Livability Report
ChibaLivability Score
Chiba·Pop. 994,846
Chiba City faces Tokyo Bay to the west. About one eighth of its area is reclaimed land, and behind it a flat plateau with an average elevation of 21 m rises gently toward the east. Chiba Prefecture was established in 1873 with its government in Chiba Town, and the arrival of railways made it the prefecture's center and a transport hub. After the war the city invited Kawasaki Steel and Tokyo Electric Power onto reclaimed bayside land, turning itself into a production city, and the Makuhari New City District was built on reclaimed land off Makuhari. Chiba Tsuneshige is said to have moved his base near Inohana in 1126 and taken the name Chiba, and the city marks 900 years since its founding in 2026.
Published 2026-03-07 · Article updated 2026-10-20 · Data updated 2026-10-20
Where in Japan
Overall Score
40.2
38.4
51.2
53.5
66.4* These scores are based on statistical analysis of public data and do not represent a definitive assessment of any area. Actual livability varies depending on individual values and lifestyle.
5-axis scores
Safety40.2Cost38.4Convenience51.2Welfare53.5Economy66.4Basic Information
Population
994,846
Prefecture
Chiba
Q&A with Kai
Alex, Yuki, and Kai discuss what it's really like to live here.
From prefectural seat to bayside industry and Makuhari
Yuki
How did Chiba City come to take its present shape?
Alex
How is the reclaimed land along the bay used today?
Yuki
Does the city's older history survive, including where its name comes from?
Kai
Chiba Prefecture was established in 1873 with its government in Chiba Town, and railways made it the prefectural center. After years as a military town, it was incorporated in 1921, and two 1945 air raids burned roughly seven tenths of the center. Postwar it drew Kawasaki Steel and Tokyo Electric Power to reclaimed land, becoming a designated city in 1992.
Crime figures driven by theft, especially bicycle theft
Alex
If I want to check safety in numbers, what should I look at?
Yuki
What kinds of offenses make up that figure?
Alex
How useful is this figure when choosing where to live?
Kai
The Chiba Prefectural Police publish finalized 2025 Penal Code offense counts by municipality and offense type, and Chiba City is listed. In 2025 the city recorded 7,287 offenses, or 7.32 per 1,000 residents, higher than the median of Japan's major municipalities. A lower crime rate is better, so read this figure with care. The safety score is 40.2.
Land and rent are both higher, so the cost score is low
Alex
If I bought a house, what would land cost?
Alex
What about rent if I rent instead?
Yuki
In terms of terrain, where do the residential areas spread?
Kai
In the 2026 official land price survey, average residential land is 149,739 yen per m², higher than the median of Japan's major municipalities. It is a simple average of residential survey points, so differences between bayside and plateau are smoothed out. Lower land prices mean a lighter burden, so budget generously. The cost score is 38.4.
Strong rail and monorail, but thin shop density
Alex
Can I commute to work or school by train or bus?
Yuki
What other ways are there to get around inside the city?
Alex
Are shops and restaurants within easy reach of daily life?
Kai
In the 2020 census, 39.03% of people commuted to work or school by rail or bus, a public transit share higher than the median of Japan's major municipalities. The JNR Keiyo Line opened between Chibaminato and Nishi-Funabashi in 1986, and the Keisei Chihara Line opened as Chiba Kyuko between Chiba-Chuo and Omoridai. Makuhari-Toyosuna Station opened in March 2023.
Medical facilities are average, schools are dense across habitable land
Alex
Are hospitals and clinics easy to find nearby?
Yuki
Where do you turn at night or in an emergency?
Alex
How does the number of schools compare with the size of the city?
Kai
The 2023 Survey of Medical Institutions counts 7.69 hospitals and general clinics per 10,000 residents, an average level among Japan's major municipalities: 48 hospitals and 717 clinics. Facilities divided by population do not show how easy it is to get seen. Aoba and Kaihin municipal hospitals are regional medical support and disaster base hospitals; Kaihin is also a perinatal center.
