Tokyo is known as one of the most expensive cities to live in but how much does it actually cost to live here? From rent, to taxes, transportation, food and more, we show you how living in Tokyo is not as expensive as you think.

By Anthony Joh Feb 3, 2014 1 min read

Tokyo is known as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live, but what is the actual cost of living in Japan? On this episode of the GPod, Anthony is joined by Reno Tibke from AkihabaraNews to discuss the true cost of living in Tokyo.

We break down our monthly fixed living expenses, cover various transportation costs, internet connectivity and annual taxes that you will be required to pay.

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While the cost of living in Japan can vary greatly depending on the location, these numbers should give you a rough estimate of what it costs to start you new life in Japan.

We also briefly cover food and entertainment in the show but we didn’t include specific prices as those costs will vary depending on your lifestyle.

Anthony’s Expenses

Rent: ¥75,000

Gas: ¥3000 ~ ¥4500

Water: Included with the rent

Electric: Included with the rent

Home Internet: ¥6121

Mobile Phone: ¥7800

Transportation: ¥7600

Reno’s Expenses

Rent: ¥78,000

Gas: ¥3000 ~ ¥4500

Water: ¥2000

Electric: ¥5500 ~ ¥6500

Home Internet: ¥2500 (¥30,000 router cost)

Mobile Phone: ¥7800

Transportation: ¥12,800

Taxes

Salary Simulation provided by Capital Tax Year 1 Year 2 Monthly Yearly Monthly Yearly Base Salary 250,000 3,000,000 250,000 3,000,000 Health Insurance 12,961 155,532 12,961 155,532 Pension Insurance 22,256 267,072 22,256 267,072 Total Insurance 35,217 422,604 35,217 422,604 Inhabitant Tax 0 0 13,459 161,508 Income Tax 5,270 63,240 5,270 63,240 Total Deduction 40,487 485,844 53,946 647,352 Net Salary 209,513 2,514,156 196,054 2,352,648

While this list does not cover all expenses of living in Tokyo it does give you a rough estimate.

Due to time constraints we were not able to cover areas outside of Tokyo but if you are living outside of Tokyo feel free to post your expenses in the comments below.

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