🇯🇵 Japan · A realistic 2026 budget for newcomers — rent, food, transport, and what a month actually costs.
Wondering how far your salary goes in Kobe? Here’s what everyday life costs, in local prices — the numbers that matter when you’re deciding to move or negotiating a package.
What things cost
One-bed flat, central (Sannomiya, Motomachi, Chūō-ku)JPY 70,000–100,000 / month
One-bed flat, hillside or western wards (Kita, Suma, Tarumi)JPY 42,000–65,000 / month
Utilities and internet, one personJPY 12,000–19,000 / month
Commuter pass, Sannomiya to UmedaJPY 8,000–12,000 / month, normally reimbursed by employers
Good to know
Population
≈1.49 million and slowly falling — Kobe has been overtaken by Fukuoka and Kawasaki and the city treats the decline as a policy problem
Languages
Japanese in Kansai dialect, softer than Osaka's. Kobe has Japan's longest-established foreign communities, so English, Chinese and Korean are more present than the size suggests
Currency
Japanese yen (JPY)
Time zone
JST (GMT+9) — Japan does not observe daylight saving
Power plug
Type A and B, 100 V at 60 Hz — the western grid, as in Osaka and Nagoya but not Tokyo
Climate
Humid subtropical, moderated by the Inland Sea — hot humid summers, a June rainy season, September typhoons, and mild winters with the Rokkō wind
Driving side
Left. Crossing the Rokkō range to the northern wards means a toll tunnel or a long detour
Directions
Locals say yama-gawa and umi-gawa — mountain side and sea side — rather than north and south, because the city is a three-kilometre strip
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.
A note on budgeting
Rent is usually the swing factor — location and whether bills are included move the number most. Build your estimate from the rent band above, add a monthly living figure, and keep a buffer for one-off setup costs (deposits, a residence permit, a local SIM, first-month transport). Globe Quest turns this into a personalized Kobe checklist so nothing setup-related catches you off guard.
Plan your move to Kobe
A free, AI-personalized plan — the language, culture, and setup steps timed to your move date.