Hiroshima, a city reportJapan · population 1,190,000 · index 7.4 of 10

Hiroshima in 200 words.

Hiroshima scored 7.4 on the everycity index in 2026, an upper tier figure built on a 9.2 safety score, strong healthcare, an excellent tram and rail network, and a cost of living well below Tokyo and Osaka. The headline numbers: a central one bedroom rents at 65,000 yen a month, the all in monthly cost lands at 1,500 dollars for a single resident, the personal income tax runs a progressive national scale from 5 percent to 45 percent plus a local resident tax near 10 percent, and the safety score is 9.2 on the same 10 point scale we apply to Tokyo, London, and Singapore.

The case for Hiroshima, in shortest form, is a major Japanese city rebuilt from the atomic bombing of 1945 into the political and economic capital of the Chugoku region, home to the Peace Memorial Park, the floating torii of Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima, the Mazda motor company, and a tram network that survived the war and still defines the streets. It sits ninety minutes from Osaka and under four hours from Tokyo on the bullet train. A single resident covers a full month for 1,500 dollars, a strong value for a city of this size and quality in Japan.

The case against is the shape of a regional Japanese city: a job market for foreigners narrower than Tokyo or Osaka, a language barrier that is real outside the international firms, hot humid summers, and the slow demographic decline that touches all of regional Japan. The data feeding this report comes from our methodology page. For the headline figure with your own weights, the city score generator returns the index number in 30 seconds. For the country view, Japan places Hiroshima on the national table, and Asia sets it alongside Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

A 10 point read on streets, day and night.

Hiroshima scored 9.2 overall, among the safest in the index. The breakdown matters more than the headline.

Set against the rest of the index, Hiroshima reads in the safest tier in the world, measured against Tokyo at 9.6, Osaka at 9.1, Singapore at 9.5, and London at 7.4 on the same scale. Violent crime is rare, lost wallets are returned, and a woman walking alone after dark is the norm rather than the exception. The safest cities ranking and the safety for women ranking track the same axis and place Hiroshima near the top.

Practical notes for new residents: the four categories behind the overall score are the violent crime rate per 100,000, the property crime rate per 100,000, the traffic fatality rate per 100,000, and emergency response time in minutes, drawn from the National Police Agency, the EIU Safe Cities framework, and the Numbeo indices. The main daily risks are natural rather than criminal: the summer typhoon season and the heavy rain that the surrounding hills can turn into landslides. Carry an international policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global for the gap before you enroll in the national health insurance. The full safety method sits on our methodology page, and the family safety ranking shows how Hiroshima places for households.

Who pays, and how much the tax takes back.

Salary medians are May 2026, sourced from Glassdoor, the national statistics office, and OECD wage data. Tax figures are from the national tax agency.

The major employers in Hiroshima are the Mazda motor company, whose headquarters and main plant sit at Fuchu on the eastern edge of the city and anchor a deep automotive supply chain, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipbuilding and machinery works, the wider manufacturing base of the Chugoku region, the regional services and government sector, and the universities. The automotive and heavy industry economy sets the salary band, and the engineer, the manufacturing specialist, and the English teacher are the most common foreign roles. The tax calculator tool is the cleanest way to run a real offer in yen.

Note on tax: Japan runs a progressive national income tax from 5 percent to 45 percent, with a local resident tax near 10 percent billed the year after you arrive and social insurance on top. Read the visa and tax guide 2026 before assuming the headline rate is the take home rate. For benchmarking, the highest paying cities ranking, the cities for tech jobs ranking, and the cities for engineers ranking cover the destinations against which Hiroshima is measured, and Osaka ninety minutes east is where the wider Japanese job market concentrates.

Where to actually live.

7 areas, each with the rent number and a one line verdict.

The neighborhood scores feed our neighborhood matcher tool, which takes your lifestyle inputs and returns the right area within Hiroshima on a 1 to 10 fit. The central wards put you on the tram lines and near the river parks, the northern and western suburbs trade the commute for space and price, and the Astram line and the tram network make a suburban base workable without a car. Japanese leases carry key money, a deposit, and a guarantor requirement, so the rental portal guide and a local agent both matter. For comparable neighborhood guides elsewhere, see Tokyo neighborhoods, Bangkok neighborhoods, and Mumbai neighborhoods.

Schools, if you have kids.

The international school option, the local school option, and the cost of each.

The local public schools are strong and free, taught in Japanese, and the standard route for most resident families, with the language immersion that comes with it. The international school market is smaller than in Tokyo or Osaka: the Hiroshima International School offers an international baccalaureate track in English, with annual fees that run from 1,800,000 to 2,600,000 yen depending on the grade. Hiroshima University, a leading national university, and a cluster of private universities anchor the higher education sector.

The family rating for Hiroshima weights school quality, park access, safety, healthcare, and the cost of a three bedroom home, and the high safety and healthcare scores lift it. See the best cities for families ranking for the full table, the international schools ranking for the curriculum view, and the cities for students ranking for the university angle. The relocating with kids guide covers the admissions calendar, and Babbel is a starting point for the Japanese that daily life and the public schools require.

What makes Hiroshima itself.

The food signatures, the nightlife rating, the cultural calendar.

Hiroshima is a city defined by its rebuilding, the place that rose from the atomic bombing of 1945 to become a global symbol of peace, anchored by the Peace Memorial Park, the preserved Atomic Bomb Dome, and the museum that draws visitors from across the world. Beyond the memorial, the floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima is one of the most photographed sights in Japan, the rebuilt Hiroshima Castle stands at the center, and the Shukkeien garden offers a classic landscape in the heart of the city. The Seto Inland Sea and its islands shape the regional life.

The food is proudly local, led by Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, the layered savory pancake built on noodles and cabbage that the city argues is the true version, plus the oysters that the inland sea farms in quantity and the dipping noodles of the summer. Nightlife scores 6.4 on the 10 point scale, a solid regional scene built on the izakaya alleys of Nagarekawa, the craft beer bars, and the baseball nights when the Hiroshima Carp play. The best cities for nightlife ranking places Hiroshima below Osaka and Tokyo but well ahead of most regional cities.

Tour bookings run cleanest through GetYourGuide, and the cities for history ranking and the cities for foodies ranking cover the heritage and food views for Hiroshima, which scores strongly on both.