Job Discussion Forums

Xanthos · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 151 Location: Beijing

Hi

I am considering renting the cheapest apartment possible for a couple, and it needs to be in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Can anyone tell me:

1) How much per Month the cheapest apartment for a couple would cost in an average cost Tokyo suburb?

2) What will the set-up fees (Deposit, Rent in advance, Etc.) be at the start of the rental contract?

3) For those seeking to save money, what are the lowest living costs per Month one person can manage while remaining healthy and having a decent internet connection?

I understand people will not be able to give exact figures, but in your opinion, what would be good estimates?

Many thanks.

the4th2001 · Joined: 04 Oct 2010 Posts: 130 Location: Tokyo

Xanthos · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 151 Location: Beijing

Thanks! Really, really helpful.

No, no partying, and try not to eat out very often. Done a lot of that, need to save some money now.

wayne432 · Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 255

If you were to go really cheap on renting an apartment, you could probably go about 40,000 yen a month for a small 1 room, kitchen, and bath. The start up fees could be as cheap as just 40-80,000 yen (very cheap), but expect around a 15 minute walk at least from a station.

Keep in mind that you said suburbs right? So I'm talking about outside of the Tokyo wards.

Honestly, the only real way to find out is to visit real estate offices in the area you want to live. You might find a great place on the internet, but the owner might not be interested in having non-japanese tenants. So stopping by the offices is a good way to go, because they can contact "gaijin-friendly" owners or ask if owners wouldn't mind foreigners, etc.

Bread · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 318

Diceman · Joined: 01 Nov 2010 Posts: 13

If you don't mind living way in west Tokyo, you can easily find a 2KD for an affordable amount, I've seen some for around 6man or less. Not necessarily prime real estate, but the cost of living there will also be lower than the central wards.

If you're lucky, maybe you'll have a discount supermarket near you (Acole is a good chain). I've lived near them before and they're perfect if you're eating on a budget, although the selection is certainly more limited than the bigger supermarkets. You can also try to find places which sell large amounts of frozen meat at low prices, like Niku no Hanamasa. You can easily do a week's worth of food for around 3000yen if you're thrifty enough.

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

It depends where you're working, I'd say. I commute one hour into Tokyo from suburban Chiba Pref. The rents in my area for a 1k apartment is between 40,000 and 60,000 yen. I've been looking at chintai and other rental webpages, and found places in Kanagawa and Saitama for about the same rents.

I think my food bill is a bit high, but if I were thrifty, I could probably eat for around Y20,000 a month in my local area. It depends where you live, the proximity of discount supermarkets, and your cooking/eating habits. My food budget is closer to Y30,000 a month because I socialize with friends over dinner/coffee.

jcook77 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 32 Location: Tokyo

This website should help a great deal. I rented an apartment through this company and have nothing but positive things to day. Cheap, convenient and the staff speaks English and will walk you through details and set up utilities. They even changed my A/C within a day or two when it broke. Surprised

Any other questions just PM me.

http://www.kimiwillbe.com/aptrec.htm

Great Teacher Umikun · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 63 Location: Back in Japan

gittelbug · Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 43

I've used this site to search a few times. Hopefully it'll help you out a bit.
http://e-guest.jp/en/