Income is higher and more people move in than out
Yuki
What is the income level of people living here?
Alex
Is the population growing or shrinking?
Yuki
What kinds of workplaces does the city have?
Kai
In the 2025 survey on municipal tax assessment, taxable income per taxpayer is 4,158,338 yen, higher than the median of Japan's major municipalities. It is a figure typical of a city where people commuting toward Tokyo overlap with people working within the city. The economy score is 66.4, and the overall score is 52.6.
Slightly more residents than registered
Yuki
Do the registered population and the number actually living here differ?
Alex
How should I read that value in terms of everyday life?
Kai
They do. The residency rate is a supplementary indicator dividing census population by resident register population, and for Chiba City it is 100.84% for 2025. The census counted 994,846 people, while the register as of January 1, 2026 shows 986,605, so slightly more people live here than are registered. This indicator is not used in the five axis scores.
Who this city suits
Families with children
Each ward has a child and family center and the child medical expense subsidy, and elementary, junior high and high schools are dense at 0.92 per km² of habitable land. Points to watch: average rent is high at 59,827 yen a month and larger layouts cost more, and with more than seven in ten offenses being theft, led by bicycle theft, children's school bicycles need careful management.
Young singles
With 39.03% commuting by rail or bus, the Keiyo Line and the monorail make the center and the Tokyo direction easy to reach. Points to watch: rent is on the higher side, and restaurants are thin at 2.63 per 1,000 residents, so dining options are limited in residential areas away from stations.
Seniors
Hospitals and general clinics number 7.69 per 10,000 residents, Aoba and Kaihin municipal hospitals are designated regional medical support hospitals, and night-time emergency care runs inside Kaihin. Points to watch: from the plateau estates you descend to the center by monorail or bus, so check the slopes and distance to the station or stop before moving in.
Remote workers
Average residential land is 149,739 yen per m², and the city offers the Sumai no Concierge vacant-house desk and a vacant-house guidebook. Points to watch: the reclaimed bayside and the inland plateau differ in terrain and era, so rather than judging by the average land price, check the assumptions of the earthquake and storm hazard maps for each candidate site.
Disaster risk and hazard maps
Chiba City publishes hazard maps for various disasters through the web version of the Chiba City Earthquake and Storm Hazard Map. Tsunami, flood, storm surge and landslide information is reflected after prefectural designation, so it may not be the latest, and some hazards come in two versions, a planned scale and the maximum assumed scale. The earthquake hazard map assumes an earthquake directly beneath Chiba City, and the landslide map shows landslide warning zones, special warning zones and shelters. A map of past inundation records and English and Chinese web versions are also available, and flood hazard maps must now be used in explanations during real estate transactions. The prefecture's Tokyo Bay storm surge inundation map shows inundation depths assuming the maximum conceivable storm surge. Check down to your exact street address with the city's official maps and the GSI overlay hazard map.
