Living in Sōma

In Sōma, rents across existing tenancies average €5.54 per m² a month (2023).

Sōma registered an unemployment rate of 3.35% at the end of 2020. The city recorded a population density of 176.3 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-2425 sources

Population31,710people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total

Median gross salary (region)283EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent5.54EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 12% belowOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate3.35%country median 3.8% — 11% belowOfficial 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 crime497.6incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Regional figureOfficial source · 令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2

PM2.5, annual mean8.24µg/m³31 Dec 2023Nearest stationOfficial source · NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023

Cheaper rent than 65% of Japanese cities that publish it and lower unemployment than 70% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Sōma.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 Sōma?

Average net cold rent is about 5.54 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): 5.54 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp¹³

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32

Mobile plan, 10 GB€22

Net rent across major citiesSōma highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Kyoto€10.46

Sapporo€7.56

Sōma€5.54

Show the other 6 cities

Saitama€10.37

Fukuoka€9.00

Kobe€8.87

Sendai€8.85

Nagoya€8.81

Hiroshima€8.38

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	31.61 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	ドコモ光月額料金 — NTTドコモ¹⁵Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	21.56 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	docomo mini 10GB²Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)	5.54 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹³Official

Is Sōma 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 worker53%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 44–62%

Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–69%

Student53%strong on education, weak on work · range 45–61%

Family59%strong on safety, weak on cost · range 50–68%

Retirement51%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 39–63%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 332 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 5.54 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 Sōma?

The unemployment rate is about 3.3 % (October 2020).

Unemployment rate: 3.35 % · 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)¹⁸

Unemployment across cities in JapanUnemployment in Sōma is 3.4%. 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

Sōma 3.4%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	283 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴Official
Unemployment rate	3.35 %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)¹⁸Official

What does a salary buy in Sōma?

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
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€5.54/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €332
Internet€32 · official · ドコモ光月額料金 · 2026-09-30	− €32
Mobile plan€22 · official · docomo mini 10GB · 2026-09-30	− €22
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities	—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish	—

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Sōma Salary needed to live in Sōma

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	16 schools	1 May 2024	MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127⁷Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	8.98 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁵Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	1.8 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁶Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	170.9 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.⁴Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Sōma 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 residents1.8 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	497.6 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2¹⁶Official · regional context

Mobility and administration

Sōma's nearest airport was SDJ, 39 km away and offered 14 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	14 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁹Official
Destinations from nearest airport	13 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.¹²Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	39 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	SDJ	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Sōma

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Sōma?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.2 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 8.24 µg/m³ · NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023⁸

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

PM2.58.2WHO 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 Sōma is 8.2 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

Sōma 8.2

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	8.24 µg/m³	31 Dec 2023	NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023⁸Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Sōma?

The published population was 31,710 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

By nationality

National passport99%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	197.5 km²	3 Aug 2026	国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	1.04 %	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民 ÷ 総計)²⁰Official
Foreign residents	330 people	3 Aug 2026	総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)²⁰Official
Population density	176.3 people/km²	31 Dec 2020	総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)¹⁹Official
Population	31,710 people	1 Jan 2026	Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total¹¹Official

International community in Sōma

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	34,865	100.0%
Japanese	34,349	98.5%
Nationality not reported	338	1.0%
Foreigner	178	0.5%
People's Republic of China	64	0.2%
Republic of the Philippines	45	0.1%
Republic of Korea	20	0.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	18	0.1%
Others	18	0.1%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	7	0.0%
United States of America	3	0.0%

Show 3 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Kingdom of Thailand	1	0.0%
Republic of Indonesia	1	0.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	1	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	52.7 years	31 Dec 2026	2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)¹Official

Alternatives for people set on Sōma

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.

Nihommatsu as a Sōma alternative in the same region

49 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

Rent: €5.57/m² Nihommatsu vs €5.54/m² Sōmano percentage
Unemployment: 4.2% Nihommatsu vs 3.3% Sōma+24%
Foreign residents: 1.5% Nihommatsu vs 1.0% Sōma+42%
Annual PM2.5: 7.1 µg/m³ Nihommatsu vs 8.2 µg/m³ Sōma−14%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 498 Nihommatsu vs 498 Sōmasame level

Full comparison More about Nihommatsu

Minamiuonuma as a Sōma alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 198 km, better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Foreign residents: 3.0% Minamiuonuma vs 1.0% Sōma+188%
Residents: 51,603 Minamiuonuma vs 31,710 Sōma+63%
Median gross pay, region: €241 Minamiuonuma vs €283 Sōma−15%
Rent: €5.34/m² Minamiuonuma vs €5.54/m² Sōma−4%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 463 Minamiuonuma vs 498 Sōma−7%
Unemployment: 3.3% Minamiuonuma vs 3.3% Sōmasame level

Full comparison More about Minamiuonuma

Cities near Sōma

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

Minami-Sōma 17.5 km away

Rent: 5.35 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Kakuda 23.4 km away

Rent: 5.22 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

Shimizu-cho (Shizuoka)31,710 residents Mizuho-machi31,765 residents Oiso-machi31,634 residents Zentsuji31,631 residents Uonuma31,813 residents Date31,822 residents

How does Sōma compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Put Sōma'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 Sōma?

The published population was 31,710 people in 2026. Source: Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total.

How much does it cost to rent in Sōma?

Average net cold rent is about 5.54 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 388 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Sōma?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.2 µg/m³ (2023) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023.

What is the unemployment rate in Sōma?

The unemployment rate is about 3.3 % (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 Sōma?

The median gross salary is 283 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Sōma a good place to live?

Sōma 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 Sōma?

Shinchi-machi, Minami-Sōma, Yamamoto-cho, Kakuda are near Sōma. 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 Sōma?

The official citizenship distribution records 34,349 people (98.5%) 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). Sōma, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 025eb23ee6d40ba26b335fbb0df5b799]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soma/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_soma-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_3b94fe2726b7,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Sōma, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {025eb23ee6d40ba26b335fbb0df5b799},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soma/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Sōma, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/soma/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 025eb23ee6d40ba26b335fbb0df5b799; 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

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
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 official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
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
NIES monthly PM2.5 station means annualized to calendar 2023 gis.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-09-23
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03

Show 15 more sources

Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-10
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
ドコモ光月額料金 — NTTドコモドコモ光月額料金 · docomo.ne.jp · checked 2026-09-19
令和７年の犯罪情勢 / 令和７年の犯罪情勢統計表, 図表1-5-2 npa.go.jp · checked 2026-09-23
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
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1205163 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1205416 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q642094 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q696425 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q696456 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.