Is Fukuoka an affordable place to live? A typical resident spends around 16.0% of income on rent and 8.2% on food. That leaves approximately 75.9% of income available for savings and daily expenses.
The Urban Stress Index (USI) provides a structured way to evaluate cost-of-living pressure in Fukuoka. By combining housing and essential food costs, it highlights how much income is required to maintain a basic standard of living relative to local wages.
| Item | Monthly | % of Income |
|---|---|---|
| Income | 338,300 | — |
| Rent (1BR) | 54,000 | 16.0% |
| Essential Food | 27,560 | 8.2% |
| Remaining | 256,740 | 75.9% |
Use our cost of living calculator to estimate your own disposable income in Fukuoka.
Fukuoka records an Urban Stress Index (USI) of 24.11, placing it firmly within the low-pressure range and making it one of the more affordable major cities in Japan. Housing accounts for approximately 16.0% of income, while essential food costs represent just over 8%. This combination reflects a balanced cost structure in which neither housing nor food places significant strain on household budgets. Compared with many global cities, the relatively low food share is particularly notable, as it helps maintain overall affordability despite moderate income levels.
The city’s economic structure plays an important role in supporting this equilibrium. Fukuoka has emerged as a regional hub for technology startups, logistics, and services, while also serving as a gateway between Japan and other Asian markets. Although average wages are lower than in Tokyo or Osaka, the local economy provides sufficient income stability to match the city’s comparatively low cost base. This results in a system where affordability is not driven by high earnings, but by consistently controlled living costs across both housing and food.
Within Japan, Fukuoka compares favorably with larger metropolitan areas. Its USI is lower than cities within the Tokyo commuter belt, such as Yokohama or Saitama, where housing costs rise without a proportional increase in wages. It also performs similarly to other regional centers like Shizuoka, reinforcing the pattern that non-core metropolitan areas in Japan tend to offer stronger affordability outcomes due to lower rent levels.
Internationally, Fukuoka highlights the structural differences between Japan and other developed economies. Its cost burden is significantly lower than that of cities in Canada, where even mid-sized urban areas often exceed a USI of 50. Compared with Australian cities such as Brisbane or Adelaide, Fukuoka achieves lower overall pressure despite having lower average incomes, due to its tightly controlled housing and food costs. This illustrates a distinct affordability model in which balanced cost structures, rather than high wages, are the primary driver of livability.
The Urban Stress Index (USI) measures how much of a typical income is spent on housing and essential food.
USI = Housing burden + Food cost share.
See full methodology here.
Housing data for Japanese cities are based on listings from SUUMO. For each city, housing cost is proxied using the average rent for a 1DK apartment in the administrative ward where the city’s main central station is located. For example, Yokohama uses the average 1DK rent in Nishi Ward, as Yokohama Station is located there. This approach is intended to reflect the rent level most relevant to the city’s main urban core.
Food cost estimates are based on a standardized inexpensive meal benchmark using charcoal-grilled mackerel set meal (さばの炭火焼き) from Ootoya. This benchmark is used instead of Numbeo restaurant prices in order to better reflect everyday dining habits in Japan and provide a more consistent proxy for affordable local meal costs across cities.
Salary data are based on the Japanese government’s 令和６年賃金構造基本統計調査, using きまって支給する現金給与額 (scheduled cash earnings), 男女計 (combined male and female values), as the salary benchmark for each prefecture or relevant labour market area.
For full explanation of assumptions, please see the Methodology and Sources pages.
Other cities in Japan:
Cities with similar affordability outside Japan: