Tokyo has been one of the most expensive cities in the world. According to research conducted by the Static Bureau of Japan in 2018, an average Japanese person who lives in city areas in Japan uses 196,000 yen permonth. If you are a foreigner, more money will be necessary because you don’t know the most reasonable way to live at first.
This article explains the major expenses you should expect when you start to live in Japan. Reading this article surely will help you grasp the money sense you should have in Japan.
Accommodations (utility not included)
The rent in Tokyo has been said very expensive generally, but it really varies depending on the location and the size of the apartment. The rent considerably gets expensive inside of 23 wards, which are normally referred to as the center of Tokyo, while it gets reasonable if the apartment is outside of 23 wards.
Unsurprisingly, even within the 23 wards, the closer to the center of it, the more expensive the rent can be. Plus, the average rent in the wards on the north and west side of Tokyo is normally lower than that on the west and south side of Tokyo. The most expensive wards are Minato, Chiyoda,and Chuo while the cheapest ones are Katsushika, Adachi,and Edogawa.
The average rent for the entire Tokyo (outside of 23 wards included) is about 80,000 yen, though if you want to live close to the center of Tokyo, you should expect the rent to be around 100,000 yen for a single room.
Utility
Unless you choose to live in a share house or monthly apartment, utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, will be added on top of the rent.
Needless to say, the cost depends on how you use them but the average amount would be around 10,000 yen. However, if you work remotely, this cost gets much more than this.
Phone and Internet
Phone
Since the new rule will be applied to the Japanese mobile industory, the average subscription plan will cost around 3,000 yen for 20GBor you can find a cheaper one with a smaller data limit.
The three biggest cell phone careers are NTT, KDDI, SoftBank and they all offer pretty similar plans. If you are planning to live in Tokyo, Rakuten-mobile is the most recommended because they are offering a crazy deal which you can have a phone for free for the first year of the contract and 1,980 yen from the second year.
Internet
If you would like to have internet access at home, either pocket wifi (monthly fees from 2,500 yen) or fiber optic internet (monthly fees from 4,000 yen) will be your option. Optic fibers provide faster internet access than pocket wifi so if you work from home or play video games, you should definitely go with optic fibers.
Food
Groceries
As you imagine, products in local grocery stores in Japan are of good quality. Fish and eggs are fresh enough to eat raw, vegetables are tastier, and meats are carefully taken care of.
However, the prices for most products in groceries are more expensive in Japan than in most countries except for Singapore and Switzerland. Moreover, compared to western countries, each product is much smaller and you can’t buy food by weight.
More Detail: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Tokyo
Restaurants
Food such as noodles (ramen, soba, and udon), donburi (beef donburi), curry rice, and hamburgers are relatively cheaper at restaurants, ranging from 500 yen to 1,000 yen.
These food are more popular for lunch because of their easiness.
If you want to eat out for dinner, the mid-range priced restaurant costs between 1,500 and 3,000 yen, and if you want to drink, you need an extra 1,000 yen. With this amount of budget, you can have almost any kind of food, which is decent enough.
For prime restaurants, the price varies depending on each restaurant, but you should expect between 10,000 and 30,000 yen per person.
On top of these, coffee at an average coffee store sis around 300 yen.
Shopping and Entertainment
There is nothing you can complain about Tokyo’s shopping environment. All kinds of stores are available in the central area, and they are all located next to each other, so it’s walkable.
The price for most products in Japan is pretty similar to that in Western countries.
However, what you should keep in mind is Japanese barbershops are very expensive, costing from 3,000 to 4,000 yenat an average barbershop.
If you don’t mind the quality, you can go to a 1,000 yen-cut store where you can get your hair cut for 1,000 yen by apprentices
When it comes to entertainment, a movie ticket for adults is around 2,000 yen and karaoke in the central area starts from 150 yen for 30 minutes(※on weekdays and one drink order required). Besides these, many events are constantly held every day so you will never get bored.
Transportation
Train
As it’s often said Tokyo has the most convenient train network in the world, you can’t live without trains unless you’re very rich. The trains in Tokyo cover almost all parts of the central area and they depart every 5 minutes so you can go anywhere with trains.
The fee varies based on how far you go and the minimum amount starts from around 130 yen(if you get off at the next station).
Commuters usually purchase a 1~ 6 monthscommuter pass from their home to the workplace or school. It’s common that these passes can be subsidized by the companies people work for.
Bus
Although you might not use buses as much as trains, buses are convenient as well.
Buse’s role is covering areas that don’t have train lines and connecting stations of different lines. Unlike trains, buses can sometimes be late due to traffics
Taxi
Since “Uber” isn’t commonly used in Japan, taxi is still popular here. However, the taxi fee in Japan is probably more expensive than that in most countries. The first km starts from 410 yenand 80 yenwill be added on this every 237m or every 90 seconds. Keep in mind that 5 km costs around 2,000 yen
Car
On top of the cost of the car itself, you will be required to have your car inspected, which costs about 70,000 yen, every two years, owning a car in Japan isn’t a smart move unless you plan to stay for a long term or have a family.
There are many rental-car and car-lease companies in every corner of Tokyo and you can rent a car for one day for around 5,000 yen.
Living Cost in Japan isn’t Cheap
Living cost in Japan is probably more expensive than that in most countries, so it’s really important to have a proper financial plan. Moreover, besides these categories, keep in mind you might need to expect other expenses such as Medical fees and insurance fees
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