Yokohama, the gateway port of modern Japan city reportJapan · population 3.77 million · index 8.0 of 10

Yokohama in 200 words.

Yokohama scored 8.0 on the everycity index in 2026. The headline reading is the post 1859 foreign settlement heritage anchored by the Minato Mirai waterfront, the second largest city in Japan, and the densest fiber infrastructure in the world. The headline numbers: rent on a one bedroom apartment in the central neighborhoods runs 135,000 yen, the monthly all in cost lands at 2,420 dollars for a single resident, the safety score is 8.8 on the same 10 point scale we apply to Tokyo, London, and Singapore, and the median fixed internet speed is 420 Mbps.

The case for Yokohama is named in the cost table in section 2, the safety read in section 3, and the verdict in section 12. The case against, when there is one, is also named in section 12. The numbers run by category. If you want the comparison view, start with the related comparisons at the bottom of this page, then return for the deep read.

The data feeding this report comes from our methodology page, with primary sources at the bottom of the page. Numbers are May 2026 unless stated otherwise. Currency is the Japanese yen, with USD conversion in parentheses where the original is not the dollar. For the country context, Japan places Yokohama on the national table; for the regional context, Asia places it on the continental table.

One reading note. This is the long form report. If you only want the headline numbers, the city score generator returns the index figure with custom weights in 30 seconds. If you want the comparison view across two cities, the bottom of this page lists the most useful pairings for Yokohama. If you want the cost converter from your current city, the cost converter tool handles the math against 2,420 dollar a month as the Yokohama baseline.

For new readers: this report sits inside Volume 04 of the everycity atlas, our 2026 issue. The methodology has been refreshed against the May 2026 Numbeo, Mercer, and OECD data drops, with primary source rechecks in March and April 2026. Where the numbers conflict, we use the lower of the published values for cost and the higher for risk. The next refresh ships August 2026. For ongoing updates on this report specifically, see the Yokohama changelog.

A 10 point read on streets, day and night.

Yokohama scored 8.8 overall. The breakdown matters more than the headline.

Yokohama rates as one of the highest safety scores of any major global city on the EIU Safe Cities Index 2024 and the Japanese National Police Agency data, with violent crime per capita rates at 28 per 100,000 residents against the global tier 1 city average of 320 per 100,000. The post war Japanese low crime equilibrium has held in Yokohama through 2025 and into May 2026 with no notable trend break. Crime against foreign professionals is rare, with the most common incidents concentrated in the Noge late night drinking corridor for petty theft and the Kannai entertainment district for the rare alcohol related dispute.

Practical notes for new residents: violent crime against foreign professionals is statistically negligible across all neighborhoods listed in section 6; the most common scams target the late night drinking corridor and the tourist areas in Chinatown during the festival weekends. The Japanese public safety equilibrium is structural to the daily rhythm, and the lost wallet returned through the police koban network is a documented experience for most residents. Carry an international policy from SafetyWing for the first six months while your local National Health Insurance coverage activates. The full safety methodology is on our methodology page.

The four categories that make up the overall safety score are: violent crime, property crime, traffic safety, and emergency response time. Yokohama is strongest on violent crime and emergency response time, weakest on the limited but documented petty theft in the late night entertainment districts. The Yokohama safety deep dive walks the four categories with the underlying data from the Japanese National Police Agency. The solo female safety ranking and family safety ranking show how Yokohama compares on those axes specifically.

Who pays, and how much the tax takes back.

Salary medians are May 2026, sourced from Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and OECD wage data. Tax figures are from the official revenue authority.

The major employers in Yokohama are: Nissan Motor Company headquarters (the global HQ moved from Tokyo to Yokohama Minato Mirai in 2009, 5,000 corporate employees), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (the Yokohama dockyard and shipbuilding facility), Yokohama Rubber (Yokohama Goodyear), JGC Holdings, Nippon Yusen NYK Lines, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, the Yokohama City Government, Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus, Yokohama City University Medical School, Yokohama National University, the Sony Electronics Yokohama R and D center, the Apple Japan headquarters that moved to Minato Mirai in 2017, the Murata Manufacturing electronics R and D campus, the BMW Japan headquarters, the Volvo Cars Japan operation, the Bayer Yakuhin Japan headquarters, the Dentsu Yokohama branch, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center (the largest in Japan), and the Yokohama F Marinos J League football club. The full take home math is sensitive to deductions, the tax calculator tool is the cleanest way to run the numbers on a real offer. For benchmarking against other cities, the highest paying cities ranking covers the major destinations.

Note on tax: Japanese personal income tax runs progressive 5 to 45 percent across seven national brackets, with the top rate kicking in above 40 million yen of annual taxable income; the local resident tax adds a flat 10 percent on prior year taxable income, plus the social security contributions of 15 percent split between employer and employee. The yen has held in a 145 to 158 range against the dollar through 2025 and into May 2026 after the Bank of Japan rate normalization that began in March 2024. Most relocating professionals land somewhere between the second and the top bracket depending on the offer. Run your number against the actual offer, not the headline rate.

Working culture in Yokohama is its own variable. Hours, hierarchy, and weekend expectations vary widely by sector. The local norms and the international firm norms can differ by ten to fifteen hours a week. The Yokohama working culture guide covers the specifics. The shorter version: a finance role expects 55 hours, a tech role 45, a creative or media role varies wildly. Read the relocation checklist for the items the recruiters skip.

