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Living in Sōka

Sōka is a city in Japan, and the figures below are its published values. Sōka's unemployment stood at 3.93% at the end of 2020. At the end of 2020, the population density reached 9,042.4 people per km².

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

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 Sōka.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

No city-level rent or cost figure is published for Sōka yet. We do not infer one from another place.

Net rent across major citiesSōka highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Sōka highlighted€15.18川崎市€13.60Yokohama€12.11大阪市€11.89京都市€11.78さいたま市€10.32千葉市€10.23福岡市€10.08神戸市€10.06仙台市€10.01名古屋市€9.52広島市€8.59札幌市net rent, € / m² / month

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Sōka?

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

  • Unemployment rate: 3.93 % · 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)15
Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Sōka is 3.9%. Of 2,536 cities with data, 1,168 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.
unemployment rate, % · measured cities in Japan per band1 city: 0% to under 1%10–126 cities: 1% to under 2%261–2316 cities: 2% to under 3%3162–31168 cities: 3% to under 4%11683–4Sōka 3.9%776 cities: 4% to under 5%7764–5171 cities: 5% to under 6%1715–651 cities: 6% to under 7%516–715 cities: 7% to under 8%157–85 cities: 8% to under 9%58–97 cities: 9% to under 10%79–10

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate3.93 %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)15Official

Public employment service

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital Beds Per 10002.61 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20241Official
Physicians Per 10001.1 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20242Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sōka 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 10001.1 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Mobility and administration

Sōka's nearest airport was HND, 32 km away and offered 73 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Airport Direct Destinations Count73 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights5Official
Nearest Major Airport Distance Km32 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official
Nearest Major Airport IataHND3 Aug 2026OurAirports6Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from 5.4°C in January to 25.7°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 59.7 mm in January and 156.2 mm in July. Sōka's average monthly sunshine was 192.6 hours in January and 151.4 hours in July.

Is the air quality good in Sōka?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.9 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.jp12

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
Sōka average monthly daytime high and night-time low temperature, °C0°10°20°30°40°JFMAMJJASOND31°1°Daytime highNight-time low
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sōka average monthly precipitation, mm06012018024060571161341401681561552252359658JFMAMJJASONDmm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
Sōka average monthly sunshine, hours050100150200193170175179180124151174127129150174JFMAMJJASONDhours
Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Sōka annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit5258.9PM2.5µg/m³

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 Sōka is 8.9 µg/m³. Of 811 cities with data, 216 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.
annual PM2.5, µg/m³ · measured cities in Japan per band9 cities: 4 µg/m³ to under 5 µg/m³94–526 cities: 5 µg/m³ to under 6 µg/m³265–690 cities: 6 µg/m³ to under 7 µg/m³906–7183 cities: 7 µg/m³ to under 8 µg/m³1837–8216 cities: 8 µg/m³ to under 9 µg/m³2168–9Sōka 8.9169 cities: 9 µg/m³ to under 10 µg/m³1699–1076 cities: 10 µg/m³ to under 11 µg/m³7610–1130 cities: 11 µg/m³ to under 12 µg/m³3011–129 cities: 12 µg/m³ to under 13 µg/m³912–133 cities: 13 µg/m³ to under 14 µg/m³313–14

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
PM2.5 — annual mean8.9 µg/m³country median 8.431 Dec 2023tenbou.nies.go.jp12Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 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 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO13Official · parent municipality
Average night-time low by monthJan 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 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO13Official · parent municipality
Average temperature by monthJan 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 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO13Official · parent municipality
Average precipitation by monthJan 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 mm1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO13Official · parent municipality
Average sunshine by monthJan 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 hours1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO13Official · parent municipality

Cities of a similar size in Japan

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Japan cities
徳島市252,391 residents福岡市博多区252,034 residents函館市251,084 residents下関市255,051 residents北九州市八幡西区249,933 residents静岡市葵区249,297 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Sōka?

