Living in Wakkanai

In Wakkanai, rents across existing tenancies average €4.20 per m² a month (2023).

At the end of 2020, unemployment in Wakkanai reached 4.81%. At the end of 2020, the population density reached 44.1 people per km².

Last checked 2026-09-2420 sources

Population29,492people1 Jan 2026Official source · Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total

Median gross salary (region)302.8EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Average net rent4.2EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 33% belowOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp

Unemployment rate4.81%country median 3.8% — 28% 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 crime478.9incidents 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

Cheaper rent than 89% of Japanese cities that publish it and higher unemployment than 87% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Wakkanai.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 Wakkanai?

Average net cold rent is about 4.2 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): 4.2 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 citiesWakkanai highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36

Yokohama€11.97

Osaka€10.65

Kyoto€10.46

Sapporo€7.56

Wakkanai€4.20

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)	4.2 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27	31 Dec 2023	www.e-stat.go.jp¹³Official

Is Wakkanai 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 air quality · range 45–63%

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

Student59%strong on education, weak on work · range 51–67%

Family61%strong on safety, weak on legal route · range 52–70%

Retirement56%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 44–68%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 252 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 4.2 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 Wakkanai?

The unemployment rate is about 4.8 % (October 2020).

Unemployment rate: 4.81 % · 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 Wakkanai is 4.8%. 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

Wakkanai 4.8%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Median gross salary (regional)	302.8 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	www.e-stat.go.jp¹⁴Official
Unemployment rate	4.81 %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 Wakkanai?

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€4.20/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31	− €252
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 Wakkanai Salary needed to live in Wakkanai

Public employment service

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

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Schools	19 schools	1 May 2024	MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127⁸Official

Healthcare

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents	15.74 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁵Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents	1.74 per 1,000	31 Dec 2024	Japan official municipality health statistics 2024⁶Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents	154.8 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 Wakkanai 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 residents1.74 per 1,000Verified 2026-08-31

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	478.9 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

Wakkanai's nearest airport was WKJ, 10 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights⁹Official
Destinations from nearest airport	2 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	10 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	WKJ	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁰Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Wakkanai

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from −4.3°C in January to 17.2°C in July. Wakkanai's monthly precipitation totalled 84.6 mm in January and 100.9 mm in July. Wakkanai's average monthly sunshine was 40.6 hours in January and 142.7 hours in July.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

0°

-2°-6°

-2°-7°

2°-3°

7°2°

12°6°

16°10°

20°15°

22°17°

20°14°

14°8°

6°1°

0°-4°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

101

123

137

130

121

113

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

138

174

182

155

143

151

172

135

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average daytime high by month	Jan -2.4 · Feb -2 · Mar 1.6 · Apr 7.4 · May 12.4 · Jun 16.1 · Jul 20.1 · Aug 22.3 · Sep 20.1 · Oct 14.1 · Nov 6.3 · Dec 0 °C	31 Dec 2020	JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内⁷Official · parent municipality
Average night-time low by month	Jan -6.4 · Feb -6.7 · Mar -3.1 · Apr 1.8 · May 6.3 · Jun 10.4 · Jul 14.9 · Aug 17.2 · Sep 14.4 · Oct 8.4 · Nov 1.3 · Dec -4.2 °C	31 Dec 2020	JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内⁷Official · parent municipality
Average temperature by month	Jan -4.3 · Feb -4.3 · Mar -0.6 · Apr 4.5 · May 9.1 · Jun 13 · Jul 17.2 · Aug 19.5 · Sep 17.2 · Oct 11.3 · Nov 3.8 · Dec -2.1 °C	31 Dec 2020	JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内⁷Official · parent municipality
Average precipitation by month	Jan 84.6 · Feb 60.6 · Mar 55.1 · Apr 50.3 · May 68.1 · Jun 65.8 · Jul 100.9 · Aug 123.1 · Sep 136.7 · Oct 129.7 · Nov 121.4 · Dec 112.9 mm	31 Dec 2020	JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内⁷Official · parent municipality
Average sunshine by month	Jan 40.6 · Feb 74.7 · Mar 137.5 · Apr 173.5 · May 181.6 · Jun 154.6 · Jul 142.7 · Aug 150.7 · Sep 172.1 · Oct 134.6 · Nov 55.9 · Dec 28.4 hours	31 Dec 2020	JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内⁷Official · parent municipality

Population and city profile

How many people live in Wakkanai?

The published population was 29,492 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 passport97.5%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	761.4 km²	3 Aug 2026	国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)¹⁷Official
Foreign-resident share	2.46 %	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	724 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	44.1 people/km²	31 Dec 2020	総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)¹⁹Official
Population	29,492 people	1 Jan 2026	Resident Register Population, Population Movement and Number of Households Survey; 2026-01-01 municipal total¹¹Official

International community in Wakkanai

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	33,563	100.0%
Japanese	33,083	98.6%
Foreigner	435	1.3%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam	183	0.5%
People's Republic of China	161	0.5%
Nationality not reported	45	0.1%
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal	38	0.1%
Republic of Korea	27	0.1%
Others	13	0.0%
United States of America	7	0.0%
Republic of the Philippines	5	0.0%

Show 1 more group

Published group	People	Share
Kingdom of Thailand	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	55 years	31 Dec 2026	2026 Resident Basic Register, population by age group by municipality (total residents)¹Official

Alternatives for people set on Wakkanai

Nothing here reaches an argued comparison yet: no other published city shares enough metrics with Wakkanai from the same source, period and grain. What is collected is below.

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities

Chikuzen-machi29,591 residents Hirado29,365 residents Kaita-cho29,636 residents Togitsu-cho29,339 residents Shibushi29,329 residents Yaita29,661 residents

How does Wakkanai compare?

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Put Wakkanai'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 Wakkanai?

The published population was 29,492 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 Wakkanai?

Average net cold rent is about 4.2 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 294 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

What is the unemployment rate in Wakkanai?

The unemployment rate is about 4.8 % (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 Wakkanai?

The median gross salary is 302.8 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

How many foreign residents live in Wakkanai?

724 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 Wakkanai a good place to live?

Wakkanai 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 Wakkanai?

The official citizenship distribution records 33,083 people (98.6%) 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). Wakkanai, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 0f9690b28860bd39af105a3f42da65ec]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/wakkanai/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_wakkanai-japan-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_c227c3811cd5,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Wakkanai, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {0f9690b28860bd39af105a3f42da65ec},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/wakkanai/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Wakkanai, Japan: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/wakkanai/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 0f9690b28860bd39af105a3f42da65ec; 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
JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals — 稚内 JMA 1991-2020 surface climate normals · data.jma.go.jp · checked 2026-07-26
MEXT School Basic Survey 2024 municipality table 000040231127 e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-07-16
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03

Show 10 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

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.