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Cost of living

 
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elizabeth



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2003 9:50 am    Post subject: Cost of living Reply with quote

Hi,

Nice new board!!!

I will be in Japan shortly and trying to do my maths!!! I realise that this figure will vary a lot. What do you think of these figures?

My salary will be 250,000 yen p.m.
My apartment will cost 50,000 yen p.m.

These are my predictions per month in Yen:

TAX 13,000
INSURANCE 2,500
BASIC BILLS (excluding telephone, internet etc) so electric, gas, heating, water etc 15,500
SAVE 75,000 (i don't smoke and eat-out/drink seldom)
TRANSPORT zero (my school is providing me with a car/gas)
FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, CLOTHES, TRAVEL etc 90,000

p.s. I will be living in a small city 4 hours from Tokyo.
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matko



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 43

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2003 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey there Elizabeth!
Your figures look all right. I say that 75, 000 shouldn't be a problem. Sometimes a liitle more, sometimes a little less. Travelling is what I find kills the budget pretty quick. And I mean even small trips within Japan. Anyway, I say no problem! Plus, if you get a few privates on the side you're laughing!
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2003 12:32 pm    Post subject: my figures Reply with quote

Elizabeth,

I'd like to echo matko's remarks. I've done a breakdown analysis of expenses for life in Sapporo (where I live), and I come out with a figure of about 115,000 left after you pay the necessary bills and taxes from a 250,000 yen salary. Things vary from city to city, so you're pretty close. Let me know by email if you want my figures.
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 5:05 am    Post subject: Projected budget for Tokyo Reply with quote

I'm starting work in April, probably in Tokyo or Chiba Prefecture. I looked at my budget from my previous stay in Japan in 99-00, and figured on this breakdown.

Rent 70,000
Food 35,000
Trans 15,000
Util. 15,000
Keitai 10,000
Internet 10,000
House 10,000
Clothing 5,000

Before all the fun stuff, I'll have to budget for about Y170,000 living expenses. You'll see that I've guessed that I'll spend 15,000 a month on transportation - the company pays me for commuting, but I'll probably be getting out a lot. Train fares are expensive in Japan.

If you don't know already, keitai means keitai denwa, or celular phone. I'm intending to rely on one for messaging and calls and not have a land line. I'm hoping that I can get a newer building so that I can use cable or ADSL for Internet connection.

If anybody thinks my numbers are too high or two low, please let me know. I'd appreciate any advice from Tokyo residents.


Last edited by TokyoLiz on Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:08 am; edited 1 time in total
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elizabeth



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 6:03 am    Post subject: to Glenski Reply with quote

Thanks for your replies Smile

One question for Glenski; you came up with a figure of 115,000, is that savings per month or expenses per month (utilities before food and social stuff?)
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 11:34 am    Post subject: my figures Reply with quote

"about 115,000 left after you pay the necessary bills and taxes "

This is how much you have remaining after you pay for things you HAVE to pay for. How much you save from this depends on what other things you spend money on. For example...

newspapers
cable TV
satellite TV
Internet charges
long distance phone bills
snacks
videos
movies
restaurants and bars
taxis not covered by your company's transportation account
books and magazines
and more
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mc



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 90
Location: Aichi, Japan

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think that 10,000/mo for the Internet is too high. There are a lot more providers offering cable/ADSL/broadband connections these days, so there's more competitive pricing. One can expect to pay between 3000 and 5000 per month for unlimited access (depending on location, ISP, etc.).

-MC
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 5:20 am    Post subject: Hey, that's nice to hear! Reply with quote

MC wrote -

Quote:
One can expect to pay between 3000 and 5000 per month for unlimited access (depending on location, ISP, etc.)


Wow, things have changed since I was last there two years ago. Thanks for the info.

Liz, who's going to Japan for the sushi, not the money.
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ne01



Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Posts: 23

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Question i have some questions regarding costs in japan. i know these are general questions, but any approx. would be appreciated.

how much is it to:

-use an internet cafe

-buy a ketai and the monthly costs as well (no camera but with email access. probably kddi or j-phone)

-buy a phone line from someone else. i don't want to buy a new one from ntt as i've heard it's "totemo takai!"

-adsl 'net access (including initial set up & modem. any provider)

-train travel (weekly in tokyo)

arigatou gozaimasu (^o^)
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TokyoLiz



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 7:12 pm    Post subject: Communications costs Reply with quote

Neo1.

Here's the url for Docomo service in Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa, Ibaraki, Chiba.

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/index.shtml

The billing plans look like cricket diagrams, but it will give you an idea of costs.

I don't know a lot about transportation and ADSL in Tokyo - could somebody else volunteer some info?

Danke, arigatoo

Liz, who is going for the sushi, not the money.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 10:16 pm    Post subject: facts and figures Reply with quote

Internet cafes will run you 400 to 1000 yen per half hour. The rates vary considerably.

Keitai denwas cost anything from zero yen to 10,000 yen. That's just for the phone. Japanese people are very fashion-conscious, so they dump last year's model in favor of the new ones and pay more. That makes the old models (just a year old,mind you) about 800 yen. Service charges per month are about 4000 yen, plus whatever you run up on each phone call/email/Internet access. Practically all of the phones these days have cameras.

If you have to buy a phone line, the standard cost is about 70,000 yen. But, you keep this no matter where you move in Japan. I wouldn't move into an apartment that my employer set up if he didn't have a phone line installed. Basic stuff that should've been in place from previous teachers living there. Expats leaving the country sell their lines at whatever they can get; I've seen ads for 30,000 to 50,000 yen.

ADSL (broadband service) runs about 3000-5000 per month. This includes your regular phone service, too. Setup charges are roughly 2000-3000 yen. (Just got mine last week.)

Train travel in Tokyo... Haven't lived there in ages, but just what exactly are you talking about? It'll probably cost about 200 yen just to go a stop or two. It depends on the line you use. You can buy weekly or other types of discount passes.
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azarashi sushi



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 562
Location: Shinjuku

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2003 10:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding mobile phones... As Glenski said, the Japanese are very fashion conscious... Once you've been living in Tokyo for a while you won't be able to make it through the day anymore unless you have the latest model everything. The latest model DoCoMo phone is about 32 000 but if you're not worried about that, then J-Phone will give you a slightly older model phone for 0 yen. DoCoMo have the nicest phones (with English menu) but J-Phone is by far cheaper. DoCoMo will charge you to send and receive e-mails but you can send and receive short messages on J-Phone (skymail) for free. The company AU (which uses CDMA) also have nice phones and are cheaper than DoCoMo.
If you sign up with J-Phone for one year, they will give you a 10% discount on your monthly bill.

Train travel in Tokyo can quickly add up. An average fare is about 160 yen but if you change trains then you're looking at at least 190 or 210. IF you change trains AND change companies (ie from JR to a Toei / Eidan subway train or Odakyu or Keio line) then you will have to buy two tickets. The private companies are cheaper than JR although the minimum fare on the subway is 160. Minimum fare on Tokyu line trains is 120 yen... So a trip with a change of train companies is at least 300 yen. If you are doing this everyday, it quickly adds up. Proportionately it doesn't get any cheaper to travel a longer distance... It just gets more expensive.

I hope this helps.
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azarashi sushi



Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Posts: 562
Location: Shinjuku

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2003 4:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ne01... I just read your message again... In addition to what I said before regarding train travel in Tokyo... You can get a weekly or monthly pass... You will save a bit of money by using one although they generally aren't the great bargains they are in other parts of the world. They are generally limited to travel between two stations on the one line. If you make at least one return trip a day, five days a week, you will save a little bit of money. It's worth it for the convenience of not having to buy a ticket each time though. However if you are changing trains AND train companies, you will still need to buy an additional ticket or train pass. For example, if you lived in Ikebukuro and worked in Chofu (it's quite a long way) you could get a train pass from Ikebukuro to Shinjuku ( about 4000 or 5000 per month I think ) but then you would have to buy another ticket for the Keio line to Chofu which is 230 yen. You can do your own math from there. Most employers reimburse transpoprt costs though.

Another option for travel on JR train lines is a "Suica" card. it's like a debit card. You deposit money on the card and swipe it at the ticket gate and it automatically deducts the fare. By doing this you save about 10% on the standard fare.

Regarding phones and internet... I have never used an internet cafe in Tokyo but I know for a fact that there are some in Shinjuku which are ALOT cheaper than 400 yen per half hour... I couldn't tell you how much though. Another option for home internet use is getting cable ... Set up can be a bit pricey but it's great to have. I pay 7000 per month for cable TV and unlimited internet access. Bear in mind that with a dial-up connection you will be charged for the phone line time (10 yen per 3 minutes or something like that) aswell as the internet time. So in the long run, cable will pay off (if you use the internet alot).

GAMBATTE!

Azarashi sushi
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Brooks



Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1369
Location: Sagamihara

PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2003 5:05 am    Post subject: utilities and keitai and NTT Reply with quote

I live in Kanagawa Ken, just 2 stops away from Tokyo. I pay more for electricity in the winter and the summer. It depends on the weather, but I just got my electric bill and it was between 5,000 and 6,000 yen.
For water I pay 1,040 yen every month, and for gas it is less than 2,000 a month. I don`t cook much so my gas bill is less than other people.

There are four kinds of cell phones in Japan: Docomo, J-Phone, AU, and Tuka. The more you use the phone, the more it costs. J-Phone has many monthly plans to choose from. In the future J-Phone will have more info in English, but it has not started yet.

For NTT, I paid less than 3,000 yen to set it up and the monthly charge is less than 3,000 yen per month. I used to hear that it used to be 70,000 or so up front, but since NTT must compete with the cell phone companies, their prices have fallen.
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