This seems so cheap. Here is Australia if you asked your company to pay for your rent they would laugh at you and then politely escort you from the building.
If Australia is facing really low-birth rate & even lower marriage rate, then I'd imagine most companies in your country offering such incentive as well.
Heard a good cheap alternative to trains is over night busses, if your good at sleeping on busses like I am. That's how I plan to get around when I want to go outside Tokyo when I'm over there.
SturFriedBrains We used to take overnight busses like 3 times a month...Ryosuke can sleep anywhere, but I can't... It's true! You can save up in that way!
As far as health insurance goes, we're a family of five. One full-time worker, one freelancer and part-time worker, and 3 kids. We pay 6,600円 per month. So there's a good range to look at. And it's important for United States residents to know that when you say it covers 70%, that's WAY different than in the US. We can go to a clinic here and pay 100% cash and walk out spending less than $50 US. When we pay our copay, we get our doctor visit and all our medication for about $5-15.
Even if your company wasn't paying most of your rent $1400 for a 3 bedroom apartment is a good deal. In Santa Barbara i was paying $2000 for a 2 bedroom apartment. Its the same in San Luis Obispo. Maybe California in general is just more expensive.
Wonderfully put and very informative, thank you. You're really lucky having a job that covers your rent costs wow that opens many other doors. Have a great 2015!
But anyways, that is a relief to hear how affordable the city is!! I've never heard of that portable wifi thing, that is so awesome. I definitely need that here.
I'll be in Tokyo in late October and even though I I'm only visiting for a week or so, watching your videos makes me so excited and hope that I can study hard and be able to study in Japan in the future! Thank you for making these videos. They are really motivating (for me personally) and this one especially is helpful for those want to end up living there! ありがとう。
Super interesting and informative! Some things seem more expensive then Korea but others seem cheaper then Korea, but overall doable prices if you have a proper income :) Thanks for sharing!
I know this video is old, but you looked really pretty with the hair cut. Not creeping, just a friendly compliment. I just stumbled upon your videos the other day. Its really neat to learn about other cultures. I also suffer from some social anxiety so its neat to see you out and about on your adventures in a land you didn't grow up in. I am living in TX now and am from AZ originally. Keep posting!
Omg, I lived in Nagoya for a year, my scholarship was ¥80000 (roughly $800) this was 10 years ago but I remember that by the end of the month we would raid the bottom of cupboards to make 'dorm-style' shabushabu (basically potluck) or sweet and savory crepes. I was given a bike for free but mostly we'd walked everywhere, the mall was 2.5km, the supermarket was also something like 2km, univeristy was just under a mile. If we took the subway each ride can pile up pretty quickly (like ¥150 fare for 1 or 2 stops) back home that's for 1 hour of commute, not a ride between stations. Entertainment was most of the time bookoff (for manga and dvds) and Karaoke it was dirt cheap like ¥100/h or ¥1200 all night. Going to the movies was out of price ¥1650 ($16.5)!! Uniqlo saved my hide more than once because sizes in Japan are so slim and tiny I had to have stuff shipped from home a couple times. Sames with couple daily essentials like shampoo (I have thin curly brown hair), deodorant and other higiene supplies. All in all it was the best year of my life, met a bunch of awesome people and learn so much. It was absolutely brilliant.
Texan in Tokyo HEY! Thanks for the reply. I will have fun! Will be going to the Tokyo and Yokohama area. Haven't been since 16 years ago so I'm interested to see how things have changed.
Yaaaay this video is super helpful! We pay $785 a month for a 1 bedroom in a not so great neighborhood near downtown Minneapolis and that's a pretty good deal (for how updated our apartment is anyways). I thought $500 was doable in Tokyo, but I've seen so many things that say otherwise lately and it was starting to worry me! Hello Tokyo, I'm coming! yaaaaay!
I like how you walked back to get items instead of cutting in and out. It made you seem more real and down to Earth. Thanks for the insight on the cost of living! :)
Hi Grace! I'm moving back to Tokyo (from the US) in October this year, and your guys' wifi device caught my attention! How are the speeds for when you are uploading videos, or sending files? Is it a type of internet service anyone on a student visa might be able to get? (I'm not sure if there are any restrictions on types of services? XD)
Mika Darling Speeds for uploading are... ok. I think it depends on the time of day. It's TOTALLY fine for sending videos/doing everything else, though. I know you have to sign a 1 year contract (and if you break that contract, you have to pay like $200 extra, so it's not TOO bad). I got one when I was a student, so that's TOTALLY fine!
Thank you so much for sharing this information! I am supposed to be moving to Tokyo next January so this is a bit comforting to hear that it is not quite as expensive as I originally thought it will be. (Though for my first two years there since I will be in school I will do a homestay)
I am considering moving to Japan sometime after college and after I did research Japan isn't really expensive as other people say it is. Of course if you go into major cities things tend to be way more expensive than if you lived outside of the city. Also your video was mega awesome thank you :). P.s. sorry if I comment too much on your videos.. I'm relatively new to your channel and I always get comment happy when I'm a new subscriber to people lol.
Daily Cup of Justin I completely agree! Of course, Japan CAN be expensive, but it's not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. Thanks for all your comments!
I did enjoy this quite a bit, Thank you for the very useful and practical information Grace! Love your hair and makeup in this video by the way, you're looking particularly beautiful ^.^
In Morocco prices are really low ! There are people who get paid about 1600 dhs (200$) a month with 3 children and a wife .... But high wages can climb up to more than 10000$ a month.
That is really surprising cuz I live in California and it's a lot more expensive. Like the whole month 1600 would be just the rent . Can you make a video on how much when you're studying abroad thank you.
I would like to have like 1 billion dollars in my bank account and Just go and settle in tokyo forever with no worries whatsoever. I would hire interpreters and servants and I wouldn't have to do anything stressful at all. Just enjoy!
personally i would not find that fun- But i would like the money. The reason i would say not fun is because i want to learn the language- that's what i think at least.
I'm curious to know, have you made a video of 'do's and dont's' before visiting japan? if not i would be very interested in knowing. I know the basics about shoes and how to place your chopsticks, but that's about it.
By Canadian standards that's incredibly affordable, even with the dollar conversion. The cost of living in Ontario Canada is high, for my family (some people spend more, some spend far less) is averaged out at around $3000 a month not including entertainment, shopping or vet bills. I have a small mortgage on a three bedroom house, we own two vehicles, we have two kids a dog and a cat. Everything is exspensive here, that's why Canadians love to go shopping in the states.
Depends on which province you live in. My husband is from Nova Scotia and we always end up spending less when we go to Nova Scotia than we do in Texas.
Alphawolf299 Ouch. Haha. But I believe you. Most of the residents seem very unhappy to be living there. There is also sadly a high rate of homelessness among young people. It's very sad to witness. :(
Tokyo is a lot cheaper than I thought. I probably spend about $5,000 a month in California. Have to admit most of the money is buying crap I don't need. I thought Tokyo would be a lot more expensive.
Texan in Tokyo You can probably tell from the thumbnail that I'm a lot older than the both of you. Believe me, when I was your age, I was struggling. I also had to get a loan when I was younger and that put me in heavy debt. As I got older and after a couple of pay raises, I was able to pay off my debt. I learned my lesson the hard way. Never buy anything that you can't afford. Never use a credit card unless you can pay off the full amount at the end of the month. Credit cards are the biggest ripoff with their interest rates. Both of you are young and are going about it the right way. Both of you won't make the same mistake that I made.
