Is Shizuoka an affordable place to live? A typical resident spends around 16.8% of income on rent and 8.1% on food. That leaves approximately 75.1% of income available for savings and daily expenses.
The Urban Stress Index (USI) provides a structured way to evaluate cost-of-living pressure in Shizuoka. 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 | 339,200 | — |
| Rent (1BR) | 57,000 | 16.8% |
| Essential Food | 27,560 | 8.1% |
| Remaining | 254,640 | 75.1% |
Use our cost of living calculator to estimate your own disposable income in Shizuoka.
Shizuoka records an Urban Stress Index (USI) of 24.93, placing it within the low-pressure range and indicating a relatively affordable cost structure. Housing accounts for approximately 16.8% of income, while essential food costs contribute around 8.1%. These figures reflect a balanced distribution of living expenses, with neither housing nor food exerting excessive pressure on household budgets. As with many Japanese cities, the low food cost share plays a key role in maintaining overall affordability.
The city’s economic profile is characterized by a mix of manufacturing, logistics, and regional services. While average incomes are lower than in major metropolitan areas, the cost of living remains correspondingly subdued. This alignment between wages and expenses creates a stable affordability dynamic in which residents are not significantly burdened by basic living costs. Unlike larger cities where housing demand can drive up rents, Shizuoka benefits from more moderate population pressure, helping to keep housing costs under control.
Within Japan, Shizuoka performs similarly to other regional cities such as Fukuoka, both of which offer lower cost burdens than major metropolitan centers. Its USI is notably below cities in the Tokyo commuter belt, where proximity to the capital leads to higher housing costs without equivalent income gains. Compared with industrial hubs like Nagoya, Shizuoka has slightly higher cost pressure due to lower wages, but still remains within a comfortable affordability range.
In an international context, Shizuoka’s affordability stands in sharp contrast to cities in Canada and Australia. Its overall cost burden is significantly lower than that of Canadian cities, where housing costs typically consume a much larger share of income. Compared with Australian cities, Shizuoka achieves a lower USI despite having lower average earnings, underscoring the effectiveness of Japan’s low-cost structure. This demonstrates how regional cities can maintain strong affordability even without the income advantages seen in larger global economies.
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: