Sapporo suits people who want a big city with a subway and are ready for real snow: 479 cm falls in an average year (JMA normals). Private rent averaged ¥54,678 a month in 2023. Residential land averaged ¥117,400/m² in 2026 (+1.1%, down from +2.9%). About 64% of homes are flats. Check the exact address on the city's earthquake and flood maps.
Kyoto suits people who want to live inside a historic, low-rise city: height districts under the 2007 landscape policy set limits from 10 to 31 m (lower in scenic zones), and about 43% of homes are rented. Private rent averaged ¥63,759 a month in 2023. Residential land averaged ¥247,700/m² in 2026 (+3.6%), highest in Kamigyo. Check the hazard map, the machiya rules and, before any home-sharing plan, the city's residential-zone limits.
Fukuoka suits people who want a big-city job market and an airport two subway stops from Hakata, and who are happy in a flat: about 79% of homes are in apartment buildings and 60% are rented. Private rent averaged ¥59,656 a month in 2023. Residential land averaged ¥258,100/m² in 2026 (+7.0%), and Chuo ward is far above the rest. Check the exact address on the city hazard map.
Tokyo's largest ward by population — a vast, quiet, mostly low-rise residential area with three east-west private railways and one north-south tram; rent and energy vary enormously by which station you're near, from lively Shimokitazawa/Sangenjaya to quiet family streets further out.