Watching this makes me nostalgic. Used to bingewatch her and his videos. I find them so entertaining and very educational. Plus.. Their interaction with eachother makes me feel that there is hope for humanity.
So for quick conversion of Yen to USD: 10,000¥ is the equivalent of $100; 1,000¥ is the equivalent of $10, right? Also if something was 1,570¥ would that be like $15.70? Or is it totally different?
I just realized how sad is that for me because we pay more in East Bay than actually Tokyo. screw that, I'm moving to Tokyo :D btw. you look adorable :3
Tabithashabitat oh yes! maybe we should go to Tokyo instead, haha :) I don't know what determinate the high cost of living here. maybe all the companies in the silicon valley?
Texan in Tokyo actually LA is still cheaper than Bay Area... so I guess you should make some room for your fans, we're coming to Tokyo :D you shouldn't say the number of rooms you have, now we can use it against you! muahaha :D!
I'm curious, does having a white American wife give your husband a certain status in Japan? Or do people look down on him for marrying outside his culture? Also I can't believe the company pays 85% of rent. That's crazy.
Nice video. I just moved to Okazaki City of Aichi Prefecture, 30 min south of Nagoya. This is a very nice place, not as big or expensive as Tokyo, but it feels very homey. That pocket WiFi seems like a great investment. I'll definitely look into getting that. Looking forward to more of your videos.
You looked soo cute today :) you always do but the earrings are adorable ♥ Would it be ok to see like a room tour? Not like anything private but like just places you and your husband are ok with showing us ?
Wow! Thanks so much for giving such a detailed report on living-in-Tokyo budget!!! :D I actually live in Shizuoka-ken so it's great to know that the jobs over there try to help make living in Tokyo more affordable. Also sorry if this was asked before, but would you make a video about your job? What's it like to be a freelancer in Tokyo? (And a foreigner freelancer at that!) What exactly do you freelance in?? I'm super curious and I'm sure other people are too! ;) Thanks for sharing such wonderful videos!
Hey Graaaace!!!! I love you guys and enjoy watching you. That doesn't sound creepy at all..not. Lol. Anyway I have more of a request than a question. I would love to see a cooking video or a video of you guys going over a food menu of what you guys make. I'm trying to get creative in my kitchen and my food is err not sooo good. I gave my husband indigestion from home mad spaghetti and my sushi bout killed him lol but he lives yay.
I LOVE your earrings!!! Their soooooo pretty. Also your price of living seems pretty cheep from what I expected but then again the prices here (in the us) are also highly based off of credit scores and what not. Do they have kind of the same system (like having credit scores or collateral the whole shibang) or do they just go off set prices by land owners and your income?
ana1231234 Thanks! I love my earrings too! No, since we're renting, it didn't really matter about our credit score. I know it's difficult to rent if you don't have a job - otherwise you need a guarantor.
jrcedeno7 I have to pay much more than that for my 1 bedroom apartment in Sunnyvale-CA. I would love to spend only $1600 per month including everything. :'(
AdoraBell jrcedeno7 Tokyo is a lot more spendy than the rest of Japan as well. Generally, you can probably live in Japan for about the same as the US, if not cheaper... especially if you eat out a lot. Eating out in America is really expensive. Buying a place in Japan is super super cheap. You can buy a nice house for $100,000 easily in many suburbs. Also remember that although Japanese houses are smaller, they're configured more efficiently and the space can be used more efficiently. Also, appliances are more compact, so you need less room.
Curious about your pocket wifi! Which company was that through, and how long does the battery last? I'm considering getting one for my phone (I'm studying abroad for a year soon).
+Bayshawn Jones For senior level position in most companies (typically a position someone in their 30s), average salary is about 7 mill yen in city areas. That translate to a little over 50k per year, which is really bad when you consider recent bachellorates in US in same field earn 60k and are only ~22 years old.
Darkov Nikobi I was considering software/application programmers. Even working for a relatively obscure company will get you at least 50k, but in Japan, in the same field, to get that money you need lots of years working
Corvus A recent bach grad in CS can get a decent job paying 60-70k+ in a variety of IT positions...in US, and that is entry-level/mid-level positions, people who just graduated and have at least a good looking resume with some certs and an internship maybe and this is across the country, not just in some place like San Fransisco. In Japan however, to make even 50k in the same field, you would have to be working for several years to get a senior position. And this is for CS, really one of the highest paying job markets under Engineering and private research
I am curious, how much would a monthly train pass for the Tokyo Area cost. Is it split into the different Tokyo Subway and Toei lines or does it cover all the trains in the tokyo area? I found it was really annoying that you had to buy a new ticket each time you switched train company or subway company :(
There isnt really a monthly ticket for the whole network. You can buy a mothly ticket from one station to another from a train company and the price depends on distance. This is mainly for work commuters and the company usually pays this ticket. Then there is a monthly ticket for the metro (this does NOT include JR) and last time I checked it was about 20.000 yen. But I think it doesnt make much sense..
A lot of traditional, Japanese companies will pay a percentage of your rent if you work full-time, but the exact percentage depends on the job itself. Some of my friends have 100% of their rent paid by their jobs and others only have like 20% paid. And of course others who have to pay their own rent completely.
twilight0623 just some info... a lot of my friends get about 60000-100000yen for housing. Although my company is a very well known one I get only 9000 yen. So it really differs by the company and that's why a lot of Japanese people look through the welfare section while looking for jobs
D: Tokyo sounds extremely expensive compared to the US. In the US you get a lot of space for a fraction of that cost. Of course it varies per area. Cities are more expensive by nature. But the average cost of rent is $400 - $900 for a 1 or 2 bedroom 1 or 2 floor apartment. We went an entire 3 floor house for $900. o-o; I would probably enjoy living in South Korea but I don't think I could handle Japan. :3
Idk where you live in the US but here in California from a one bedroom apartment can be around 2,000 dollars a month! ;_; So Tokyo is a lot cheaper monthly to live in. My rent for 2000 a month is just for rent! not counting, Taxes, gas, clothes, food ect. I hope I can live in Japan one day,
Yea, where do you live???? If you compare an apartment in Tokyo, a major city, to one of the major cities in the US like NY, Tokyo is wayyyyyyy cheaper.
I live in Pennsylvania, not in the city but close to the city and rent here averages between $600 - $1200 a month depending on what you get. To the people saying that you can spend around $2000 in NY/DC/Philly/LA etc... that's true, the rent there is MUCH more expensive, but people also make more money. There's a ratio. $10 over there might be $5 over here. I currently make a little over $21,000 a year at my job. If I were in California, maybe I'd be doing the same job for about $40 or $50,000. But because the cost of living goes up, the money I'm making is the "same." The number itself is higher, but the ratio is the same. There's no profit, in a sense.
My personal rent is $900 a month for a 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, basement, garage house. And we use oil to heat our house. So a lot of money goes into the oil, too.
I love you guys soooo much!!!!!! i have been interested in japan for so long and your videos make my days. Lately i have been in a very dark place in my life but you guys make me smile every time i watch your videos. I love u 2 soooo much!!! and i think you guys are the cutest couple ever!!!!! Thankyou for posting these videos and say hi to rachel and jun for me. ILYSM!!!!!!!!!
