Living in Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is a large city in Japan (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 15°C over the year with about 1,562 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,375 a month to live centrally, and Japan sits in our high tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Japan is possible, with conditions.

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Est. cost
€3,375
a month for a couple
Tax tier
High
personal income tax
Climate
15°C
1,562 mm rain a year
Size
Large
1 to 5 million people
Safety
80/100
country-level
Internet
~160 Mbps
median fixed broadband
Residency
Possible, with conditions
for most foreigners

What stands out about Kyoto

  • Stronger healthcare than 96% of the cities we compare
  • Safer than 95% of the cities we compare

Healthcare

Japan scores 80 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 96% of the cities we compare.

Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Japan.

Safety and stability

Japan scores 80 out of 100 on safety, safer than 95% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 8.4 out of 10.

Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Japan. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.

Climate

Kyoto averages 15°C across the year with about 1,562 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 29% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Taxes

Japan sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.

Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Kyoto in their results.

Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through employer-sponsored work visas and the points-based Highly Skilled Professional track (which can fast-track permanent residence), or the self-funded Business Manager route for entrepreneurs; Japan has no passive-income or retirement visa, since its means-based Long Stay status is capped at twelve months, is non-renewable, and does not count toward residency.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Japan:

  • Investment: about $188k (Japan Business Manager visa, JPY 30,000,000 paid-in capital (raised six-fold from JPY 5M effective 16 Oct 2025); converted at JPY/USD 0.006253 (Wise, Jun 2026); as of June 2026)

For short visits, 71 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 7 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 120 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €3,375 a month to live centrally in Kyoto, 24% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 28% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.

Language and culture

Main languages: Japanese. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 80 out of 100.

Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.

Internet and remote work

Median fixed broadband in Japan runs at about 160 Mbps, faster than 56% of the cities we compare.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.

Questions couples ask about Kyoto

Is Kyoto a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Kyoto scores well on safety, healthcare, political stability and social openness. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a mild, wet climate (15°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Kyoto and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Kyoto?

We estimate about €3,375 a month for a couple living centrally, 24% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

What are taxes like in Kyoto?

Japan is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Kyoto in their results.

Can foreigners live in Japan long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Realistic long-term residency runs through employer-sponsored work visas and the points-based Highly Skilled Professional track (which can fast-track permanent residence), or the self-funded Business Manager route for entrepreneurs; Japan has no passive-income or retirement visa, since its means-based Long Stay status is capped at twelve months, is non-renewable, and does not count toward residency. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $188k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Kyoto?

Kyoto averages 15°C across the year with about 1,562 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 29% of the cities we track.

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