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Living in Yamagata

In Yamagata (Yamagata Prefecture), rents across existing tenancies average €7.38 per m² a month (2023).

At the end of 2020, unemployment in Yamagata reached 3.49%. The city recorded a population density of 649.3 people per km² at the end of 2020.

Last checked 2026-09-1930 sources

Population238,293people31 Dec 2024Official source · Statistics Bureau of Japan / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Median gross salary (region)291.5EUR/month31 Dec 2024Official source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Average net rent7.38EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.27 — 18% aboveOfficial source · www.e-stat.go.jp
Unemployment rate3.49%country median 3.8% — 7% 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 crime405.8incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Official source · JP-06-Yamagata-2025
PM2.5, annual mean7.9µg/m³country median 8.4 — 6% belowOfficial source · tenbou.nies.go.jp

Pricier rent than 73% of Japanese cities that publish it, lower unemployment than 65% of Japanese cities that publish it and cleaner air than 64% of Japanese cities that publish it.

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

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 Yamagata.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 Yamagata?

Average net cold rent is about 7.38 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): 7.38 EUR/m²/month · www.e-stat.go.jp13
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Yamagata recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€32
Mobile plan, 10 GB€22
Net rent across major citiesYamagata highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Yamagata highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Kawasaki€13.36
Yokohama€11.97
Osaka€10.65
Kyoto€10.46
Sapporo€7.56
Yamagata€7.38
Show the other 6 cities
Saitama€10.37
Fukuoka€9.00
Kobe€8.87
Sendai€8.85
Nagoya€8.81
Hiroshima€8.38
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited31.61 EUR/month30 Sept 2026ドコモ光 月額料金 — NTTドコモ15Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB21.56 EUR/month30 Sept 2026docomo mini 10GB2Official · national market
Housing vacancy rate13.79 %31 Oct 20232023 Housing and Land Survey, Table 1-2: Housing by occupancy status1Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.38 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €6.2731 Dec 2023www.e-stat.go.jp13Official
Average monthly rent (whole dwelling)330.5 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 mura4Official

Is Yamagata 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 worker58%strong on work, weak on air quality · range 50–66%
Skilled employee64%strong on work, weak on education · range 56–72%
Student59%strong on safety, weak on education · range 50–68%
Family72%strong on family, weak on education · range 64–80%
Retirement64%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 55–73%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 443 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of about 7.38 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 Yamagata?

The unemployment rate is about 3.5 % (October 2020).

  • Unemployment rate: 3.49 % · 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 Yamagata is 3.5%. Of 1,816 cities with data, 818 have unemployment of 3 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Public employment offices1 count15 Sept 2026MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list8Official
Median gross salary (regional)291.5 EUR/month31 Dec 2024www.e-stat.go.jp14Official
Unemployment rate3.49 %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 Yamagata?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

regional median gross pay: €291 (e-stat.go.jp, 2024-12-31).
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€7.38/m² · official · e-stat.go.jp · 2023-12-31− €443
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 Yamagata Salary needed to live in Yamagata

Public employment offices in Yamagata

MHLW lists 1 public employment office in Yamagata (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
Search jobs
Open the Japan service overview

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.

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital beds per 1,000 residents20.79 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20245Official
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents2,079 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20245Official
Hospitals17 count1 Jun 2026医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV16Official
Pharmacies171 count1 Jun 2026医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV17Official
Physicians per 1,000 residents4.88 per 1,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20246Official
Physicians per 100,000 residents488.1 per 100,00031 Dec 2024Japan official municipality health statistics 20246Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Yamagata 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
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents2,079 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-09-16
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Yamagata?

Police recorded about 406 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: 405.8 incidents per 100,000 · JP-06-Yamagata-20257
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents405.8 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025JP-06-Yamagata-20257Official

Mobility and administration

Yamagata's nearest airport was GAJ, 20 km away and offered 3 direct destinations.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport3 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights9Official
Distance to the nearest major airport20 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)GAJ3 Aug 2026OurAirports10Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Yamagata

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Yamagata?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.9 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.

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 Yamagata is 7.9 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 mean7.9 µg/m³country median 8.431 Dec 2023tenbou.nies.go.jp12Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Yamagata?

The published population was 238,293 people in 2024. Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications11

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area381.3 km²3 Aug 2026国土地理院 (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan)18Official
Foreign-resident share0.925 %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 residents2,164 people3 Aug 2026総務省自治行政局 (住民基本台帳, 外国人住民)21Official
Population density649.3 people/km²31 Dec 2020総務省統計局 (e-Stat, 国勢調査2020 第1-1表)20Official
Population238,293 people31 Dec 2024Statistics Bureau of Japan / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications11Official

International community in Yamagata

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
Total247,590100.0%
Japanese244,11598.6%
Nationality not reported2,3190.9%
Foreigner1,1560.5%
People's Republic of China3100.1%
Others2500.1%
Republic of Korea2480.1%
Republic of the Philippines1270.1%
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam850.0%
United States of America390.0%
Republic of Indonesia280.0%
Show 6 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal220.0%
Kingdom of Thailand130.0%
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland130.0%
Federative Republic of Brazil100.0%
India70.0%
Republic of Peru40.0%

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

Alternatives for people set on Yamagata

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.