Wow, I live on the outskirts of California's Bay Area and spend less on food, rent, and phone bills than anyone I know around here and you're STILL spending way less to live in Tokyo than I pay every month! Oh and if you'd like to have a pet around here odds are that (even for a cat) you're probably going to have to spend at least $500 more every month on rent.... :-/ Still this was a very interesting video so thank you for posting it :)
Texan in Tokyo I'm in a small 1 bedroom apartment and it's approx. $1100 - $1200 a month for rent + utilities each month. Everyone I've talked to around here considers that a "steal" and I have 3 friends who've expressed interest in moving in when I move out. I know lots of people who just rent a single room in houses with 5+ people near here for about $1000 per month. I've been told my whole life that the Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the world to live but I'm only just now coming around to believing it haha!
I don't know where you're renting since Bay Area is a pretty large, but considering the rent me and my friends paid in Berkeley (you can get a room as low as $300 a month), I'm thinking you're just talking about the city? Things get cheaper generally in East Bay. Also my pet deposit was an additional $50 on the deposit, lol. How long have you been there? This sounds like... incredibly innaccurate.
love watching your videos, super helpful! I'm planning to move to Japan in a few years, I live in Australia right now, but its been my dream to live in Japan :)
+Texan in Tokyo what about things like Gym memberships? And I'm curious to know if you see people go running through the city Or do they have open track areas for public use?
goddamn thats cheap, here in bad neighborhoods you pay 600 euros AT LEAST and thats about 700-750 dollar per month. Living in the netherlands even in small towns will cost you double that easily. Tokyo is pretty cheap
Daniel K I have had an apartment in Amsterdam Oud-West for that amount money. You have to apply for the waiting list to have any claim though otherwise you're stuck with the free sector which is more expensive.
Daniel K it works like that to help you out. If we didn't have a social sector like we do, all housing would be much more expensive. But since houses are in high demand the waiting list for the social sector is hella long. =/
I'd like to add about the transit. You can buy a train pass if you go the same route everyday and it's significantly cheaper. You can get off at any stop on the way there from your apartment as many times as you'd like.
Understandable, living in Tokyo isn't fun. Japan in general isn't as fun as you see it in Anime and stuff. Yeah there is lots of entertainment and whatever if you have the money, but working there is a nightmare, especially if you are a foreigner. Everything is really not as great as you think it is and a lot of Japanese Young people would rather move to America.
Really informative video; Japanese companies finance structure seems similar to USA; but what happens if you lost your job would be able to attain benefits to cover living costs?
Kitty Rocoa Nope. If you lose your job (quit/fired), you have to move out ASAP. Sometimes you have to be out before your last day of work (which sucks when they only give you 2 weeks notice)
Watching this makes me want to see Japanese people's reactions to the kinds of apartments you can get in the US for $1,400 a month! I feel like they would be shocked by how big they are since for that much around where I live you can get a good 1,000 sq ft or more. Not that I'm trying to talk bad about Japan! I've just noticed most of the apartments in Japan I've seen in apartment videos seem very very small so the comparison would be interesting.
It really depends on where you live. Where I live in California a room in a multi-room apartment is $800+. That's for college housing, nothing nice If it's a three bedroom you might get a room for $700. I don't even live in that big of a town, it's just a nice and VERY sought after place to live.
Right? My house is a 3,000 square foot completely remodeled house, 5 bed, 3 bath, and I pay $800 a month and will have it paid off in 15 years. I would stroke paying these prices 😛
See some Americans reactions to how CHEAP Tokyo is compared to where they live. In the US? Depends on WHERE in the US. About $1800-$2000/month for 300-400 square foot studio where I live. A one bedroom is close to $3000. You could rent a room in someone's house for $1400 here but not your own apartment. I bet Tokyo is WAY more expensive than small-town Japan (just big cities vs small-town USA).
This is quite a good reference, since I'm going there next year for studies purposes. I've always thought Tokyo's gonna be super expensive, but now I don't think so. Thanks for the insight!
Oh dang haha that's a lot! But not too bad :) in Australia you have to pay an arm, leg and kidney to get by... that is why I mooch of my mum mwuahahha I will never leave >:D
lolll, i don''t blame ya i just realized Australia is getting worse country to live in if u have no family or any headstart in education. Your basically screwd, its very easy to become homeless here if you have nobody.
Rent sounds basically the same as it is here in the US (although a place in the suberbs is going to be cheaper than in the city). I live in a one bedroom apartment in a suberb outside St. Louis and I pay $535 a month PLUS a $20 cat fee. There was a $200 cat deposit and it's about $80-120 a month for electricity depending on the time of year + $50 for internet. All other utilities are included.
Not quite, don't forget they have basically free rent. Otherwise their living expensses would have been around 3000$ per month if they had to pay full rent.
The train system in Tokyo sounds really expensive. It costs more if you change from one line to another, doesn't it? Rent in Tokyo sounds really expensive as well, I can't imagine giving out so much as 'gift money' if I weren't getting any back. It would be nice to only make the one payment per month though. I have to pay my rent per week, but it works out a lot cheaper. Grace, you look so much more comfortable in front of the camera now :)
30.000 to 40.000Y on food doesn't even come close on what we spend haha especially not with loads of fruits, verggies and meat. We eat out sometimes, but I find eating out is often even cheaper than cooking yourself. We go to COSTCO every month were we spend already 30.000 to 40.000Y. Our "food"bill (including toilet paper, kitchen stuff etc) is usually around 70.000Y...
Yes, there are cards here in Japan for transport can 'Suica' and 'Pasmo'. They're super convenient and works on different types of transport across the country. You save a little bit if you use these cards (by little I mean like, a few yen per trip).
Was the transition very difficult? I'm really thinking about living abroad and have always been fascinated with Japanese culture. And 1400 - 1600 is really not that bad of a price! You could pay that amount here (also in Texas) and have just a roof over your head and maybe half a fridge of food.
Wow, is it normal for companies to pay a percentage of the rent in Japan? Because I figure without that support the final number at the end might've been much more high. If I can be so bold to ask, do you have things left for savings at the end? What is the general income in Japan you'd say? Just to compare a bit, here in Amsterdam The Netherlands my monthly spending would be 1500 EUR / 1700~ USD for two people living together while studying. That includes my university fee though and government support substracted from costs. My monthly income as a student is around 1500 EUR too, including a study loan and my job.
Eva My husband and I are SUPER thrifty - we're not living in that apartment anymore. Our current place is about $700 a month and our total spending for everything is about $1800 a month. So it's possible to live for cheap - you just have to give up a couple conveniences.
Texan in Tokyo wow, that's still really cheap, I'd thought it would be a lot more. I've been to Tokyo for a few weeks and thought it was quite expensive but what you're paying for 2 people, that's really not a lot. For a city like Tokyo I mean. You would've problems finding a flat for 2 people in Germany for just $700. I'm exaggerating a bit, but most flats cost more than that. How much squaremeters do you have?
