Good monthly budget to aim for living in Tokyo?

[Secretmugen]

Wondering how much I should budget for living in Tokyo aside from rent, and the internet's not a super helpful resource due to how volatile the yen has been since the pandemic. What are people's thoughts?

 

[Alice]

That really depends on what you are planning to do.
How much fuuzoku allowance you need in the budget?
As for living expenses besides rent, it also depends on how much luxury you want. I don’t think the rate of the yen matters in this case. If anything, prices have been more stable here than in the west, although people on a tight budget do complain about the rising cost of living.

I’d say for a basic income, the rent being one third of your budget is the guideline like pretty much anywhere else..

 

[Secretmugen]

That really depends on what you are planning to do.
How much fuuzoku allowance you need in the budget?
As for living expenses besides rent, it also depends on how much luxury you want. I don’t think the rate of the yen matters in this case. If anything, prices have been more stable here than in the west, although people on a tight budget do complain about the rising cost of living.

I’d say for a basic income, the rent being one third of your budget is the guideline like pretty much anywhere else..

Appreciate the reply, Alice. The way I'm planning it, my fuzoku budget will be a portion of whatever I save month to month. It'd be nice to go once a month somewhere for 2 hours/twice a month for a hour and change.

I'm finding the big obstacle with rent is trying to find a balance between rent and decent location. The agents I've been working with have informed me my options for a bigger unit (freelance work reasons, need a decent home office, and I know about the 28 hour a week clause) are limited on a student visa. Koenji and Nakano both look great from a location point (near Shinjuku and some relatives), but Sumida-Ku is full of noticeably cheaper offerings, albeit further from my school and flood-prone(?).

I'm not trying to live like I'm dining on wagyu regularly or taking trips to other cities every weekend, but I'm hoping to have enough leeway to enjoy trying bars/restaurants and let myself go (legally) here and there. I previously lived in one of the most expensive cities in America, so my sense of pricing and budgeting is a bit warped from four years of dealing with $40 delivery pizza and the like.

 

[Alice]

limited on a student visa

That’s exactly the problem. Short term foreigners are never getting the sweet deals because the home owners are (rightfully) worried that people don’t pay the last few months of rent before moving back to their home country. Once they’re out of the country, there is no way of getting that money back.

Best of luck getting something with both the right size and right location.
Both of that are important to me as well and I feel like older buildings are usually the best bang for your buck.

40 bucks delivery pizza is also a thing here (I love me some Salvatore with some sides and it can get around the 7000 yen mark) but plenty of cheaper options are available.
I’d say under 50000 yen for all the bills.
Can do food costs for 50000 yen as well but probably a bit more doing Inakaya on the weekend.
Young single people often make do with less than 200.000 yen total a month (and they have to pay rent from that).
300.000 yen a month is a pretty average single working professional salary.
So I guess normal people usually make do with that monthly although more is always better.

 

[Secretmugen]

That’s exactly the problem. Short term foreigners are never getting the sweet deals because the home owners are (rightfully) worried that people don’t pay the last few months of rent before moving back to their home country. Once they’re out of the country, there is no way of getting that money back.

I wonder if the go-to then is to just grit my teeth somewhere for a year or so, and then find the apartment once I've managed to land a work visa. My current trajectory is language school for a year -> master's program -> find work, but that's very open to change if I manage to find a decent job opportunity without needing a master's.

My old apartment was a 750 square feet/69-70 meters squared one bedroom apartment, but frankly I didn't need all that space and it just enabled bad storage/hoarding decisions. I could make do with around 30-35 meters squared as long as I can fit my equipment in. Location is definitely a key factor for me. The most expensive apartment on my list is in a dreamy location in Nakano-Sakue, alas.

I've been doing a lot of research the past few days, and seems like 50k to 60k should be comfortable, rent not including.

 

[Alice]

I wonder if the go-to then is to just grit my teeth somewhere for a year or so, and then find the apartment once I've managed to land a work visa. My current trajectory is language school for a year -> master's program -> find work, but that's very open to change if I manage to find a decent job opportunity without needing a master's.

My old apartment was a 750 square feet/69-70 meters squared one bedroom apartment, but frankly I didn't need all that space and it just enabled bad storage/hoarding decisions. I could make do with around 30-35 meters squared as long as I can fit my equipment in. Location is definitely a key factor for me. The most expensive apartment on my list is in a dreamy location in Nakano-Sakue, alas.

