Cost of living in Tokyo could be much more or less than you think.. Here is our monthly expense and budget for your reference.
Living in Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is the biggest city in Japan, and i’d say it’s categorized as a big city in the world, too.
I (Japanese) have lived in Osaka, Japan, Manhattan (Midtown) and Brooklyn (Brooklyn Heights) in New York city, and San Diego in California, Las Vegas Nevada, Gold Coast QLD, Australia, etc so far, but everywhere is different!
Living in Tokyo is a very interesting experience for many of those who are from outside of Japan, including my husband. I thought I’d write this article to give you some ideas about how much it costs to live in Tokyo.
Just let you know that Tokyo consists of 23 wards + 26 cities + 5 towns + 8 villages in Tokyo, 23 wards are in the center of Tokyo.
Cost of Living in Tokyo
There are many things to pay to live, in anywhere. However, I am going to write the items below.
- Rent + Utilities
- Cellphone + Wifi
- Transportation (Car, Train, Bus)
- Medical Expense (Health insurance + Visiting a Doctor)
- Food (Grocery + Eating out)
- Entertainment
- Others
Rent in Tokyo
This may make a big difference to how much it costs to live in Tokyo, Japan.
As I mentioned earlier, the 23 wards are in the center of Tokyo which cost more for rent, and it’s cheaper to live in the “cities” in Tokyo. It depends on which part of Tokyo, what kind of place you live.. but I researched the average of renting a 1LDK (1BR + Living/Dining room) in Tokyo.
The highest is 205000 yen/m in Minato ward, and 66000 yen /m in Akiruno City is the cheapest. The average of them is 135500 yen/m.
[Reference] https://www.chintai.net/rent/tokyo/area/1ldk/
Just for your information, some companies in Japan offer you a benefit by supporting a part of the rent.
Utilities : Gas, Water, Electricity
Gas, Electricity, and Water would be 20000 – 30000 yen for 2 people. It depends on how much you’d use, of course.
If you take a bath often, it goes up. If you use AC, it goes up.
Parking Lot
If you plan to have a car, usually you need to pay for a parking lot, too.
Cellphone + Wifi
We use 8000 yen for our phones (1 for each), and we pay 8000 yen for wifi at home, monthly.
Transportation
These days, a lot of younger generation don’t get a driver’s license in Japan, especially people living in the cities. Unlike some countries, including US, owning a car is not necessary in Tokyo (especially in 23 wards).
Car + Car insurance + Tax + Gas
If you have a car, you also need to pay for car insurance and tax. Also it’s a duty to have a car examined constantly in Japan.
Train & Bus Fee
Some companies pay for your commute fee for train and/or bus with conditions in Japan. The companies I’ve worked for before usually paid the full amount of my commute fee.
Usually my husband and I spend 5000 yen/m on the train/bus besides commuting.
Medical Expense
Health Insurance
It might be already paid from your salary, but you need to pay for your health insurance yourself if you are a student or your company doesn’t do those things.
Medical Bill
I’d say it costs on average 5000 yen per month.
We usually go to the dental clinic for a check-up & cleaning every 3 months (it’s normal in Japan), and we both use contact lenses which we usually buy for 6 months.
- Dental Clinic : 5000 yen x 4 times/y = 20000 yen / year = 1600 yen / month
- Contact lens : 24000 yen x 2 times/y = 48000 yen / year = 2000 yen / month
We don’t go to see a doctor much, but let’s say the average cost of visiting a doctor’s office might be 2000 yen if we go because of a cold. Plus, maybe 1000 yen for medication at a pharmacy.
- Clinic / Hospital : 0 – 3000 yen / month
Cost of Food in Tokyo
It depends on how often you cook by yourself, eat out, and also how much you eat. Our plan is to spend 35000 yen per month on grocery shopping + eating out.
Grocery
We usually go grocery shopping once per week. Our budget is always 6000 yen /week = 24000 /month.
Eating Out
It’s actually not that expensive, compared to the USA. The big reason is tipping. You don’t need to tip at restaurants / cafes in Japan. We usually plan to use up to 10000 yen for eating out and buying a Bento for a lazy night. **Excluding the expense of food when hanging out with friends (below)
Entertainment expenses
Hanging Out With Friends
This might be the most expensive expense for us. Because of me having friends around, also liking to hang out with friends, we (or me at least) often go out.
- Dinner on weekdays (4000/p) x 2 = 8000
- Lunch on weekends as couple (2000/p = 4000) x 2 = 8000
- Dinner on weekends as couple (4000/p = 8000) x 2 = 16000
We usually spend about 32000 yen on average.
Movie
We go to watch movies, but we use “Late show” which is scheduled at night. Usually we spend 1300 yen / person = 2600 yen.
Subscription
Hulu, Netflix, Paravi and those things cost, as well if you subscribe to them.
Other Expenses
Consumable items
There are also things that you need, such as soap, shampoo, detergent, dish soap, cotton swab, tissues, toilet paper, etc. We try to be wiser to buy things at the cheapest place or a price with a coupon, etc.
Usually our budget is 5000 yen per month, but we try to save it for later if we don’t use it.
Clothing
You might need to buy clothes, shoes, a bag, etc. We both don’t usually spend much money on fashion items, to be honest.
Hair Salon
I don’t go to a hair salon as often as my husband, but it might cost more for me to use the better hair products (= consumable items).
My husband goes to a hair salon once per 2 months, which costs about 4000 yen. I use 6000 yen at a hair salon once per 6 months. So let’s calculate the average..
- 4000yen x 6 times / 12(m) = 2000yen/m
- 6000yen x 2 times / 12(m) = 1000yen/m
3000yen per month! Just saying, I don’t go to nail salons nor eyelash salons (anymore).
Events & Gifts
For someone’s birthday, wedding, engagement, newborn baby, funeral, any kinds of event may happen. Usually you need to bring a certain amount of money (cash) in Japan for weddings and funerals.
i.e. Friend’s wedding :30000yen > Wedding in Japan
In addition, you might need to buy new clothes for attending events, go to a hair salon for hair set up, etc.
Monthly Budget Living in Tokyo
Family of 2
Someone like us, a family of 2, would need 120K -150K/m at least besides rent.
- Utilities : 30000 yen
- Cellphone + Wifi : 16000 yen
- Train Fee : 5000 yen (besides commute)
- Medical expense : 5000 yen
- Food ( grocery & eating out) : 35000 yen
- Entertainment expenses : 35000 yen
- Others : 10000 – 40000 yen
You can add/draw as you need so that you can calculate and picture how much your expense would be in Tokyo, or you spend more or less compared to us (it doesn’t mean which is better or something like that) to get some ideas of how another couple lives in Tokyo.
Comparing to USA
We think it’s cheaper to live in Japan, especially these items.
- Rent
- Transportation ( No Car + Gas in Tokyo)
- Food, eating out + tip
- Health Insurance + Medical Bills
I don’t know how you’d feel about this cost of living in Japan, however I hope it helps you imagine how much you need to live in Tokyo, Japan.