Yonezawa as a Yamagata alternative in the same region

42 km away, better on 2 of 4 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Foreign residents: 1.7% Yonezawa vs 0.9% Yamagata+85%
  • Rent: €6.22/m² Yonezawa vs €7.38/m² Yamagata−16%
  • Median gross pay, region: €254 Yonezawa vs €291 Yamagata−13%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 316 Yonezawa vs 406 Yamagatano percentage
  • Unemployment: 3.5% Yonezawa vs 3.5% Yamagatasame level
Full comparisonMore about Yonezawa

Shimonoseki as a Yamagata alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 970 km, better on 3 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 3. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Foreign residents: 2.3% Shimonoseki vs 0.9% Yamagata+151%
  • Rent: €5.53/m² Shimonoseki vs €7.38/m² Yamagata−25%
  • Empty flats: 19.1% Shimonoseki vs 13.8% Yamagata+39%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 400 Shimonoseki vs 406 Yamagatano percentage
  • Median gross pay, region: €273 Shimonoseki vs €291 Yamagata−6%
  • Unemployment: 3.6% Shimonoseki vs 3.5% Yamagata+3%
  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 2,010.1 Shimonoseki vs 2,079.4 Yamagata−3%
Full comparisonMore about Shimonoseki

Cities near Yamagata

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

Kaminoyama 12.0 km away
Rent
4.75 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Tendō 14.4 km away
Rent
6.34 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Sagae 17.5 km away
Rent
6.3 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31
Kahoku-cho 21.9 km away
Rent
6.26 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2023-12-31

Alternative cities in Japan

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

All Japan cities
Nishi-ku (Kobe)238,877 residentsBunkyo-ku240,069 residentsHakodate236,515 residentsChōfu241,074 residentsTaihaku-ku (Sendai)234,758 residentsTakatsu-ku (Kawasaki)234,328 residents

How does Yamagata compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Put Yamagata'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 Yamagata?

The published population was 238,293 people in 2024. Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

How much does it cost to rent in Yamagata?

Average net cold rent is about 7.38 EUR/m² per month (2023 Housing and Land Survey), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 517 EUR a month before utilities. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is the air quality good in Yamagata?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.9 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.

How safe is Yamagata?

Police recorded about 406 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-06-Yamagata-2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Yamagata?

The unemployment rate is about 3.5 % (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 Yamagata?

The median gross salary is 291.5 EUR/month. Source: www.e-stat.go.jp.

Is Yamagata a good place to live?

Yamagata 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 Yamagata?

Yamanobe-machi, Kaminoyama, Nakayama-machi, Tendō, Sagae are near Yamagata. 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 Yamagata?

The official citizenship distribution records 244,115 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). Yamagata (Yamagata Prefecture), Japan: population, rent [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 4b7d3d8034af6c03c602c09aa6103f17]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/yamagata/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_yamagata-yamagata-prefecture-japan-population-rent_3a496d1448ff,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Yamagata (Yamagata Prefecture), Japan: population, rent},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {4b7d3d8034af6c03c602c09aa6103f17},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/yamagata/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Yamagata (Yamagata Prefecture), Japan: population, rent](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/jp/yamagata/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 4b7d3d8034af6c03c602c09aa6103f17; 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. docomo mini 10GB docomo.ne.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  3. e-Stat / Statistics Bureau of Japan 2020 Population Census table 44-1 nationality e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-09-01
  4. 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
  5. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  6. Japan official municipality health statistics 2024 mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-08-13
  7. JP-06-Yamagata-2025 pref.yamagata.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  8. MHLW — Hello Work nationwide location list MHLW · mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  9. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
Show 20 more sources
  1. Statistics Bureau of Japan / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-04
  2. tenbou.nies.go.jp tenbou.nies.go.jp · checked 2026-08-26
  3. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  4. www.e-stat.go.jp e-stat.go.jp · checked 2026-08-27
  5. 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
  6. 医療情報ネット hospitals facility CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  7. 医療情報ネット pharmacies CSV mhlw.go.jp · checked 2026-09-15
  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. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  14. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  15. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1347249 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  16. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1347364 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  17. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1347734 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  18. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q1347748 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  19. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q377816 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  20. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q385779 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.