Today I have moved in my new apartment! Yeah! Now, I will start a new life. Once in a while, I will write about the cost of living Japan, I am sure it will help others.
Now, my apartment is 30 minutes from Shinjuku by train and 1 minute walking distance to my apartment from the train station. The apartment is 2 years and has 2 rooms and a kitchen. The rent is 100000 Yen. But when I rented this room, I had to pay a realtor's fee and key money and a two-month deposit. Also, I have to buy a fire insurance. So in total, I paid 570,000 Yen
Hmmm expensive? I think my rent is very reasonable considering the size and the condition of the apartment. But , yes I know this is the most expensive country in the world to live. This rate and price is of course different in each case, for each realtor. And in the Osaka region and Western areas of Japan the rent system is much more expensive than in the Kanto region, where Tokyo is.
Here is what I paid already:
CATV (internet and 66 TV channels) 9000 Yen / month
Refrigerator bought at a Yahoo auction 12000 Yen
Washing machine bought at a Yahoo auction 9500 Yen
I want to get everything and start my life for less than 700,000 Yen.
I will write articles, once in a while, on good examples, tips and suggestions for starting a new life.
Finally, there might be some good news for struggling Algarve property owners. Thousands of mortgage loans that were supposed to reset at a higher rate this spring won't be changing…
Posted by: | Tuesday, September 01, 2009 at 06:48 AM
Tavira property in Portugal...
Posted by: | Monday, August 17, 2009 at 07:50 PM
Have you bought a dryer yet? It gets cold out there, ne? Would be hard to hang clothes to dry...
I didn't know that Tokyo has "cheaper" rent compared to Kyushu and Kansai...why is that?
Posted by: abraxis | Thursday, January 06, 2005 at 04:15 PM
In London, house prices are getting very high too.
An average three bedroomed house costs about £200,000 ($340,000)!
Posted by: Pudduh | Friday, July 23, 2004 at 04:54 AM
Hi Karen Thank you!! How is your Japanese class?
Yes I wrote as key money, because my dictionary says so, it means reikin. Usutally reikin is double of the rent and deposit(shikikin) is double of the rent too. A realtor's fee is one month the rent, So roughly 5 times of the rent is you need to pay first. When you are out from the apartment, you may pay back some from Shikikin. Yes I think this is very expensive!!
Posted by: Mari | Sunday, July 18, 2004 at 07:35 AM
Congratulations! Hope you are enjoying your new "nest".
I would say the rent in Tokyo is about the same as San Francisco Bay Area which ranks one of the top three most expensive cities in the US. Last time I went to Tokyo, I checked out the rent too and depending on which side of the city, the difference can be quite big. But it is no doubt that the initial start-up cost is much higher than required in the US!
I was told that you also need to pay "reikin" as an "appreciation fee" to your landlord for letting you live there, is this true in your case?
Posted by: Karen | Sunday, July 18, 2004 at 06:28 AM