I've been doing a lot of research the past few days, and seems like 50k to 60k should be comfortable, rent not including.

Yeah. Landlords might still be wary of people on a work visa suddenly skipping the country without paying rent, but being able to show an income does make a big difference for renting.

Hmm, including all bills that amount could be a bit low. I would say electricity alone can be 20.000 a month in winter. Then there is phone, internet, gas and water.

 

[Alice]

And if you are European, that is way less expensive in Japan as well!

 

[kirayamato]

depends on how large you prefer your living space is, sharehouse can be an option for first 6 months before moving to an apartment.

budget wise, for apartment 100k is average depends on location (mine is around 85k outside tokyo). upfront cost for apartment around 4times rent another headache.

internet etc can be painful to setup in the beginning, which you wont need to concern with if you choose sharehouse. budget around 15-20k.

commuting fare not a problem with student discount, the concern would be how much time you are willing to spend commuting. with homework and freelance job on the side, you will appreciate having more time.

bento is 600 yen, eating outside 1000-1500 yen, depends how many meals you have per day.

 

[Secretmugen]

The most expensive apartment on my list is 1/3rd the price of what I was paying for my one bedroom in California and it's in a much better neighborhood in comparison (considering amenities, social scenes, public transit, etc.), it's insane to me.

I think I'll figure it out after my first month or two, definitely preparing to budget more for the first few months while I figure things out.

 

[Secretmugen]

depends on how large you prefer your living space is, sharehouse can be an option for first 6 months before moving to an apartment.

budget wise, for apartment 100k is average depends on location (mine is around 85k outside tokyo). upfront cost for apartment around 4times rent another headache.

internet etc can be painful to setup in the beginning, which you wont need to concern with if you choose sharehouse. budget around 15-20k.

commuting fare not a problem with student discount, the concern would be how much time you are willing to spend commuting. with homework and freelance job on the side, you will appreciate having more time.

bento is 600 yen, eating outside 1000-1500 yen, depends how many meals you have per day.

Appreciate it, fellow Gundam enjoyer!

I'm doing research on utilities rn, and apparently TG Octopus is a relatively cheaper alternative compared to TEPSCO for electric and gas. The pricier apartments on my shortlist say they include internet, but unsure if that means capability or it's included as part of my rent.

I definitely agree on the commute vs study/job divide. I'd be alright paying a bit more to be in a better area/closer to school/Shinjuku, especially since it means I'll have more time to budget to other things I need to do.

Thanks for the detailed write up!

 

[Secretmugen]

Yeah. Landlords might still be wary of people on a work visa suddenly skipping the country without paying rent, but being able to show an income does make a big difference for renting.

Hmm, including all bills that amount could be a bit low. I would say electricity alone can be 20.000 a month in winter. Then there is phone, internet, gas and water.

I'll rework the budget with an extra man yen or three then. Appreciate the pointers. Electricity is what I'm most worried about utility wise, followed by gas. I hear the bigger power providers have been steadily raising prices, so I've been neurotically researching potential alternatives to TEPSCO and the like.

 

[psd]

It's really hard to be helpful with enquires like this unless you have very specific questions. You can get a quite reasonable quality meal for <1000yen, especially at lunch time. But in Tokyo you can easily waste money. I go through the register at the supermarket with a cheap bottle of red, an Aussie steak and a sliver of cheese and it's 2,500 yen. The person behind me buys dodgy sausages, bean sprouts, tofu and malt liquor for 500yen.

 

[kirayamato]

Internet 7000 ish (I am using jcom)
electricity (peak maybe 15k-20k on winter and summer, but recently it was a bit on low side since I still going to office post covid, avg around 10k maybe assuming I turn off aircon in spring and autumn).
gas for water heater (5000 ish)
water 1500 ish.
mobile phone 3000ish (rakuten mobile or ahamo. will be expensive if you use gaijin friendly such as mobal or sakura)

 

[kirayamato]

It's really hard to be helpful with enquires like this unless you have very specific questions. You can get a quite reasonable quality meal for <1000yen, especially at lunch time. But in Tokyo you can easily waste money. I go through the register at the supermarket with a cheap bottle of red, an Aussie steak and a sliver of cheese and it's 2,500 yen. The person behind me buys dodgy sausages, bean sprouts, tofu and malt liquor for 500yen.

if he overspend that month I guess he will be going to janjan only.

