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I just don't like living in apartments. I live in a house, in a very spaced out quiet neigheorhood. And I want to live the same in Japan too. To me, it just seems easier buying a house is all.
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I think you need to be aware that the entire culture of owning a house and the way Japanese neighborhoods are set up is entirely different than in the US. People don`t like in spaced out quiet neighborhoods. There is really only closely packed residential in the city and suburbs, and isolated housing in the countryside. There isn`t the type of space like in the US, so you simply are not going to find anything similar to what you`re used to.
It is also most definitely NOT going to be easier to buy a house - particularly if you can`t buy it with cash.
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Originally Posted by DanteSan
This may have already been discussed but I didn't see it so apologies. I thought I'd add another question. I was looking at apartments in Japan and came across a pretty general 1100 to 1200 $$ in tokyo after conversion from yen. So are there cheaper decent places? For instance here In Salt Lake City, my apartment is two bedroom garage and yard for 800, my last which had none of that much cheaper. Are there places and circumstances that go lower and are cheaper like here where an apartment can range from 420 (cheapest studio i've seen) to a couple thousand a month?
Note: This is just for knowledge I actually don't plan on moving there anytime soon.
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The simple answer?
Don`t live in Tokyo.
What you are doing is like comparing the cost of living in Salt Lake City to the cost of living in New York City. You are not going to find the same type of place for the same type of price.
Everyone seems to look at Tokyo and then compare it to where they live now then gawk at the prices without realizing that if you try to live in New York City (in the case of those from the US) you`re going to be paying just as much. Think about how silly it would sound to say "I did a search on house prices in the US, and it would cost me $2000 to rent a tiny apartment! My house right now (in average sized city) only costs me $800 a month and it has a yard and roofed parking space! Is there nothing more reasonable in the US?" - that is the equivalent, really.
Japan is a lot more than just Tokyo - Just like the US is a lot more than just New York. You can live very reasonably if you don`t insist on living in the biggest metropolitan area in the world.
If you were to live in a metropolitan area comparable to the size of Salt Lake City - Say, Kagoshima - you can find TONS of full out houses for rent for the equivalent of what you are paying or less.
For studio apartments, if you`re not picky you can get something from $150/month.