I always used to think of Tokyo as a super expensive city after all most of the international rankings place it in the top 10. However after moving to South America with the opposite view and meeting various foreigners who came here with the same idea and quickly finding out it's cheaper to live in some parts of Europe, US, Canada etc. compared to here after watching varios cost of living videos from Japan. It becomes evident it's not as bad as it's made out to be which is a good thing considering i'm intending to go and live for some 3 months as a life experience. Thank you for your input Texan in Tokyo
I thought that living in Tokyo would be much more expensive. When I checked the appartments prices in Tokyo I was like ''I cant live there alone.''. But seems like you can have great deals! I wanna live in Japan in a couple of years (at least for one year or couple of months), so I was quite nervous checking the living expenses. I might live at my friend's familly house so might be better than living alone, but I'm still curious about that. Is it really harder for foreigners to get an appartment ? (More expensive etc). I heard a bunch of stories about that.
what is the best place to live for 1 person and how much will it cost to live in 1 room apartment and how much is a regular house like for 1-2 beds rooms 1 bathroom and a regular sized living room
This was nice to know. I was thinking of doing a year teaching English in Japan after I graduate college. You get a set amount for the year. Helps to sort of plan out expenses.
+vesterpop Well, lentils are technically not beans. All beans are legumes, but not all legumes and beans. Peanuts are also a legume, and not a nut. Just fun facts. I am a snob when it comes to lentil quality and i buy them for less than 2/lb. I know for a fact you can get them a fraction of that price for still good quality 50 cents to a dollar a lb max. Chicken, however, costs 3-4 dollars a pound minimum, for low quality meat, and nutritionally inadequate comparatively.
Virginia Ham's unique flavor became well known world wide because the pigs were fed peanuts. Now that Smithfield is Chinese -owned and peanuts cost a lot more, I wonder what they are fed.
They never asked for help finding vegan options. I'm vegan, my whole family is as well. We really try to correct fellow vegans from cramming our values and eating habits onto the standard diet people. Seriously when u push vegan options on people who clearly did not ask for it, u make us all look like some kind of cult by eating this way. Back off and never do this again, wait for people to ask.
HOOOOLY your parking space!! I thought the $60 a month with the apartments we were looking at was expensive!
さすが東京
Rachel & Jun I knowwwwww... Tokyo is so expensive... Hahaha. I hope y'all find a cheap one!
***** don't like em? don't watch em! It's a close-knit community, that's the point, no?
This seems so cheap. Here is Australia if you asked your company to pay for your rent they would laugh at you and then politely escort you from the building.
💀💀💀
If Australia is facing really low-birth rate & even lower marriage rate, then I'd imagine most companies in your country offering such incentive as well.
Alex W. I don't think that would happen in Australia. Most people would expect the government to fix those kinds of things, not private companies.
Robert Turner Private companies are expected to pitch in on social issues in Japan.
Alex W. Ok I understand that.
I actually love your hair and eye makeup combo in this video. Gorgeous!
+maria pizzo Awww Thank you for saying that~
+Texan in Tokyo ^_^ 👍
I like her eyes .... big bright grey eyes oO KAWAII
i like her nose
Why, thank you, you're not so bad looking yourselve!
Heard a good cheap alternative to trains is over night busses, if your good at sleeping on busses like I am. That's how I plan to get around when I want to go outside Tokyo when I'm over there.
SturFriedBrains We used to take overnight busses like 3 times a month...Ryosuke can sleep anywhere, but I can't...
It's true! You can save up in that way!
As far as health insurance goes, we're a family of five. One full-time worker, one freelancer and part-time worker, and 3 kids. We pay 6,600円 per month. So there's a good range to look at.
And it's important for United States residents to know that when you say it covers 70%, that's WAY different than in the US. We can go to a clinic here and pay 100% cash and walk out spending less than $50 US. When we pay our copay, we get our doctor visit and all our medication for about $5-15.
Even if your company wasn't paying most of your rent $1400 for a 3 bedroom apartment is a good deal.
In Santa Barbara i was paying $2000 for a 2 bedroom apartment. Its the same in San Luis Obispo.
Maybe California in general is just more expensive.
It is. By a lot. Same quality place in Lincoln, NE is probably $1,300
***** wtf? Where do you live?
i mean Finland is pretty much the European third world so that`s not surprising...
lololol triggered
Apparently living in one of the best countries on the planet makes you third world.... lol
Wonderfully put and very informative, thank you. You're really lucky having a job that covers your rent costs wow that opens many other doors. Have a great 2015!
Marcel Stevahn Thanks! You too!
Ahhhh thank you so much, this was a much needed and very helpful video, I can't wait to live in Japan!
Rikkana Ferreira I hope you get to live in Japan soon!
Texan in Tokyo hopefully in 2016! I graduate then and then I'm off to study abroad :) hope to Jvlog
But anyways, that is a relief to hear how affordable the city is!! I've never heard of that portable wifi thing, that is so awesome. I definitely need that here.
I'll be in Tokyo in late October and even though I I'm only visiting for a week or so, watching your videos makes me so excited and hope that I can study hard and be able to study in Japan in the future! Thank you for making these videos. They are really motivating (for me personally) and this one especially is helpful for those want to end up living there! ありがとう。
Super interesting and informative! Some things seem more expensive then Korea but others seem cheaper then Korea, but overall doable prices if you have a proper income :)
Thanks for sharing!
BiiBiiBap I think food is cheaper in Korea - but housing might be about the same~
I know this video is old, but you looked really pretty with the hair cut. Not creeping, just a friendly compliment. I just stumbled upon your videos the other day. Its really neat to learn about other cultures. I also suffer from some social anxiety so its neat to see you out and about on your adventures in a land you didn't grow up in. I am living in TX now and am from AZ originally. Keep posting!
Omg, I lived in Nagoya for a year, my scholarship was ¥80000 (roughly $800) this was 10 years ago but I remember that by the end of the month we would raid the bottom of cupboards to make 'dorm-style' shabushabu (basically potluck) or sweet and savory crepes. I was given a bike for free but mostly we'd walked everywhere, the mall was 2.5km, the supermarket was also something like 2km, univeristy was just under a mile. If we took the subway each ride can pile up pretty quickly (like ¥150 fare for 1 or 2 stops) back home that's for 1 hour of commute, not a ride between stations. Entertainment was most of the time bookoff (for manga and dvds) and Karaoke it was dirt cheap like ¥100/h or ¥1200 all night. Going to the movies was out of price ¥1650 ($16.5)!! Uniqlo saved my hide more than once because sizes in Japan are so slim and tiny I had to have stuff shipped from home a couple times. Sames with couple daily essentials like shampoo (I have thin curly brown hair), deodorant and other higiene supplies. All in all it was the best year of my life, met a bunch of awesome people and learn so much. It was absolutely brilliant.
Even though it's a little old now, COOL VIDEO! Moving to Japan is a dream of mine, going to visit this summer!
+Reckless Yuki - 4k Gameplay & Tech Yaaay! Hope you have so much fun in Japan!! :)
Texan in Tokyo HEY! Thanks for the reply. I will have fun! Will be going to the Tokyo and Yokohama area. Haven't been since 16 years ago so I'm interested to see how things have changed.
Texan in Tokyo Also! I'm pretty tech savvy, if you are ever in need of upgrading equipment and want an opinion, I would be more than happy to help!
Yaaaay this video is super helpful! We pay $785 a month for a 1 bedroom in a not so great neighborhood near downtown Minneapolis and that's a pretty good deal (for how updated our apartment is anyways). I thought $500 was doable in Tokyo, but I've seen so many things that say otherwise lately and it was starting to worry me! Hello Tokyo, I'm coming! yaaaaay!
