Indicative rates as of 27 October 2026
Cost of Living in Japan 2026: Student Edition
Moving to Tokyo as a student costs roughly ¥260,000 up front plus ¥142,000 per month in 2026 — and Sapporo is about 25% cheaper to live in each month. Here is the full breakdown by city.
| City | Monthly cost | One-time move-in |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | ¥142,000 | ¥260,000 |
| Osaka | ¥122,000 | ¥240,000 |
| Kyoto | ¥118,538 | ¥236,538 |
| Nagoya | ¥115,500 | ¥233,500 |
| Fukuoka | ¥112,000 | ¥230,000 |
| Sapporo | ¥106,400 | ¥224,400 |
Click a city for the full rent, food and move-in breakdown.
What's included
Monthly figures assume a student in a share house and include rent, food (~¥35,000), utilities (~¥12,000), tax & national health insurance (~¥5,000) and leisure (~¥25,000). Move-in costs include the first month's rent and a flat ¥35,000 share-house deposit, plus basic furniture, flights, visa and setup. A private studio costs more to move into: 4× rent for the first month, deposit, key money, agency and guarantor fees, plus ¥25,000 insurance. Tuition is not included — the budget calculator adds it for students.
Plan your full relocation budget
Adjust salary, housing type and city to get numbers tailored to you.
Sources, inputs and methodology
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs below, last updated on . The rents are typical advertised rents for a share-house room and a private studio (1K) near central stations; the fixed components are yuzu.help editorial estimates for a single person, not official statistics. Download the full table to recompute any number.
| City | Share house | Studio (1K) |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | ¥65,000 | ¥95,000 |
| Osaka | ¥45,000 | ¥65,000 |
| Kyoto* | ¥41,538 | ¥60,000 |
| Nagoya* | ¥38,500 | ¥55,000 |
| Fukuoka | ¥35,000 | ¥50,000 |
| Sapporo* | ¥29,400 | ¥42,000 |
* Rents scaled from regional baselines, using the same model as the budget calculator.
| Component | Student | Worker |
|---|---|---|
| Food | ¥35,000 | ¥45,000 |
| Tax & national health insurance | ¥5,000 | ¥15,000 |
| Leisure | ¥25,000 | ¥55,000 |
| Flight (one-time) | ¥100,000 | ¥120,000 |
| Visa & paperwork (one-time) | ¥15,000 | ¥20,000 |
| Setup cash (one-time) | ¥20,000 | ¥20,000 |
| Utilities & internet (share / studio) | ¥12,000 / ¥18,000 | |
| Furniture, one-time (share / studio) | ¥25,000 / ¥105,500 | |
Formulas
- monthly = rent + food + utilities + tax & insurance + leisure
- move-in = housing entry costs + furniture + flight + visa + setup. Shared housing: rent + ¥35,000 deposit. Studio: rent × 4 + ¥25,000 insurance.
The table on this page uses the student / share-house scenario; the city pages also show the worker / studio scenario. Currency conversions use the latest available rates, which may be cached. A dated fallback is used when fresh rates are unavailable.
Check the estimates against official sources
These are not the source of our exact figures; they are the official statistics and guidance a reader can use to verify that the estimates are in the right range. Each page was opened on the date shown.
- JASSO — Lifestyle Survey of Privately Financed International Students (FY2023)
Official survey of international students' monthly income and expenses by region (Japanese; summary + PDF).
Checked
- Statistics Bureau of Japan — Family Income and Expenditure Survey
National household spending statistics (food, utilities, leisure) for comparing the fixed monthly components.
Checked
- MHLW — National Health Insurance for foreign residents
How the municipal health-insurance premium behind the tax & insurance line is set (English leaflet).
Checked
- MLIT — Guidebook for foreign residents looking for rental housing
Official explanation of deposits, key money, agency fees and guarantor costs behind the move-in estimate (14 languages).
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Methodology: figures are 2026 estimates for a single international student in a share house, based on typical advertised rents and standard student living costs across each city. Actual costs vary by ward, lifestyle and exchange rate. Data by yuzu.help — free to cite with a link.