Guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 I have just been reading a lengthy thread on the cost of living in BKK and as I am just about to relocate to TOKYO I thought I would ask you guys who live there about this. Bearing in mind that I will be teaching English and not living on an expat package, what will I need for a good lifestyle? By that I mean rental of apartment, food, eating out two/three times a week, and average daily transport costs. Also what costs are involved in renting a place.........I know about the upfront fees! C U all in October....Roppongi, Blue Tokyo, UAL875 etc etc. Uniformguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Uniformguy, I've been told laundry is fairly expensive, so you'll have to cut down on your use of uniforms I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 UG, give me a day or two to compile a detailed response. My birthday today and I've got some 'business' to attend to... :hubba: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Happy birthday, Roppongi ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAL875 Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 UG ? konnichiwa? Roppongi-san: Happy Birthday! Here is some info regarding cost of living? Eating out ? Tokyo is a top-tier dining city accommodating to all tastes and economic brackets. Most places offer aptly-named ?settos? which are set-priced lunches and dinners. For lunch, settos are generally 1,000 ? 2000 yen per person although one may be able to find some starting at 700 yen and others exceeding the 2,000 yen ceiling. Dinner settos vary by establishment but expect 2,000 ? 12,000 yen per set. Of course there are restaurants whose sets cost in excess of 20,000 yen but I assume you will be saving those for the very special occasion when you will be treating me. A diner can also go the non-setto route just expect to add on about 500 ? 2,000 yen to the tab. For particular food?hmmmm. A bowl of ramen (Chinese noodle soup) will costs anywhere from 500 ? 1,000 yen. Sushi (excluding fancy places or gaijin tourist traps) will be 1,200 ? 5,000 yen a chowdown. Yakiniku will cost 1,700 ? 3,000 yen a person for dinner. Fast-food is standard and will be in the 500 ? 1,000 yen range. Note on the aforementioned I did not factor in drinks to the tab. Beer/wine with the meal will cost about 600 ? 1,200 yen a glass depending on the beverage and establishment. Bars/Pubs ? (regular bar with no cover charge) A beer is 500 ? 1,000 yen. Hard liquor will be in the higher end of this range. Local transportation ? Subway/JR is based on distance traveled. So the ?average? trip will cost 130 ? 260 yen depending on the length of the journey. Obviously it could cost more than 260 yen if you go out to ?the sticks?. Busses work the same way and may be slightly higher but equally as efficient. There may be multi-ticket discounts but I am not so certain. Taxis are generally 660 yen as soon as you step in with 60 yen increases along the way. Some examples: Roppongi to Shibuya is about 1,000 yen. Shibuya to Shinjuku will run at least 1,300 yen. Tokyo Ecki to Shinjuku will run about 2,200 yen. Long distance transportation can be expensive. Shinkansens (bullet trains) cost about 15,000 yen to Osaka each way, overnight bus about 8,000. Airfare will be in the 16,000 range, one way. These are straight-up prices when buying tickets directly from JR or the airline. Travel settos can reduce these costs TREMENDOUSLY. For instance, JR ran a special where a rider could use the shinkansen four times on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and then access the local lines at the destination cities without limitation. Cost: 14,000 yen. I took advantage of a setto to Kagoshima (southern Kyushu) that was priced at 17,000 yen and included round trip airfare and two nights at a Tokyu Hotel overlooking Sakurajima. Had I purchased each piece on my own it would have easily cost in excess of 50,000 yen. I attribute this to the nature of Japan Inc.?s set-up. That is, don?t act individually and be part of what is pre-fabricated. Oh well, it certainly is beneficial to be ?one of the crowd? when traveling within this country. As far as housing - well let's not go there. I don't talk about the rent for my Harajuku closet . Once you get an idea of some options for residence, pm me and I can help you with details. Hope this was useful and see you in the autumn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitney Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Hell, I thought 264 yen for 1 dollar U.S. in 1986 was a low exchange rate. Tokyo was expensive back then, but now its just beyond belief. I would not be surprised if the clerks at 7-11's make more in yen than I do in U.S. dollars :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 UG when asking what does one need to live on it always depends on your lifestyle. I'd say a minimum of 300,000 yen a month, which is probably all you could expect as a new English conversation teacher. As for costs involved in renting, you normally need six month's rent to walk through the door. 1 month's key money 1 x agent's fee 2 x deposit 2 x month's rent up front. That said, in these days of 'recession' you may get away with one month's deposit and no key money, or can go el cheapo and live in a gaijin house with six strangers. (Uniform Guy's butter , Uniform Guy's used schoolgirl undies !) Recommend securing a job and seeing if you like it before splashing out for an apartment as you could have a killer commute or decide Tokyo's not for you after six weeks. Most companies give their employees rail/bus passes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 Hi Roppongi, What's the 'average' commute time in Tokyo ? In Sydney and Melbourne, I'd put it at over an hour each way, particularly for those who have fled the city in search of something under $400K. Brissie, depressingly, isnt too far behind. Interestingly, when I ran a poll on this about 12 months ago, many member seemed to live within a 5 minute walk of their offices :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 17, 2004 Report Share Posted February 17, 2004 artiew said:What's the 'average' commute time in Tokyo ? One hour to one-and-a-half in a VERY crowded train would be *average*. I couldn't do it! No way. I know of some people who commute via the bullet train to Izu (Atami) or north to the mountains which is totally cool and civilized. BTW, I hear they're looking for train drivers in Sydney? WTF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_numbers Posted February 18, 2004 Report Share Posted February 18, 2004 Roppongi: 300,000 Yen as a minimum, per month eh?? :: So, 3 million + yen per year = a "good" life? or just a fine enough Tokyo closet with a few nights out?? I'm now enteratining the idea of moving to Japan, and just trying to get a grasp on how much you'd have to watch your pocket on a wage like this... Bearing in mind I don't intend to eat at high-end restaurants, take taxis regularly, or live like a prince. For example I got offered a job at the end of last year in Nihon that paid 4,200,000 yen annually, with some benefits like a JR pass, and compensation for Japanese classes. I never ran the numbers hard because I was not considering it then.. But now I am curious is this 'decent' - 'good' ?? For an annual wage in your estimation Roppongi-san I am not that hardcore of a nightlife person, but like normal clubs on weekends, movie rentals, and the occassional rowdy night of hard drinking... I've run up one hell of a tab drinking whisky in Japan. 'Golden Gai' still has a bottle of mine at a certain fine bar the size of my balcony in Bangkok. words of wisdom - please :: the_numbers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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