Many people are curious as to how much they should expect to spend on living costs here in Japan. Of course this varies wildly from person to person and area to area, but I hope by sharing my monthly living expenses for the past year, I can help someone!

As for a bit of background information, I live alone in a 1R apartment in Yokohama city. Yokohama is not as expensive as Tokyo, but it's also not as cheap as more rural areas. I do want to note that I didn't shop around for utility providers or have any bundling because my real estate agent opened the accounts for me. Therefore, you might be able to find cheaper companies or bundles!


RENT/家賃
For my one room apartment in Yokohama city, I pay 60,500 yen ($558 USD) a month in rent and common area fees. Your rent will depend on a lot of things, such as the ward, distance to nearest station, building age, and type. My rent is about average for the ward I live in, and I live in a brand new building that is about a 10min. walk from the nearest station. The cheapest wards in Yokohama are Asahi-ward, Izumi-ward, and Isogo-ward. The most expensive wards in Yokohama are Tsuzuki-Ward, Naka-ward, and Nishi-ward.

GAS/ガス代

My gas is provided through the TOELL corporation. The apartment that I live in uses LP Gas, or propane gas. If you are looking to save money, look for an apartment that is equipped with natural gas instead of propane. My gas bill averages out to 3,600 yen ($33.22) a month.

ELECTRICITY / 電気

My electricity provider is Tokyo Electric Power Cooperation (TEPCO). If you have Tokyo gas (natural gas), you can bundle your electricity bill with TEPCO. My electricity bill averages out to 3,200 ($29.52) yen a month.

WATER / 水道

My water provider is Yokohama Water Bureau, and this bill comes every other month. Therefore, you pay for two months at once. My bill averages out to 1500yen a month.

INTERNET / インターネット

My internet provider is NTT EAST and I have their FLETS HIKARI NEXT plan with router rental. My internet bill is 5,700 yen  ($52.58) a month. I am pretty sure you can find cheaper providers, but I chose NTT because they have an English support line.

CELLPHONE / 携帯電話

My cellphone bill averages out to be about 7,300 yen ($67.34) a month. My cellphone provider is NTT Docomo. Docomo has a sliding scale for data usage, which is why some months I pay 6,500yen (less than 5gb) or as high as 10,000 yen (more than 5gb) a month. I am definitely sure you can find a cheaper provider, and I highly encourage you to seek out other providers.

PENSION / 厚生年金

Pension is withheld by the company I work for, and they withhold 23,790 a month ($219). If you are paying manually because you don't have a job or work part-time, then I believe the monthly payments are around 16,400 a month.

HEALTH INSURANCE / 社会保険

Health insurance is also withheld by the company I work. They withhold 11,400 yen ($105) a month. If you are on national health insurance, I believe the monthly payments are around 8,500 yen a month.

RESIDENCE TAX / 住民税

If it is your first year in Japan, you will not have Residence Tax withheld from your paycheck as it is based on the previous year's income.  Instead, you will get a set of bills during your second year to pay at the convenience store. Since I am in my second year in Japan, I pay 2,900 yen ($26.75) every month.

INCOME TAX / 所得税

I get income tax withheld from my paycheck by the company I work for. I get 5,340 yen ($49.26) withheld every month. In Japan, most jobs will do your taxes for you unless you have multiple jobs, leave the country mid-year, or make over a certain amount of money.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE / 用保険雇

This is pretty much your unemployment if you quit or get fired. I currently get 640 yen ($5.90) withheld from my paycheck each month.


MISC.

Below are some other miscellaneous bills that you should account for during your stay in Japan if they apply to you!

• credit card bills
• car note/car insurance
• subscription services (Netflix, YouTube Premium)
• groceries/household supplies
• school loans
• transportation (if not covered by employer)