Job Discussion Forums

[JerkyBoy]

According to this survey Tokyo is confirmed as world's most expensive city.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9847620/UK-rises-up-the-rankings-of-the-worlds-most-expensive-cities.html

Can you give me some real life examples? I know about rents, etc. but what about day to day? Give me an idea.

Transport, food, clothing, etc.

[Glenski]

Clothes? I wouldn't expect you'd be buying much along those lines.

Food. That covers restaurants and supermarkets. McDonalds has its burger set meals around 600-700 yen. Noodle shops will offer a bowl for 300-600 yen. Low end restaurants like Victoria Station (similar to a Denny's) have meals less than 1000 yen. Convenience stores offer bentos around 400-500 yen. Supermarket prices, well, what do you want to know? Chicken goes for 45-100 yen per 100gm. Milk is 150-180 yen/liter. Bread can be 150-200 yen for half a dozen slices. Eggs run 90-150 yen for 10 (no dozens here).

Transportation.
Taxis start around 600-700 yen for the lowest fare. Buses might also start as low as 200 yen. Subways might be 130 yen for one stop, then on a sliding scale thereafter. Gasoline is about 155 yen/liter right now for regular gas.

Someone else's compilation (a little high IMO):
http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/tokyo

Figure Tokyo is about the same as London or NY.

[hagiwaramai]

Don't pay too much attention to that survey, it's not done for ordinary people, it's done for expat living so businesses can know how much they'll need to allocate to send their employees abroad. Witness the cost of an apartment on the link Glenski provided - 320,000. A teacher might pay up to 100,000 in Tokyo but more likely 80,000 or so and live nearer Chiba, Saitama or Yokohama. Most things are comparable the UK price wise, but there is often more choice here and you can get cheaper versions of things, i.e cheap eateries if you want/need to economise, and some things are just much cheaper i.e the subway where 270yen can get from one end of a line to another, which in England wouldn't get you one stop. The equivalent version of things may be smaller in Japan though, i.e apartments and food portions.

[JerkyBoy]

Oh goody! A splash of optimism.

I was fearing greatly. If it's the same as England (London) but with cheap transport, that is good news. I can deal with that.

[kathrynoh]

Usually when they compile those lists, they compare like to like too. If you are comparing say a loaf of bread then Japan will look bad but if you eat a more Japanese style diet then it's pretty cheap.

Coming from Australia, I found transport and food in Tokyo expensive but my friend from the UK thought fruit and vege were cheap and higher quality than the UK.

When I was being a cheapskate, I could get by on 500-1000 yen a day for daily living outside of rent etc.

[thomthom]

The cost of food and most other consumer products is more expensive than the UK, but I think taxation is lower in Japan. Costs are pretty much up front, visible and reflected in the prices, unlike in the UK, where you're taxed large amounts in other ways.

[Vince]

As with any city, it depends on how you shop. Do you go to restaurants and convenience stores for meals away from home, or do you take food and drink with you? Do you run straight to Kinokuniya for all of your reading, or do you go to your local library or Book Off first?

Even in standard retail, there are plenty of deals. One example is a menswear shop called Aoki Plaza that sells suits starting at very reasonable prices. Some places have point cards and other discount programs. You can certainly economize in Japan; many Japanese live that way.

[OneJoelFifty]

[Pitarou]

[Glenski]

I couldn't say anything about food quality, but people must remember that in Japan, vegies and fruits are displayed at the peak of their freshness. That gives them a limited shelf life (and at home).

[OneJoelFifty]