Career mobility for the relocated worker, particularly the foreign passport holder, depends on the visa class. The standard employment visa ties you to the sponsoring employer; the longer term residency routes vary by country. The career growth ranking tracks the pattern across the cities in this issue, and the Japan employment visa guide covers the renewal and conversion paths.

One more lens. The dual income household question. The spouse work permit story varies by country and visa class; in many cases the dependent visa does not grant work rights and the spouse needs a separate sponsored visa to work legally. The spouse visa guide covers the 30 most common destination cities. Half the families we surveyed in 2026 underestimated this and lost six to twelve months of dual income because of it.

The system, the cost, the wait.

Healthcare scored 8.4 on a 10 point scale. The methodology weights access, cost, and outcomes equally.

National Health Insurance NHI universal coverage through the Japanese health system covers all residents at 30 percent point of service cost (10 percent for elderly above 70) with the monthly premium tied to prior year income at 6 to 8 percent of gross. Major hospitals include Yokohama City University Hospital, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Yokohama Rosai Hospital, Yokohama Minami Kyosai Hospital, Yokohama Sakae Kyosai Hospital, Keio University Hospital (in nearby Tokyo, 40 minutes by train), and the Saiseikai Yokohamashi Tobu Hospital

For new arrivals: pick up an interim international policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global while your residency papers process. Once you are on the local system, switch to a local private health plan from one of the major national insurers. The double cover is the most common mistake new residents make, and it costs an extra 400 to 1,100 dollars a year. The expat insurance guide covers the trade off in detail.

Dental and vision typically sit outside the main coverage in most systems. Dental cleaning runs 35 to 110 dollars, a filling 60 to 220 dollars, a single tooth implant 1,400 to 3,800 dollars, an annual eye exam 30 to 95 dollars in this market. Cross check the Yokohama dental care guide before booking. For prescription medication, the local pharmacy network covers most needs; the import restrictions on certain controlled substances vary by country and are worth checking before you fly with a personal supply.

Mental health services are still thinner than the rest of the medical stack across most cities on the index. Expect six to twelve month waits for non urgent appointments with the busiest English speaking psychiatrists; private cover with online therapy platforms collapses that to one to two weeks at the cost of 35 to 140 dollars per session depending on the provider. The expat mental health guide covers what private and public look like across our top 50 cities, and which insurance plans actually cover therapy without a 50 percent copay.

Walk, ride, or drive.

Walkability 8.4, transit 9.0, bike 7.4. Car needed: No.

Yokohama runs the JR East railway lines (Yokohama, Negishi, Yokosuka, Tokaido), the Tokyu Toyoko Line, the Sotetsu Line, the Keikyu Main Line, the Yokohama Minatomirai Line, the Yokohama Subway Blue Line, and the Yokohama Subway Green Line connecting the city to Tokyo (28 minutes to Shinagawa) and the surrounding Kanagawa Prefecture; the fare is 160 to 290 yen for a single ride depending on distance and operator, with the Suica and Pasmo IC cards covering all systems. The Yokohama bus network adds 138 lines. A typical central ride on Uber or the local Go ride hail app runs 800 to 1,800 yen.

The walkability score of 8.4 reflects the structural reality on the ground. The neighborhoods listed in section 6 vary substantially on walkability within the city; the central neighborhood typically scores one to two points above the citywide figure. Bike commuting depends as much on cultural acceptance and infrastructure as on the headline weather and topography. For relocation scouting trips and the first two weeks, a rental from Discover Cars covers most needs at 35 to 90 dollars a day.

Yokohama is served by Haneda Airport HND 22 km north (35 minutes by Keikyu Airport Line, 470 yen) and by Narita Airport NRT 80 km northeast (90 minutes by Narita Express, 4,500 yen). Haneda handles the bulk of the daily international and domestic travel from Yokohama, with full connectivity to all major global destinations through JAL, ANA, and the foreign carriers. The Yokohama Airport Limousine bus service runs direct to both airports from Yokohama Station and Minato Mirai. For frequent flyers, the best airport cities ranking tracks connectivity across the 100 cities that matter for the global business traveler.

Internet, visas, and where to plug in.

Median internet speed 420 Mbps. Coworking density: 85 spaces. Japan launched the digital nomad visa in March 2024 allowing 6 month stays for remote workers earning JPY 10 million a year or equivalent, but the visa is not renewable beyond the 6 months and does not lead to longer term residency; the standard employment visa requires employer sponsorship through Immigration Services Agency, the Highly Skilled Professional visa offers fast track residency for the 70 point qualifying scorecard.

Internet in Yokohama runs at a median fixed speed of 420 Mbps through NTT Hikari Fiber, KDDI au Hikari, Sony NURO Fiber (the fastest gigabit residential fiber in Japan), and the local Yokohama Communication Network; the gigabit fiber rollout reached 95 percent of urban households by end of 2025 making Yokohama and the greater Tokyo region the densest fiber infrastructure in the world. Mobile 5G coverage is full from NTT Docomo, KDDI au, SoftBank, and Rakuten Mobile across the city. For a privacy layer on local networks, NordVPN remains the cleanest option we have tested. The best cities for remote work ranking covers the full table.

For coworking specifically, the density figure of 85 spaces hides a wide quality range. The premium operators in any city tend to cluster around the central business district and the prime expat neighborhoods, while the mid market operators serve the working freelancer at a third of the premium price. The Yokohama coworking guide tracks the specific operators with the floor plans and the monthly numbers. The best cities for digital nomads ranking keeps the macro view, with Yokohama placed on the same axis as Bangkok, Bali, and Lisbon for direct comparison.