The published population was 252,586 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total11

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Sōka residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport94.9%Foreign residents 5.1%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area27.46 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)14Official
Foreign-resident share5.12 %3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)17Official
Foreign residents12,929 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)17Official
Population density9,042 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)16Official
Population252,586 people1 Jan 2026Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total11Official

Is Sōka 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 worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 44–64%
Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 51–71%
Student49%strong on cost, weak on safety · range 38–60%
Family53%strong on family, weak on safety · range 42–64%
Retirement45%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 34–56%
Foreign residents12,929 people3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)
Population252,586 people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total
Unemployment rate3.93 %31 Dec 2020Official 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)
PM2.5 — annual mean8.9 µg/m³31 Dec 2023Official source · tenbou.nies.go.jp
City area27.46 km²3 Aug 2026Official source · 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)
Foreign-resident share5.12 %3 Aug 2026Official source · 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-09-03

Is Sōka part of Tokyo?

Sōka is near Tokyo, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 19.0 km away by straight-line distance.

Relationship type: Nearby Independent Place. Source18

Which comparable places record less crime than Sōka?

26 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Sōka in this strictly source-matched cohort.

Sōka: 746.2 offences/100k (2024).

Hatoyama — 349.4 offences/100k2024Shiraoka — 445.8 offences/100k2024Shiki — 522 offences/100k2024Sayama — 527.6 offences/100k2024Iruma — 555.1 offences/100k2024Ogose — 565.2 offences/100k2024Tokorozawa — 572.8 offences/100k2024Ogawamachi — 576.9 offences/100k2024

Only the same source family, offence definition, period, grain and denominator method are compared. This is recorded crime, not a claim about personal safety. Official source3

How does Sōka compare?

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Common questions

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

How many people live in Sōka?

The published population was 252,586 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total.

Is the air quality good in Sōka?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 8.9 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.

What is the unemployment rate in Sōka?

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).

How many foreign residents live in Sōka?

12,929 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: 総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民).

Is Sōka a good place to live?

Sōka 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.

Is Sōka part of Tokyo?

Sōka is near Tokyo, but the collected evidence does not establish that it is administratively part of the hub or an official satellite. It is about 19.0 km away by straight-line distance.

Which comparable places record less crime than Sōka?

26 places have a lower recorded total crime rate than Sōka in this strictly source-matched cohort. The comparison uses Saitama Prefectural Police municipal crime table R6 2024 + Saitama Prefecture population estimate, period 2024, and does not compare across incompatible police definitions.

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, September 14). Sōka, Japan: jobs, air quality, climate, healthcare [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soka/ Retrieved 2026-09-14. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_soka-japan-jobs-air-quality-climate-healthcare_fd5012e1df42,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sōka, Japan: jobs, air quality, climate, healthcare},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-14},
  version = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  snapshot = {approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soka/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-14. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Sōka, Japan: jobs, air quality, climate, healthcare](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soka/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; version approved-static-c751ebb1b4085a62; retrieved 2026-09-14; built 2026-09-14.

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. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  2. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  3. nlftp.mlit.go.jp recorded crime data nlftp.mlit.go.jp · checked 2026-08-28
  4. nlftp.mlit.go.jp recorded crime data nlftp.mlit.go.jp · checked 2026-08-28
  5. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  6. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  7. police.pref.saitama.lg.jp recorded crime data police.pref.saitama.lg.jp · checked 2026-08-28
  8. police.pref.saitama.lg.jp recorded crime data police.pref.saitama.lg.jp · checked 2026-08-28
  9. pref.saitama.lg.jp recorded crime data pref.saitama.lg.jp · checked 2026-08-28
  10. pref.saitama.lg.jp recorded crime data pref.saitama.lg.jp · checked 2026-08-28
Show 8 more sources
  1. Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
  2. tenbou.nies.go.jp tenbou.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-08-26
  3. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station TOKYO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  4. 国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan) gsi.go.jp · checked 2026-08-03
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. wikidata.org place coordinates wikidata.org · checked 2026-08-28

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.