Cost of living in Tokyo

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

A customer wants a couple of our Thai staff in Tokyo for 2 months. Obviously they cannot live on Thai wages there and even though the client will pay expenses (i.e. accommodation) we would like to increase the staff's wages to reflect their increased cost of living (plus a decent bonus for being away from home).

 

Thing is that none of us know how much this would be, and therefore how much we need to quote the client.

 

So, if accommodation is taken care of, how much would you need roughly per month in Tokyo to live okay.

 

Sanuk!

[elef]

Hi KS,

 

Tokyo is the city in the world with the highest living costs web page

 

It's normal to live 1-2 hours train travel away from work because of the huge accommodation cost.

 

A guess is 5 times the thai salary - maybe up to 10 for specialists.

 

Maybe Roppongi can give us more information.

 

elef

[elef]

Phoned a friend who worked in Japan before, he suggested 800,000 - 1,000,000 JPY per month.

[OCgringo]

long time since I was there ,

but a small room above train station with bathroom down the hall was $125 a night,

 

I ate at McDonalds and from the 7-11

[uk101]

KS,

 

It's difficult to give an overall figure but to give you an idea, I've found that the costs in Tokyo are not too different to a European City. The biggest expense will be accomodation but you say the client will pay for this. Here's some other costs that hopefully will allow you to judge what a reasonable amount would be.

 

Drinking

 

There are many options for drinking in Japan and depending on the type of bar/club you pay for each drink individually, pay for a bottle or pay an hourly rate (with unlimited booze)

 

When paying individually, a beer or short at an average bar will cost you approx 500-1000Y.

The cost of a bottle can be quite reasonable (for Japan) if you regularly drink at the same place.

The hourly rate places tend to be hostess/karaoke type bars and will cost from 4000Y/hr to some astronomical figure.

 

If they get homesick, I know of a good bar in Ikebukuro with Thai staff, karoke, clientele and beer. It might be a good starting point for them. PM me if you want directions etc.

 

Food

 

Lots of options. There's plenty of different styles of food starting with Ramen at 500-1000Y. There's plenty of reasonable restaurants (Thai/Vietnamese/Japanese) which will cost you maybe 3000/4000Y a head. Many of the bars also sell food and can eat reasonably for maybe 1000-2000Y.

 

Transport

 

Public transport is reasonably priced, the only problem it shuts down quite early. 1000Y would almost certainly cover a return trip to most places unless they're based out in the suburbs of Tokyo. Taxi's are a different matter, very expensive.

 

Sightseeing

 

There's plenty to see and do around Tokyo and everything is easily accessable by public transport. Getting out of Tokyo can be expensive though.

[vox1]

I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that website (heh, other than tokyo being the most expensive city to live in!), look further down, there is simply no way that hanoi and ho chi minh city are both more expensive to live in than boston or washington dc!!

 

vox

[UAL875]

KS - PM me the details maybe I can help. I'll be in Hong Kong a good part of next week so the sooner I receive the info, the better. And yes, Japan is damn expensive.

[Dude_Le_Rude]

 

 

http://jafnet.co.jp/plaza/monthly/monthly/monthlye.html

 

 

this placce has monthly rates, which, however, are quite high. but not high for Tokyo, in my opinion.

 

hardest thing if they try to rent on their own, the language barrier, discrimination against SE Asian people, and the high deposit and gift money involved- even for a short term lease... (most leases also require a Japanese gurantor who must co-sign the contract)

 

They should really NOT expect the one month deposit back.

 

Many apartments are rip offs in that they will look at every little scratch and mark on the floor and add it up and give you a repair bill. They should also expect to have to pay to clean the apartment professionally before they leave.

 

I really suggest that they video tape or take many digital photos of the damage they find when they move in.

 

Peace!

[Pom Michael]

KS,

 

800,000 yen = THB 300,000 Somehow I don't think this amount is feasible for Thai Staff, especially considering that accomodation is provided.

 

That would probably be in excess of 10x their Thai salary.

 

I would say an extra USD 50.00 per day (THB 2,000 x 30 or THB 60,000 / month) would cover it.

 

They are there to work, correct? So I would not factor in anything for "entertainment" expenses. Also I would structure the contract with the customer to include both accomodation and transport to/from work as being provided.

 

Cheers!

[Dude_Le_Rude]

and of course, the places are really small.

 

measured in TATAMI (bamboo mats)

 

1 tatami = a little less than 2 square meters

 

and renting sight unseen is asking for trouble.

 

if they have the time, they REALLY should go look at the places, and check the neighborhood for noise. They should go at night, after 12 am, you never know what might be around you!! One friend rented a place in Osaka, looked OK, quiet in the day when he went to see it... but from 11pm to 5am EVERYNIGHT, jack hammers were banging away building a new subway... for a Vietnam veteran, this was most upsetting!

 

also, inside the place, tap on the walls, if it sounds hollow, you will be able to hear EVERYTHING next door.

 

AND, noise from people walking upstairs can drive you crazy if you are in a poorly built building...

 

nosy, annoying neighbours, too is usually the case...