Standard living cost in Japan

[vinamaso]

Dear All,

I'm going to settle down in Japan...
can any one let me know about standard living cost in Japan?

Thanks

[noodle]

I won't be able to answer that, but someone that can will surely ask you to be a LOT more specific... where in japan, what kinda living conditions are you looking for, do you have a job, are you a student etc etc

[chachava]

have you ever been to Japan? If not, I would recommend that you visit short-term first before deciding you want to settle out here

A lot of people come with ideas of what Japan is like and end up a little dissappointed

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by vinamaso

Dear All,

I'm going to settle down in Japan...
can any one let me know about standard living cost in Japan?

Thanks

That's like saying "I want to live in America, how much does it cost?" There are vast differences between a house or apartment in New York or SF vs rural Montana or Wyoming, the cost of fancy dinners at 5 star restaurants vs family diners and fast food, Rodeo Drive designer clothes and Wal-mart off the rack.

You can find all the same variety of prices in Japan... it depends upon what lifestyle you want to live. A 1 room apartment in a smaller town, family restaurants or cooking for yourself, and department store shopping can be very reasonable, while a fancy place in the heart of Tokyo, dinners of Kobe beef and lobster, and designer clothes will cost a lot.

[hiltonjapan]

Just curious: how can you make a decision about settling down somewhere, and not know the cost of living? If you were filthy rich I could understand it not being an issue, but since you asked, you obviously are not. Please, elaborate.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by hiltonjapan

Just curious: how can you make a decision about settling down somewhere, and not know the cost of living? If you were filthy rich I could understand it not being an issue, but since you asked, you obviously are not. Please, elaborate.

It could be a situation where the person visited a few times and decided that he/she wanted to live there. Most people don't even think about prices and stuff if vacationing since they probably would've stayed in hotels/hostels. Same goes with food. They would probably dine out if vacationing as opposed to shopping at a market for food.

[hiltonjapan]

True enough, but wouldn't knowing the cost of living influence the decision in the first place? If you decide to settle somewhere, the decision is made and the cost of living shouldn't really matter at that point...

[jpdrag0n]

Originally Posted by chachava

have you ever been to Japan? If not, I would recommend that you visit short-term first before deciding you want to settle out here

A lot of people come with ideas of what Japan is like and end up a little dissappointed

yes very true. its not the peachy anime they were thinking of...sadly. as for me, i spent about $1,500 a month on living expenses. rent, food, going out, even pasmo adds up after awhile.

[Sphinx]

You should gather more info when making such a serious decision. Anyway, there are quite a few sites out there dedicated to this topic. Some of them:

Prices and living cost in Japan
Living Expenses