Living in Setagaya-ku

In Setagaya-ku, rents across existing tenancies average €16.59 per m² a month (2023).

世田谷区 is a city in Japan, with a population of 943,664 in October 2020. The unemployment rate was 3.2% in October 2020. The city had 186 schools in May 2024. The city covered 58.1 km² in 2024. Population density was 15,903.7 people per km² in 2024. There were 242.7 physicians per 100,000 residents in 2022. The median age was 44.2 years in 2020.

Last checked 2026-10-1018 sources

Population943,664people1 Oct 2020Official source · Japan 2020 Census municipality population table

Median gross salary (region)549.8EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent16.59EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 165% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate3.2%country median 3.8% — 15% belowOfficial source · Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality

Recorded crime498.2incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)

PM2.5, annual mean8.8µg/m³country median 8.4 — 5% aboveOfficial source · MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 世田谷区

Pricier rent than any other Japanese city that publishes it and lower unemployment than 78% of Japanese cities that publish it.

Which Japan-wide rules apply when you move to Setagaya-ku?

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 Setagaya-ku.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 世田谷区?

Average net cold rent is about 16.59 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): 16.59 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁶

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€322

Utilities, 85 m² flat€72

Fitness club€61

Transport pass€48

Internet, 60 Mbps€39

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

Net rent across major citiesSetagaya-ku highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Setagaya-ku€16.59

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Hiroshima€8.38

Sapporo€7.56

Show the other 6 cities

Kyoto€10.46

Saitama€10.37

Fukuoka€9.00

Kobe€8.87

Sendai€8.85

Nagoya€8.81

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	60.93 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	38.67 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	322.3 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	4.22 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB²Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	48.16 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	71.72 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹⁸Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average net rent (nettokalt)	16.59 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁶Official

Is Setagaya-ku 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 worker45%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 37–53%

Skilled employee62%strong on work, weak on housing · range 54–70%

Student38%strong on education, weak on work · range 31–45%

Family67%strong on family, weak on cost · range 60–74%

Retirement48%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 39–57%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 995 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 16.59 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 世田谷区?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (October 2020). Source: Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality⁷

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Setagaya-ku is 3.2%. 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

Setagaya-ku 3.2%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	549.8 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁷Official
Unemployment rate	3.2 %country median 3.8%	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality⁷Official

What does a salary buy in Setagaya-ku?

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
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€16.59/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €995
Public transport pass€48 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €48
Utilities, 85 m²€72 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €72
Internet€39 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €39
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 Setagaya-ku Salary needed to live in Setagaya-ku

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	186 schools	1 May 2024	MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127¹²Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	6.17 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024¹⁰Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	2.23 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024¹¹Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	242.7 per 100,000	2022	Exact e-Stat municipality row I6100 (医師数), derived with the exact same-JIS e-Stat A2301 total resident population row. No prefecture or parent-area value is used.⁶Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Setagaya-ku 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

Physicians per 1,000 residents2.23 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is 世田谷区?

Police recorded about 498 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: 498.2 incidents per 100,000 · Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)¹

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	498.2 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025)¹Official

Mobility and administration

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Destinations from nearest airport	4 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

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Setagaya-ku

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in 世田谷区?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.8 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 — 世田谷区¹³

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

0°

10°1°

11°2°

14°5°

19°10°

24°15°

26°18°

30°22°

31°24°

28°20°

22°15°

17°9°

12°4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

116

134

140

168

156

155

225

235

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

193

170

175

179

180

124

151

174

127

129

150

174

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

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

PM2.58.8WHO 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 Setagaya-ku is 8.8 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

Setagaya-ku 8.8

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.8 µg/m³country median 8.4	31 Mar 2024	MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 世田谷区¹³Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 9.8 · Feb 10.9 · Mar 14.2 · Apr 19.4 · May 23.6 · Jun 26.1 · Jul 29.9 · Aug 31.3 · Sep 27.5 · Oct 22 · Nov 16.7 · Dec 12 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average night-time low by month	Jan 1.2 · Feb 2.1 · Mar 5 · Apr 9.8 · May 14.6 · Jun 18.5 · Jul 22.4 · Aug 23.5 · Sep 20.3 · Oct 14.8 · Nov 8.8 · Dec 3.8 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average temperature by month	Jan 5.4 · Feb 6.1 · Mar 9.4 · Apr 14.3 · May 18.8 · Jun 21.9 · Jul 25.7 · Aug 26.9 · Sep 23.3 · Oct 18 · Nov 12.5 · Dec 7.7 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 59.7 · Feb 56.5 · Mar 116 · Apr 133.7 · May 139.7 · Jun 167.8 · Jul 156.2 · Aug 154.7 · Sep 224.9 · Oct 234.8 · Nov 96.3 · Dec 57.9 mm	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Average sunshine by month	Jan 192.6 · Feb 170.4 · Mar 175.3 · Apr 178.8 · May 179.6 · Jun 124.2 · Jul 151.4 · Aug 174.2 · Sep 126.7 · Oct 129.4 · Nov 149.8 · Dec 174.4 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO¹⁵Official · nearest-station reading