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Detailed Data
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Crime Rate (per 1,000) | 7.33 | 2025 |
| Avg. Land Price (¥/m²) | 149,739 | 2026 |
| Avg. Rent (¥) | 59,827 | 2023 |
| Public Transit Usage (%) | 39.0 | 2020 |
| Retail Establishments | 4,616 | 2021 |
| Retail Establishments (per 1,000) | 4.64 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments | 2,617 | 2021 |
| Restaurant Establishments (per 1,000) | 2.63 | 2021 |
| Residency Rate (%, census ÷ resident register) | 100.8 | 2025 |
| Medical Facilities (per 10,000, hospitals + clinics) | 7.69 | 2023 |
| Hospitals | 48 | 2023 |
| Hospitals (per 10,000) | 0.48 | 2023 |
| Clinics | 717 | 2023 |
| Clinics (per 10,000) | 7.21 | 2023 |
| Schools (elementary + junior high + high) | 198 | 2024 |
| Schools (per 1,000) | 0.199 | 2024 |
| Schools (per habitable km²) | 0.919 | 2024 |
| Taxable Income per Capita (¥) | 4,158,338 | 2025 |
| Net Migration | 6,031 | 2025 |
| Net Migration Rate (%) | 0.61 | 2025 |
| Total Population | 994,846 | 2025 |
| crime_count | 7,287 | 2025 |
| crime_count_pref | 39,976 | 2025 |
| crime_rate_pref_per_1000 | 6 | 2025 |
| habitable_area_km2 | 215 | 2024 |
| resident_registry_population | 986,605 | 2026 |
Data sources
| Indicator | Source | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 2025 Population CensusStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2025 | |
| Crime Rate (per 1,000) | Reported penal code offenses by municipalityChiba Prefectural Police | 2025 | Counted where offenses occur; per 1,000 uses the 2025 census population |
| Avg. Land Price (¥/m²) | Official land prices (National Land Numerical Information L01)Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | 2026 | Residential sites only; simple average of sites |
| Avg. Rent (¥) | 2023 Housing and Land SurveyStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2023 | Monthly rent of rented housing; next survey in 2028 |
| Public Transit Usage (%) | 2020 Population Census (means of commuting)Statistics Bureau of Japan | 2020 | To be updated when the 2025 census commuting tables are published |
| Retail Establishments (per 1,000) | 2021 Economic Census for Business ActivityMIC and METI | 2021 | Next survey in 2026 |
| Restaurant Establishments (per 1,000) | 2021 Economic Census for Business ActivityMIC and METI | 2021 | Next survey in 2026 |
| Medical Facilities (per 10,000, hospitals + clinics) | Survey of Medical Institutions (System of Social and Demographic Statistics)Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | 2023 | Hospitals and clinics combined |
| Schools (per habitable km²) | School Basic Survey and habitable area (System of Social and Demographic Statistics)MEXT and Statistics Bureau of Japan | 2024 | Elementary, junior high and high schools per habitable km² |
| Taxable Income per Capita (¥) | Survey on municipal tax assessmentMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 2025 | Taxable income per taxpayer |
| Net Migration Rate (%) | Report on Internal MigrationStatistics Bureau of Japan | 2025 | |
| Residency Rate (%, census ÷ resident register) | Census population ÷ resident register populationMinistry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 2025 | Resident register population as of January 1, 2026 |
Sources (21)
- Chiba City Council Secretariat, City Administration Overview FY2025
- Chiba City, 900th anniversary of the founding of Chiba
- Chiba City, Kasori Shell Mounds (Special Historic Site)
- Chiba City, Information on the Chiba Monorail
- Chiba City, Child and Family Center (maternal and child health)
- Chiba City, Child medical expense subsidy
- Chiba City, Vacant house measures
- Chiba City, Earthquake and Storm Hazard Map
- Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Bay coast storm surge inundation map (depth)
- Chiba Prefectural Police, Crime occurrence (Penal Code offenses), finalized 2025
- Chiba Prefectural Police, Penal Code offenses by municipality and offense type
- Chiba City, Crime occurrence in the city and its features
- e-Stat 2025 Population Census, basic tabulation (0004065881)
- e-Stat 2023 Housing and Land Survey, rent of rented housing (0004021452)
- e-Stat 2020 Population Census, means of commuting (0003454513)
- e-Stat 2021 Economic Census for Business Activity (0004005684)
- e-Stat System of Social and Demographic Statistics, Survey of Medical Institutions (0000020209)
- e-Stat System of Social and Demographic Statistics, School Basic Survey and habitable area (0000020205)
- e-Stat Report on Internal Migration (0003419945)
- National Land Numerical Information, Official Land Prices L01 (MLIT)
- MIC, Survey on municipal tax assessment
Data years: mainly 2025 (2020–2026 by indicator)
Published 2026-03-07 · Article updated 2026-10-20 · Data updated 2026-10-20