 

[Secretmugen]

It's really hard to be helpful with enquires like this unless you have very specific questions. You can get a quite reasonable quality meal for <1000yen, especially at lunch time. But in Tokyo you can easily waste money. I go through the register at the supermarket with a cheap bottle of red, an Aussie steak and a sliver of cheese and it's 2,500 yen. The person behind me buys dodgy sausages, bean sprouts, tofu and malt liquor for 500yen.

Fair enough, and I know it's rather subjective. I guess a better thing for me to have asked is what are some surprising fees/charges/expenses that are different from folks' home countries/the USA.

 

[TAG Manager]

I'll rework the budget with an extra man yen or three then. Appreciate the pointers. Electricity is what I'm most worried about utility wise, followed by gas. I hear the bigger power providers have been steadily raising prices, so I've been neurotically researching potential alternatives to TEPSCO and the like.

Real-world numbers. TEPCO costs for central Tokyo attached.
I work from home 99% of the time but travel for business more these days. I maxed out at 30,992 yen for TEPCO in one month this year but now that the heat is over, the bill for November was 16,000 yen.
Gas (Cooking/Hot Water) ~2,500 yen/month
Internet (1G)/Phone/TV ~8,500 yen/month
Water ~3,200 yen/every other month

Spoiler: Stuff

 

[Secretmugen]

Real-world numbers. TEPCO costs for central Tokyo attached.
I work from home 99% of the time but travel for business more these days. I maxed out at 30,992 yen for TEPCO in one month this year but now that the heat is over, the bill for November was 16,000 yen.
Gas (Cooking/Hot Water) ~2,500 yen/month
Internet (1G)/Phone/TV ~8,500 yen/month
Water ~3,200 yen/every other month

THANK YOU SO MUCH

This is unbelievably helpful, seriously, I super appreciate it!

 

[SquidCity]

Wondering how much I should budget for living in Tokyo aside from rent, and the internet's not a super helpful resource due to how volatile the yen has been since the pandemic. What are people's thoughts?

70-90k was enough for me when I lived there a few years ago (might want to add another 10k due to price increases on everything these days), but if current me moved back there I could probably cut it by 30-40%. Wasn’t too much of a saver back then

 

[Secretmugen]

70-90k was enough for me when I lived there a few years ago (might want to add another 10k due to price increases on everything these days), but if current me moved back there I could probably cut it by 30-40%. Wasn’t too much of a saver back then

Good to know, thank you! I've been doing a lot of research the past few days and it seems like utilities + food are the biggest chunk of the budget, especially during the winter and summer.

 

[SquidCity]

Good to know, thank you! I've been doing a lot of research the past few days and it seems like utilities + food are the biggest chunk of the budget, especially during the winter and summer.

Can't help much with utilities, but I can vouch for a routine of light breakfast, no lunch, and simple dinner that's both calorically deficient and cheap

 

[Secretmugen]

Can't help much with utilities, but I can vouch for a routine of light breakfast, no lunch, and simple dinner that's both calorically deficient and cheap

I do want to lose weight and save money, so...

 

[SquidCity]

I do want to lose weight and save money, so...

If you want a cursor:

Mixed nuts for weekday breakfasts (¥500 per week)
Whey protein twice a day (¥1,000 per week)
Air-fried overnight-pressed tofu with kinako powder for weekday dinners (¥500 per week, optional moyashi/natto if you want to be extra healthy on the cheap but I can't stand the taste of either of them), add seasonings/spices to taste
Air-fried chicken breast also with kinako powder (1/3 of it is protein and it's cheap) for weekend dinners (¥500 per week), also add seasonings/spices to taste

 

[Sudsy]

Air-dried chicken breast

Ummm.... sure you don't mean "fried"? Ambient temperature dried chicken sounds like a health hazard....

 

[ThaWeeknd]

Depends on your lifestyle. If you wanna do a lot, you’re gonna need a whole lot. If you’re gonna do a little, you’ll gonna need a lot.