Princess! 王女さま I'm glad you found it helpful! Good luck in Tokyo!
I like how you walked back to get items instead of cutting in and out. It made you seem more real and down to Earth. Thanks for the insight on the cost of living! :)
Without knowing standard income, costs are irrelevant.
1600 a month could be everything you are making or it could be chump change.
AHHH I USED TO READ YOUR COMICS A LOT AND I DIDNT KNOW YOU HAVE A TH-cam CHANNEL I AM SO HAPPY
Hi Grace! I'm moving back to Tokyo (from the US) in October this year, and your guys' wifi device caught my attention! How are the speeds for when you are uploading videos, or sending files? Is it a type of internet service anyone on a student visa might be able to get? (I'm not sure if there are any restrictions on types of services? XD)
Mika Darling Speeds for uploading are... ok. I think it depends on the time of day. It's TOTALLY fine for sending videos/doing everything else, though.
I know you have to sign a 1 year contract (and if you break that contract, you have to pay like $200 extra, so it's not TOO bad).
I got one when I was a student, so that's TOTALLY fine!
Love you Grace, always like watching your videos and always a thumbs up for you : )
it's crazy that you pay more for parking than for rent. haha
Thank you so much for sharing this information! I am supposed to be moving to Tokyo next January so this is a bit comforting to hear that it is not quite as expensive as I originally thought it will be. (Though for my first two years there since I will be in school I will do a homestay)
RealLifeAmerica Good luck! I hope you have a great time!
I am considering moving to Japan sometime after college and after I did research Japan isn't really expensive as other people say it is. Of course if you go into major cities things tend to be way more expensive than if you lived outside of the city. Also your video was mega awesome thank you :). P.s. sorry if I comment too much on your videos.. I'm relatively new to your channel and I always get comment happy when I'm a new subscriber to people lol.
Daily Cup of Justin I completely agree! Of course, Japan CAN be expensive, but it's not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be.
Thanks for all your comments!
I did enjoy this quite a bit, Thank you for the very useful and practical information Grace! Love your hair and makeup in this video by the way, you're looking particularly beautiful ^.^
Thirst122 Thanks :D
In Morocco prices are really low ! There are people who get paid about 1600 dhs (200$) a month with 3 children and a wife ....
But high wages can climb up to more than 10000$ a month.
Ballouk Salim Wow, nice!
Hearing you speak Japanese always makes me happy :D and this video was so informative. Thanks for making it!
That is really surprising cuz I live in California and it's a lot more expensive. Like the whole month 1600 would be just the rent . Can you make a video on how much when you're studying abroad thank you.
narutolovefreak Sure! I'm probably going to do a FAQ for studying abroad in Japan~
This was very interesting to me. Happy New Year from a fellow Texan!
Quickshot2001 Thanks! Happy New Year!
I would like to have like 1 billion dollars in my bank account and Just go and settle in tokyo forever with no worries whatsoever. I would hire interpreters and servants and I wouldn't have to do anything stressful at all. Just enjoy!
so you are both too lazy, ignorant and disrespectful to learn the language yourself
same except I wouldn't hire interpreters.
DarePhish Basically what he's saying.
Lazy, hell yeah. Ignorant and disrespectful, no but that's ok. You can't possibly figure out a person from a single comment they made online.
personally i would not find that fun- But i would like the money. The reason i would say not fun is because i want to learn the language- that's what i think at least.
I love your videos! keep em coming!
I usually get away with saying it's not a pet it's emergency ration
ghosttimer funny only for the uneducated
I'm curious to know, have you made a video of 'do's and dont's' before visiting japan? if not i would be very interested in knowing. I know the basics about shoes and how to place your chopsticks, but that's about it.
By Canadian standards that's incredibly affordable, even with the dollar conversion. The cost of living in Ontario Canada is high, for my family (some people spend more, some spend far less) is averaged out at around $3000 a month not including entertainment, shopping or vet bills. I have a small mortgage on a three bedroom house, we own two vehicles, we have two kids a dog and a cat. Everything is exspensive here, that's why Canadians love to go shopping in the states.
Depends on which province you live in. My husband is from Nova Scotia and we always end up spending less when we go to Nova Scotia than we do in Texas.
To be fair, Nova Scotia is a shithole and no one in Canada would willingly move there.
Alphawolf299 Ouch. Haha. But I believe you. Most of the residents seem very unhappy to be living there. There is also sadly a high rate of homelessness among young people. It's very sad to witness. :(
Michelle Reilingh aye, my Canadian brother! (Kathleen Wynne needs to go. we pay taxes on out taxes. bs(
Alphawolf299 Excuuuse me. I'd love to move there. My Aunt's family lives there up on Cape Breton and it's so nice there.
Love your haircut in this! Hello, new subscriber here :) Your videos are awesome and informative!
Tokyo is a lot cheaper than I thought. I probably spend about $5,000 a month in California. Have to admit most of the money is buying crap I don't need. I thought Tokyo would be a lot more expensive.
Akashicho Kaze Dang. $5000 a month...
We also live cheaply because we're broke newlyweds working our first job(s)~
Texan in Tokyo You can probably tell from the thumbnail that I'm a lot older than the both of you. Believe me, when I was your age, I was struggling. I also had to get a loan when I was younger and that put me in heavy debt. As I got older and after a couple of pay raises, I was able to pay off my debt. I learned my lesson the hard way. Never buy anything that you can't afford. Never use a credit card unless you can pay off the full amount at the end of the month. Credit cards are the biggest ripoff with their interest rates. Both of you are young and are going about it the right way. Both of you won't make the same mistake that I made.
Akashicho Kaze One of my friends ended up with massive credit card debt in college. I learned that lesson watching her... :/
Watching this makes me nostalgic. Used to bingewatch her and his videos. I find them so entertaining and very educational. Plus.. Their interaction with eachother makes me feel that there is hope for humanity.
So for quick conversion of Yen to USD: 10,000¥ is the equivalent of $100; 1,000¥ is the equivalent of $10, right? Also if something was 1,570¥ would that be like $15.70? Or is it totally different?
EpicFailuresAreMine Exactly!
Texan in Tokyo Thank you! :)
1 yen = 1 penny
very informative video! Loved it! I also love your earrings! very cute!
kasi133005 Thanks :)
I just realized how sad is that for me because we pay more in East Bay than actually Tokyo. screw that, I'm moving to Tokyo :D btw. you look adorable :3
Ahaha East Bay of California? I just saw your comment after posting mine, the cost of living out here really is pretty ridiculous isn't it?
Tabithashabitat oh yes! maybe we should go to Tokyo instead, haha :) I don't know what determinate the high cost of living here. maybe all the companies in the silicon valley?
My Hong Kong Husband I live near the East Bay too and it's so expensive! Tokyo sounds reasonable and way worth the move.
My Hong Kong Husband :(I was actually looking at apartments in LA/SF and was SHOCKED by how expensive it was... noooooooo~
Texan in Tokyo actually LA is still cheaper than Bay Area... so I guess you should make some room for your fans, we're coming to Tokyo :D you shouldn't say the number of rooms you have, now we can use it against you! muahaha :D!