Similar climate. In Japan: Ichinomiya ±0.7 °C. Elsewhere: Little Rock (United States) ±2.1 °C, Oklahoma City (United States) ±2.4 °C, Murfreesboro (United States) ±2.5 °C, Carrollton (United States) ±3.1 °C, Lewisville (United States) ±3.1 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month

Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.

Population and city profile

How many people live in 世田谷区?

The published population was 943,664 people in October 2020. Source: Japan 2020 Census municipality population table⁹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport97%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	58.05 km²	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2.⁵Official
Foreign residents	28,202 people	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row A2201: 住民基本台帳人口（外国人）.⁴Official
Population density	15,904 people/km²	2024	Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2.⁵Official
Population	943,664 people	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census municipality population table⁹Official

International community in Setagaya-ku

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	943,664	100.0%
Japanese	916,972	97.2%
Foreigner	22,364	2.4%
People's Republic of China	7,376	0.8%
Republic of Korea	4,445	0.5%
Others	4,365	0.5%
Nationality not reported	4,328	0.5%
United States of America	1,859	0.2%
Republic of the Philippines	949	0.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	820	0.1%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	782	0.1%

Show 6 more groups

Published group	People	Share
India	519	0.1%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	461	0.0%
Kingdom of Thailand	261	0.0%
Republic of Indonesia	259	0.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil	210	0.0%
Republic of Peru	58	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source³

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median age	44.2 years	1 Oct 2020	Japan 2020 Census municipality median age table⁸Official

Alternatives for people set on Setagaya-ku

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.

Sakai as a Setagaya-ku alternative in the same country

Better on 1 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

Rent: €7.45/m² Sakai vs €16.59/m² Setagaya-ku−55%
Median gross pay, region: €324 Sakai vs €550 Setagaya-ku−41%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 814 Sakai vs 498 Setagaya-kuno percentage

Full comparison More about Sakai

Alternative cities in Japan

Other cities in Japan to compare with Setagaya-ku, nearest in population first.

All Japan cities

Kitakyushu913,577 residents Chiba986,605 residents Sendai1,063,198 residents Sakai809,032 residents Hamamatsu778,346 residents Hiroshima1,167,911 residents

How does Setagaya-ku compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Setagaya-ku in rankings

#5 of 30 in City hubs with the lowest published recorded-crime rate #14 of 30 in Largest cities in Japan

Put Setagaya-ku'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 世田谷区?

The published population was 943,664 people in October 2020. Source: Japan 2020 Census municipality population table.

How much does it cost to rent in 世田谷区?

Average net cold rent is about 16.59 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 1,161 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in 世田谷区?

How safe is 世田谷区?

Police recorded about 498 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025).

What is the unemployment rate in 世田谷区?

The unemployment rate is 3.2 % (October 2020). Source: Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality.

What is the typical salary around Setagaya-ku?

The median gross salary is 549.8 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Setagaya-ku a good place to live?

Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku?

The official citizenship distribution records 916,972 people (97.2%) 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). Setagaya-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version daa48ea8103784f96d49243b7df5a678]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/setagayaku/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_setagaya-ku-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_d6086b531786,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Setagaya-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {daa48ea8103784f96d49243b7df5a678},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/setagayaku/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Setagaya-ku, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/setagayaku/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version daa48ea8103784f96d49243b7df5a678; 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

Criminal offences known to the police by town, crime type and method (Reiwa 7 / 2025) keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp · checked 2026-10-08
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
Exact e-Stat municipality row A2201: 住民基本台帳人口（外国人）. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Exact e-Stat municipality row B1101: 総面積（北方地域及び竹島を除く）, converted from ha to km2. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Exact e-Stat municipality row I6100 (医師数), derived with the exact same-JIS e-Stat A2301 total resident population row. No prefecture or parent-area value is used. e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-15
Japan 2020 Census labor force status by municipality e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan 2020 Census municipality median age table e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan 2020 Census municipality population table e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13

Show 8 more sources

Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127 e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 — 世田谷区 MOE Japan Air Pollution Monitoring Report FY2023 · env.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
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
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
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
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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.