Asahikawa vs Toyama
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Asahikawa edges it, 63 to 62, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Hokkaido's snowy second city of ramen, a famous zoo and big mountains
Full Asahikawa profile →Plan a trip to Asahikawa →Alpine views across the bay and Japan's model tram city
Full Toyama profile →Plan a trip to Toyama →Where they differ
- Climate. Asahikawa leads on climate, 17 to 8, against Toyama. Comfortable months: 2 vs 1.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Asahikawa if you want
- no clear edge over Toyama in the data
Pick Toyama if you want
- no clear edge over Asahikawa in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 26 | 26 |
| Safety | 94 | 94 |
| Healthcare | 92 | 92 |
| Internet | 88 | 89 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 65 | 65 |
| Getting there & around | 21 ✓ | 21 |
| Climate | 17 ✓ | 8 |
| Air quality | 93 ✓ | 90 |
| Quality of life | 74 | 74 |
Cost
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $2,700 | $2,700 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.23 | 0.23 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 87.7 | 87.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 86 | 86 |
| Life expectancy | 83.9 yrs | 83.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 85.8 Mbps | 89.2 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 74.4 Mbps | 88.7 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (Designated Activities) | Digital nomad visa (Designated Activities) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,285/mo | $5,285/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 90 days | 90 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 90 days | 90 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 43 ✓ | 8 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Asahikawa | Toyama |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 8 µg/m³ ✓ | 9.7 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Asahikawa or Toyama?
- Asahikawa and Toyama cost about the same: roughly $2,700 per month for one person.
- Is Asahikawa or Toyama safer?
- Asahikawa and Toyama score the same on safety (94), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Asahikawa or Toyama?
- Toyama: a measured median of 89.2 Mbps versus 85.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.