Thank you thank you thank you for this video! Planning my next year in Japan, it's super helpful to have an idea of the cost of living :D
That's not bad!
I'll have to do a video about my expenses when I get back to Japan too!
***** Totally do it! I'm curious about that too~
Thank you very much for this wonderful video, helped me a lot. Btw i couldn't take my eyes away from your eyes, they are so beautiful.
Tengiz Khalvashi Hahahaha, thanks. Glad to hear that!
I'm curious, does having a white American wife give your husband a certain status in Japan? Or do people look down on him for marrying outside his culture? Also I can't believe the company pays 85% of rent. That's crazy.
SmithsonianSamurai why wont she answer that question
GraveyardDave19. I think they stopped doing videos in November they are probably not going to be o here anymore
Nice video. I just moved to Okazaki City of Aichi Prefecture, 30 min south of Nagoya. This is a very nice place, not as big or expensive as Tokyo, but it feels very homey. That pocket WiFi seems like a great investment. I'll definitely look into getting that.
Looking forward to more of your videos.
You looked soo cute today :) you always do but the earrings are adorable ♥
Would it be ok to see like a room tour? Not like anything private but like just places you and your husband are ok with showing us ?
XxNeonBunniexX Hahahaha, I'm HORRIBLE at cleaning (hence the no room tour). But i might try to clean and do one in a couple weeks?
Texan in Tokyo Whenever you can :) I just love seeing Japan from the views of those who live there
Wow! Thanks so much for giving such a detailed report on living-in-Tokyo budget!!! :D I actually live in Shizuoka-ken so it's great to know that the jobs over there try to help make living in Tokyo more affordable.
Also sorry if this was asked before, but would you make a video about your job? What's it like to be a freelancer in Tokyo? (And a foreigner freelancer at that!) What exactly do you freelance in?? I'm super curious and I'm sure other people are too! ;)
Thanks for sharing such wonderful videos!
lialiakicks Sure! I've been thinking about making a video like that (soon)!
Hey Graaaace!!!! I love you guys and enjoy watching you. That doesn't sound creepy at all..not. Lol. Anyway I have more of a request than a question. I would love to see a cooking video or a video of you guys going over a food menu of what you guys make. I'm trying to get creative in my kitchen and my food is err not sooo good. I gave my husband indigestion from home mad spaghetti and my sushi bout killed him lol but he lives yay.
Loke'lani Leigh Hahahaha, thanks! I've been thinking about doing cooking videos sometime soon~!
I LOVE your earrings!!! Their soooooo pretty. Also your price of living seems pretty cheep from what I expected but then again the prices here (in the us) are also highly based off of credit scores and what not. Do they have kind of the same system (like having credit scores or collateral the whole shibang) or do they just go off set prices by land owners and your income?
ana1231234 Thanks! I love my earrings too!
No, since we're renting, it didn't really matter about our credit score. I know it's difficult to rent if you don't have a job - otherwise you need a guarantor.
WTF a 1 bedroom apartment is $2,400 in NYC :(
jrcedeno7 That's because NYC is expensive in general. I find that rent in the big North American cities is quite a bit higher than most other places.
jrcedeno7 That's because NYC is expensive in general. I find that rent in the big North American cities is quite a bit higher than most other places.
jrcedeno7 I have to pay much more than that for my 1 bedroom apartment in Sunnyvale-CA. I would love to spend only $1600 per month including everything. :'(
AdoraBell jrcedeno7 Tokyo is a lot more spendy than the rest of Japan as well. Generally, you can probably live in Japan for about the same as the US, if not cheaper... especially if you eat out a lot. Eating out in America is really expensive. Buying a place in Japan is super super cheap. You can buy a nice house for $100,000 easily in many suburbs. Also remember that although Japanese houses are smaller, they're configured more efficiently and the space can be used more efficiently. Also, appliances are more compact, so you need less room.
jrcedeno7 D: 110m² in Berlin for approx 1.200€, which is still considered expensive around here. o_o
Curious about your pocket wifi! Which company was that through, and how long does the battery last? I'm considering getting one for my phone (I'm studying abroad for a year soon).
what's the average salary/ minimum wage in japan though?
+Bayshawn Jones For senior level position in most companies (typically a position someone in their 30s), average salary is about 7 mill yen in city areas. That translate to a little over 50k per year, which is really bad when you consider recent bachellorates in US in same field earn 60k and are only ~22 years old.
+Potpourri lol, 60k at 22. Perhaps if you're doing STEM or law.
Darkov Nikobi I was considering software/application programmers. Even working for a relatively obscure company will get you at least 50k, but in Japan, in the same field, to get that money you need lots of years working
+Potpourri I'm confused, why would a recent bachelor grad be in a senior level position?
Corvus A recent bach grad in CS can get a decent job paying 60-70k+ in a variety of IT positions...in US, and that is entry-level/mid-level positions, people who just graduated and have at least a good looking resume with some certs and an internship maybe and this is across the country, not just in some place like San Fransisco. In Japan however, to make even 50k in the same field, you would have to be working for several years to get a senior position. And this is for CS, really one of the highest paying job markets under Engineering and private research
I am curious, how much would a monthly train pass for the Tokyo Area cost. Is it split into the different Tokyo Subway and Toei lines or does it cover all the trains in the tokyo area? I found it was really annoying that you had to buy a new ticket each time you switched train company or subway company :(
There isnt really a monthly ticket for the whole network. You can buy a mothly ticket from one station to another from a train company and the price depends on distance. This is mainly for work commuters and the company usually pays this ticket. Then there is a monthly ticket for the metro (this does NOT include JR) and last time I checked it was about 20.000 yen. But I think it doesnt make much sense..
I'm curious about the company that pays 85% of your housing. What company is this?
A lot of traditional, Japanese companies will pay a percentage of your rent if you work full-time, but the exact percentage depends on the job itself.
Some of my friends have 100% of their rent paid by their jobs and others only have like 20% paid. And of course others who have to pay their own rent completely.
twilight0623 just some info... a lot of my friends get about 60000-100000yen for housing. Although my company is a very well known one I get only 9000 yen. So it really differs by the company and that's why a lot of Japanese people look through the welfare section while looking for jobs
Hi, I'm new to your channel, but I really enjoy listening to you!
xBloodyHeartx1 Thanks!
Your hair looks super cute!
Caitlyn Cunningham Thanks!
Luved the Video! Beautifully done! Nice hair btw!
D: Tokyo sounds extremely expensive compared to the US.
In the US you get a lot of space for a fraction of that cost.
Of course it varies per area. Cities are more expensive by nature.
But the average cost of rent is $400 - $900 for a 1 or 2 bedroom 1 or 2 floor apartment.
We went an entire 3 floor house for $900. o-o;
I would probably enjoy living in South Korea but I don't think I could handle Japan. :3
Kayla Teets I've heard rent isn't TOO bad in South Korea. I'd like to try living there (or really anywhere) someday.
Idk where you live in the US but here in California from a one bedroom apartment can be around 2,000 dollars a month! ;_; So Tokyo is a lot cheaper monthly to live in. My rent for 2000 a month is just for rent! not counting, Taxes, gas, clothes, food ect. I hope I can live in Japan one day,
Yea, where do you live???? If you compare an apartment in Tokyo, a major city, to one of the major cities in the US like NY, Tokyo is wayyyyyyy cheaper.
