Which is cheaper, Kyoto or Yokohama?

Yokohama is cheaper: about $2,700 per month versus $2,700 for one person.

Is Kyoto or Yokohama safer?

Kyoto scores higher on safety (94 vs 94), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

Where is the internet faster, Kyoto or Yokohama?

Kyoto: a measured median of 88.4 Mbps versus 77.1 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

Kyoto vs Yokohama

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Yokohama edges it, 68 to 68, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Kyoto is stronger on nothing outright; Yokohama on getting there & around. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Kyoto

out of 100

Temples, tea and a slower Japan

Full Kyoto profile →Plan a trip to Kyoto →

Yokohama

out of 100

Japan's second city: a calmer, cheaper neighbour of Tokyo on the bay

Full Yokohama profile →Where to stay in Yokohama →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

Metric	Kyoto	Yokohama
Cost of living	21	21
Safety	94	94
Healthcare	92	92
Internet	89 ✓	86
Visa ease	65	65
Getting there & around	74	85 ✓
Climate	17 ✓	8
Air quality	87	87
Quality of life	74	74

Cost

Metric	Kyoto	Yokohama
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	Kyoto	Yokohama
Homicides per 100k	0.23	0.23
Political stability (0–100)	87.7	87.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)	86	86
Life expectancy	84.5 yrs	84.5 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

Metric	Kyoto	Yokohama
Download	88.4 Mbps ✓	77.1 Mbps
Upload	86.9 Mbps ✓	71 Mbps

Visa

Metric	Kyoto	Yokohama
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	Kyoto	Yokohama
Non-stop airport destinations	80	161 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)	4	4
Transit (1–5, editorial)	4	5 ✓

Climate and air

Metric	Kyoto	Yokohama
Comfortable months per year	2 ✓	1
Annual mean PM2.5	10.9 µg/m³	10.9 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kyoto or Yokohama?: Yokohama is cheaper: about $2,700 per month versus $2,700 for one person.
Is Kyoto or Yokohama safer?: Kyoto scores higher on safety (94 vs 94), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kyoto or Yokohama?: Kyoto: a measured median of 88.4 Mbps versus 77.1 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.