,760 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)20Official
Population1,955,678 people31 Dec 2024e-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 groupPeopleShare
Total1,973,395100.0%
Japanese1,933,09498.0%
Nationality not reported27,6671.4%
Foreigner12,6340.6%
People's Republic of China4,5730.2%
Others2,3990.1%
Republic of Korea2,3630.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam1,3770.1%
United States of America5220.0%
Republic of the Philippines4450.0%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal2310.0%
Show 6 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Kingdom of Thailand1810.0%
Republic of Indonesia1760.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland1630.0%
India1340.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil580.0%
Republic of Peru120.0%

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

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Median age50.6 years31 Dec 20262026 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.

Ebetsu 15.5 km away
Rent
5.55 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Kitahiroshima 19.0 km away
Rent
5.45 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Ishikari 19.8 km away
Rent
5.27 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Tobetsu-cho 22.3 km away
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.

All Japan cities

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

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. 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
  6. 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
  7. JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) — Sapporo JMA Tables of Climatological Normals (1991-2020) · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
  8. JP-01-Hokkaido-2025 police.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  9. MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list MHLW · mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  10. NTT FLET'S 100 Mbps fixed internet flets.com · checked 2026-09-15
Show 18 more sources
  1. Official public language-service provider/location register plaza-sapporo.or.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  2. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  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. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  6. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  7. 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
  8. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  13. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
  14. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1348675 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  15. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1355427 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  16. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q37951 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  17. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q496681 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  18. 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.