I live in Pennsylvania, not in the city but close to the city and rent here averages between $600 - $1200 a month depending on what you get. To the people saying that you can spend around $2000 in NY/DC/Philly/LA etc... that's true, the rent there is MUCH more expensive, but people also make more money. There's a ratio. $10 over there might be $5 over here. I currently make a little over $21,000 a year at my job. If I were in California, maybe I'd be doing the same job for about $40 or $50,000. But because the cost of living goes up, the money I'm making is the "same." The number itself is higher, but the ratio is the same. There's no profit, in a sense.
My personal rent is $900 a month for a 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, basement, garage house. And we use oil to heat our house. So a lot of money goes into the oil, too.
I love you guys soooo much!!!!!! i have been interested in japan for so long and your videos make my days. Lately i have been in a very dark place in my life but you guys make me smile every time i watch your videos. I love u 2 soooo much!!! and i think you guys are the cutest couple ever!!!!! Thankyou for posting these videos and say hi to rachel and jun for me. ILYSM!!!!!!!!!
Wow, I live on the outskirts of California's Bay Area and spend less on food, rent, and phone bills than anyone I know around here and you're STILL spending way less to live in Tokyo than I pay every month! Oh and if you'd like to have a pet around here odds are that (even for a cat) you're probably going to have to spend at least $500 more every month on rent.... :-/ Still this was a very interesting video so thank you for posting it :)
Tabithashabitat Honestly, I haven't ever rented an apartment in a major city in America - so I've been shocked by how expensive it is...
Texan in Tokyo
I'm in a small 1 bedroom apartment and it's approx. $1100 - $1200 a month for rent + utilities each month. Everyone I've talked to around here considers that a "steal" and I have 3 friends who've expressed interest in moving in when I move out. I know lots of people who just rent a single room in houses with 5+ people near here for about $1000 per month.
I've been told my whole life that the Bay Area is one of the most expensive places in the world to live but I'm only just now coming around to believing it haha!
I don't know where you're renting since Bay Area is a pretty large, but considering the rent me and my friends paid in Berkeley (you can get a room as low as $300 a month), I'm thinking you're just talking about the city? Things get cheaper generally in East Bay. Also my pet deposit was an additional $50 on the deposit, lol. How long have you been there? This sounds like... incredibly innaccurate.
love watching your videos, super helpful! I'm planning to move to Japan in a few years, I live in Australia right now, but its been my dream to live in Japan :)
That seems pretty reasonable
Dossell Sinclair Right? Japan can be reasonable!
Excuse list for not visiting Japan just got shorter
+Texan in Tokyo what about things like Gym memberships? And I'm curious to know if you see people go running through the city Or do they have open track areas for public use?
V35Nismo They're SUPER expensive. The place(s) near our house are 8000yen (limited) or 12,000yen per month, which I thought is crazy expensive...
goddamn thats cheap, here in bad neighborhoods you pay 600 euros AT LEAST and thats about 700-750 dollar per month. Living in the netherlands even in small towns will cost you double that easily. Tokyo is pretty cheap
you can get a 1 room appartement for 400€ a month in Amsterdam too. it all depends on location... as goes for any city anywhere in the world.
mathardo Out here its facking expensive and im actively looking so I would know.
Daniel K I have had an apartment in Amsterdam Oud-West for that amount money.
You have to apply for the waiting list to have any claim though otherwise you're stuck with the free sector which is more expensive.
mathardo In general I hate the dutch system in terms of hiring
Daniel K it works like that to help you out. If we didn't have a social sector like we do, all housing would be much more expensive. But since houses are in high demand the waiting list for the social sector is hella long. =/
I'd like to add about the transit. You can buy a train pass if you go the same route everyday and it's significantly cheaper. You can get off at any stop on the way there from your apartment as many times as you'd like.
I want to move to Tokyo, Japan, so bad!
Me too!
and alot people in tokyo want to move to your country lol
+Anddress Torres no.. believe me, it's just stupidity when any of us from the east want to leave. i want to move back to japan. unfortunate mistake.
Understandable, living in Tokyo isn't fun. Japan in general isn't as fun as you see it in Anime and stuff. Yeah there is lots of entertainment and whatever if you have the money, but working there is a nightmare, especially if you are a foreigner.
Everything is really not as great as you think it is and a lot of Japanese Young people would rather move to America.
Zack Scruggs Dude, you're not the only one. I wanna move there, too. Only to Kobe Japan, that is.
thanks for the video. Very good tips and advice
were you on nhk ? Lol I watched a programme with a foreigner who looks like you
***** Yeah! I'm sometimes on "Tokyo eye." I think they just re-ran an old episode a couple days ago~
LOVE your slippers!! They look so cozy!
Just curious, what does your husband do? My fiance and I have watched your videos for a while and always wonder? ( well I wonder)
Chris Ash He's in sales. He works for a very traditional Japanese company~
Beautiful.
Awesome video! I can't wait to go over there ! But right now its time for Kauai (:
Wow, I pay more than that a month in Orlando. Note to self: move to Tokyo.
Man of Beer Man It's even cheaper if you're out in the countryside~
Texan in Tokyo
True, but I couldn't do the countryside. I got enough of that when I was a kid.
Man of Beer Man same here, it's crazy! I live in a two room apartment and just the rent itself is around $1500.
thank you for your post i enjoyed it and im thinking about visiting Tokyo now. so thanks.
AAAHHHHHH, you're EARRINGS!!!! I love, love, LOVE them!!!! :D
lilangelarishi Thanks :)My friend made them and gave them to me for Christmas a couple years back~!
Really informative video; Japanese companies finance structure seems similar to USA; but what happens if you lost your job would be able to attain benefits to cover living costs?
Kitty Rocoa Nope. If you lose your job (quit/fired), you have to move out ASAP. Sometimes you have to be out before your last day of work (which sucks when they only give you 2 weeks notice)
So what does a person do if they lose their job? Are they made homeless?
Kitty Rocoa Well in general if they don't have a backup plan or the firing was sudden, they just move back home. Pretty common in Japan.
Watching this makes me want to see Japanese people's reactions to the kinds of apartments you can get in the US for $1,400 a month! I feel like they would be shocked by how big they are since for that much around where I live you can get a good 1,000 sq ft or more. Not that I'm trying to talk bad about Japan! I've just noticed most of the apartments in Japan I've seen in apartment videos seem very very small so the comparison would be interesting.
A 1400$ apartment in NYC is probably the size of a closet.
It really depends on where you live. Where I live in California a room in a multi-room apartment is $800+. That's for college housing, nothing nice If it's a three bedroom you might get a room for $700. I don't even live in that big of a town, it's just a nice and VERY sought after place to live.
lol 1400 here in the SF bay area that's a small ass 500 sq ft studio
Right? My house is a 3,000 square foot completely remodeled house, 5 bed, 3 bath, and I pay $800 a month and will have it paid off in 15 years. I would stroke paying these prices 😛
See some Americans reactions to how CHEAP Tokyo is compared to where they live. In the US? Depends on WHERE in the US. About $1800-$2000/month for 300-400 square foot studio where I live. A one bedroom is close to $3000. You could rent a room in someone's house for $1400 here but not your own apartment. I bet Tokyo is WAY more expensive than small-town Japan (just big cities vs small-town USA).
