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Can you save in Tokyo?
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How much do you save on Y250,000
Y10,000-Y30,000
16%
 16%  [ 1 ]
Y40,000-Y60,000
16%
 16%  [ 1 ]
Y70,000-Y90,000
16%
 16%  [ 1 ]
Over Y100,000
50%
 50%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 6

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torentosan



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 54

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 1:20 pm    Post subject: Can you save in Tokyo? Reply with quote

Wages seem to never go up in Japan. Can anyone save anything on 250,000? The information would help me a lot. If you could just state how much you save and why you think you save so much or so little.
thanks,.


Last edited by torentosan on Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
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rxk22



Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In what situation? Single, as a couple, as a family? In what area, Tokyo or Kyoto, or Tototri? Makes a huge difference.
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torentosan



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 54

PostPosted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:27 pm    Post subject: Read it again. Reply with quote

rxk22 wrote:
In what situation? Single, as a couple, as a family? In what area, Tokyo or Kyoto, or Tototri? Makes a huge difference.


Please reread the question. I asked about YOU, not me.
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PhoenixSpirit



Joined: 31 Jul 2013
Posts: 20
Location: Russia

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When I lived out there, I was really bad at saving money but I travelled a lot and went out a lot too. I was really good at saving my first month there and a few others. In the end, I probably saved around a months salary for the year, but I could have done a lot better.

I had a fellow friend who managed to save around 40,000 a week but I have to admit, I wouldn't recommend it as he didn't go out very often. By the way, I lived in Atsugi, 40 mins or so from Tokyo.
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I lived in Shizuoka-ken as a JET ALT for five years so my monthly salary was about 262,000 yen and I lived in subsidized teacher housing with a rent of about 22,000 yen/month.

While I didn't really save anything, in any given month, I would send home to my U.S. bank account about 100,000 yen through the Japan Post. That 100,000 would go toward the payment of credit card and student loan bills.

In my first three years I traveled a lot and then did much less traveling in my last two years.

Warm regards,
fat_chris
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Rooster.



Joined: 13 Mar 2012
Posts: 247

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Currently in Osaka I can save 60,000-80,000 yen a month. I expect it to be closer to the low end from now on.
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can certainly live on much, much less than 250,000 yen a month if:

- you don't go out much
- you don't travel
- you shop around carefully and cook & eat as the frugal locals do
- you live in lousy, inconveniently located accommodation (or you can get into low-cost housing by some other means)
- you have a basic phone with basic service, and no other fancy gadgets
- you have no dependents
- you are in excellent health

... and so on.

So, torentosan, why don't you state where you (plan to) live, and what kind of lifestyle you consider acceptable, and we'll take it from there.
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torentosan



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 54

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:23 pm    Post subject: It is not about me. Reply with quote

Pitarou wrote:
You can certainly live on much, much less than 250,000 yen a month if:

- you don't go out much
- you don't travel
- you shop around carefully and cook & eat as the frugal locals do
- you live in lousy, inconveniently located accommodation (or you can get into low-cost housing by some other means)
- you have a basic phone with basic service, and no other fancy gadgets
- you have no dependents
- you are in excellent health

... and so on.

So, torentosan, why don't you state where you (plan to) live, and what kind of lifestyle you consider acceptable, and we'll take it from there.


It is not about me. It is about you. by the way...what does 'much' mean?
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Black_Beer_Man



Joined: 26 Mar 2013
Posts: 453
Location: Yokohama

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's possible to save 100,000 yen, but, as others have said,

no clubbing or izakayas
don't go to the cinema or concerts (as they're very expensive)
eat cheaper Japanese foods like soba and tofu
don't buy drinks outside at coffee shops and vending machines
etc...

What's annoying is that not only have salaries stagnated, but it's difficult to find private students to augment your income.

The only way to save money is to cut back on spending.
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steki47



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am in a suburb of Nagoya and save around 40-50K/month. My wife and I both work, have no kids and cook simple meals a home. We go out to eat 3-4 times a month, movies occasionally and go overseas 1-2x/year.

I could possibly save up to 100K/month, but that would eliminate buying books and the monthly night out with friends.
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 5:28 am    Post subject: Re: It is not about me. Reply with quote

torentosan wrote:
It is not about me. It is about you.

I doubt many people will share their financial statements on an open forum. And even if I were to share my budget with you, it would be less informative than you think. My circumstances are unusual. I think other forum users would be amazed at how little I spend on some things, and at how much I spend on others.

In any case, your original question was: "Can anyone save anything on 250,000?" The answer is, "Yes, certainly." But what you really want to know is, can you can save anything on 250,000 yen / month. And that depends entirely on how much you are willing and able to keep your expenditure under control.

For instance, in a recent thread, Black_Beer_Man warned us all that living in cheap accommodation is an extremely bad idea. If you agree with him on that point, then a good portion (10-20%) of your potential savings will disappear. Or, as another example, if you have a smartphone you want to keep running, that's another % of your savings gone. Do you like to drink beer? Can your palette accept the crappy synthetic beer substitutes on the market here? I could go on....
Quote:
by the way...what does 'much' mean?

A good rule of thumb is that a frugal person can survive on 3 times their rent. Typical rents are about 50,000 / month, and typical salaries are about 250,000, which suggests you can save about 100,000 / month. That accords with what Black_Beer_Man said earlier, and it also accords with the observation that the very lowest paid jobs pay around 180,000 / month gross.

So, in principle, ¥100,000 is certainly possible. For now. But sales tax is about to jump by 3 percentage points, and I strongly suspect that we're in for a prolonged period of inflation, so that figure may well shrink soon.
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thomthom



Joined: 20 May 2011
Posts: 125

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My job only pays 200,000. Ludicrously low, I know, but it's a very easy and low-pressure job compared to most, it's right in the centre of Tokyo, and I can walk to work from my 68,000y all-in apartment. How much do I save? Absolutely nothing. I live precisely to my pay check. I've only just started to save some cash by earning about 8,000 Yen a week teaching privates.

250,000 a week actually strikes me as quite good money if your accommodation is under 75,000 all-in, you only go out 2-3 nights a week, you have no dependants or debts, and *if the job itself isn't totally soul destroying*. It wouldn't be enough to tempt me to quit my job and move to some dead-end area of Saitama or Chofu or somewhere, though.
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steki47



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 1029
Location: BFE Inaka

PostPosted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thomthom wrote:

250,000 a week actually strikes me as quite good money if


...if you only make 200,000. Not attacking you, but 250K is OK. I work dispatch ALT and make 230K (9x/year, with reduced salary on other months). I do save and do fun things, but it can be tight on those three months.

If I may, what job pays 200K?
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nightsintodreams



Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
250,000 a week actually strikes me as quite good money if


It sounds like you're in your first year of living in Japan (correct me if I'm wrong). Next year your taxes/ health insurance will go up and you'll have to start paying city tax. and pension. I couldn't imagine living on 132,000 after rent in Tokyo once all those extra expenses kick in.
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looseleaf



Joined: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 3:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

250,000 a week? I'd be able to save about 750,000 a month on that!!

I'd be eating at fancier places than Sukiya as well Wink
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