This is quite a good reference, since I'm going there next year for studies purposes. I've always thought Tokyo's gonna be super expensive, but now I don't think so. Thanks for the insight!
Oh dang haha that's a lot! But not too bad :) in Australia you have to pay an arm, leg and kidney to get by... that is why I mooch of my mum mwuahahha I will never leave >:D
lolll, i don''t blame ya i just realized Australia is getting worse country to live in if u have no family or any headstart in education. Your basically screwd, its very easy to become homeless here if you have nobody.
Rent sounds basically the same as it is here in the US (although a place in the suberbs is going to be cheaper than in the city). I live in a one bedroom apartment in a suberb outside St. Louis and I pay $535 a month PLUS a $20 cat fee. There was a $200 cat deposit and it's about $80-120 a month for electricity depending on the time of year + $50 for internet. All other utilities are included.
sheesh i am moving to Tokyo.. it is way cheaper than u.s.a
Not quite, don't forget they have basically free rent.
Otherwise their living expensses would have been around 3000$ per month if they had to pay full rent.
I was about to say that. Where do you get all this money from lmao. Id have to live in one tiny apartment if i didnt find a good job there.
The train system in Tokyo sounds really expensive. It costs more if you change from one line to another, doesn't it? Rent in Tokyo sounds really expensive as well, I can't imagine giving out so much as 'gift money' if I weren't getting any back. It would be nice to only make the one payment per month though. I have to pay my rent per week, but it works out a lot cheaper.
Grace, you look so much more comfortable in front of the camera now :)
caitykoala Yeah... trains can be rather expensive. But it's still cheaper than regularly using a car (tolls on highways, parking, etc)...
Thanks!
And here I am living in Poland for $300 a month.
Kurtownia Dang, lucky you~
Kurtownia i zarabiasz 300 $ :P
30.000 to 40.000Y on food doesn't even come close on what we spend haha especially not with loads of fruits, verggies and meat. We eat out sometimes, but I find eating out is often even cheaper than cooking yourself. We go to COSTCO every month were we spend already 30.000 to 40.000Y. Our "food"bill (including toilet paper, kitchen stuff etc) is usually around 70.000Y...
Dang. I spend more to live in Corpus Christi :/
Brooke Bearden small world! You attend A&M Corpus Christi?
Are there those cards for the train? In London I know there are Oyster cards so those are a lot cheaper and more convenient.
Yes, there are cards here in Japan for transport can 'Suica' and 'Pasmo'. They're super convenient and works on different types of transport across the country. You save a little bit if you use these cards (by little I mean like, a few yen per trip).
Was the transition very difficult? I'm really thinking about living abroad and have always been fascinated with Japanese culture. And 1400 - 1600 is really not that bad of a price! You could pay that amount here (also in Texas) and have just a roof over your head and maybe half a fridge of food.
*converts currency* oh god....T0T I'll need to become a millionaire first. Too expensive >
GamingKurage Basically just living ANYWHERE is expensive. Ugggghhh.
Texan in Tokyo yes...but converting from my currency(Malaysia). I could've live in luxury here in my country instead with that kind of money >
It is expensive, we only pay Internet £ 12 , that's about $15. In the UK. Japan is expensive...but it looks lovely to visit :)
$18.50
Its about the same for me in canada :3 .. But id need to find a job in tokyo first ^^
Wow, is it normal for companies to pay a percentage of the rent in Japan? Because I figure without that support the final number at the end might've been much more high. If I can be so bold to ask, do you have things left for savings at the end? What is the general income in Japan you'd say?
Just to compare a bit, here in Amsterdam The Netherlands my monthly spending would be 1500 EUR / 1700~ USD for two people living together while studying. That includes my university fee though and government support substracted from costs. My monthly income as a student is around 1500 EUR too, including a study loan and my job.
Eva My husband and I are SUPER thrifty - we're not living in that apartment anymore. Our current place is about $700 a month and our total spending for everything is about $1800 a month. So it's possible to live for cheap - you just have to give up a couple conveniences.
Texan in Tokyo wow, that's still really cheap, I'd thought it would be a lot more. I've been to Tokyo for a few weeks and thought it was quite expensive but what you're paying for 2 people, that's really not a lot. For a city like Tokyo I mean. You would've problems finding a flat for 2 people in Germany for just $700. I'm exaggerating a bit, but most flats cost more than that. How much squaremeters do you have?
Your eyes,... lovely!
good video, it's very helpful keep up the good work
can u do a video of your husband with his shirt off?
what is this question?XD
he looks really buff n i wanna see
I always used to think of Tokyo as a super expensive city after all most of the international rankings place it in the top 10. However after moving to South America with the opposite view and meeting various foreigners who came here with the same idea and quickly finding out it's cheaper to live in some parts of Europe, US, Canada etc. compared to here after watching varios cost of living videos from Japan. It becomes evident it's not as bad as it's made out to be which is a good thing considering i'm intending to go and live for some 3 months as a life experience. Thank you for your input Texan in Tokyo
You're life expenses are cheaper than my expenses in the U.S.-__-. ..screw it im moving tokyo
Mika Ty Do ittttt~! Hahahaha.
I thought that living in Tokyo would be much more expensive. When I checked the appartments prices in Tokyo I was like ''I cant live there alone.''. But seems like you can have great deals! I wanna live in Japan in a couple of years (at least for one year or couple of months), so I was quite nervous checking the living expenses. I might live at my friend's familly house so might be better than living alone, but I'm still curious about that. Is it really harder for foreigners to get an appartment ? (More expensive etc). I heard a bunch of stories about that.
Kataomi no sekai We spent like 1.5 months looking for a cheap, nice place. Needle in a haystack. But we LOVE our current place~
I would never live in a shoe box
good for you.
I would
what is the best place to live for 1 person and how much will it cost to live in 1 room apartment and how much is a regular house like for 1-2 beds rooms 1 bathroom and a regular sized living room
the girl is beutiful
This was nice to know. I was thinking of doing a year teaching English in Japan after I graduate college. You get a set amount for the year. Helps to sort of plan out expenses.
There is a reason why I refuse to live in cities. I assume you guys aren't tech people if that is your internet solution.
!!!! You're so cute! I loved your "japanese husbands" video with Rachel and Jun. :)
Lentils have as much protein as meat, and it's much cheaper. Just in case your husband wants to get healthier. XD
+Blaice In Japan? I don't know about you, but in my area, beans are crazy expensive. Chicken is the way to go!
+vesterpop Well, lentils are technically not beans. All beans are legumes, but not all legumes and beans. Peanuts are also a legume, and not a nut. Just fun facts. I am a snob when it comes to lentil quality and i buy them for less than 2/lb. I know for a fact you can get them a fraction of that price for still good quality 50 cents to a dollar a lb max. Chicken, however, costs 3-4 dollars a pound minimum, for low quality meat, and nutritionally inadequate comparatively.
Virginia Ham's unique flavor became well known world wide because the pigs were fed peanuts. Now that Smithfield is Chinese -owned and peanuts cost a lot more, I wonder what they are fed.
They never asked for help finding vegan options. I'm vegan, my whole family is as well. We really try to correct fellow vegans from cramming our values and eating habits onto the standard diet people. Seriously when u push vegan options on people who clearly did not ask for it, u make us all look like some kind of cult by eating this way. Back off and never do this again, wait for people to ask.