Lowest Cost of Living in Japan

[Stacmon]

Hello everyone. I've nearly completed my International Business degree here in Canada and I'm strongly considering doing the JET programme.

I've noticed that they pay about 300,000 Yen per month and this has made me curious about the cost of living in various Japanese cities/towns.

Can anyone tell me which cities (250,000+ people) or regions/prefectures of the country have the lowest cost of living?

One particular place I'm considering is Hokkaido. I've read that it has many national parks and a great deal of wilderness. I also know that it was among the last places in Japan to be settled on a large scale. As a Canadian, the colder climate is nothing that scares me, and I enjoy a "good" winter .

In particular, can anyone tell me how living costs in Sapporo, Hakodate and Asahikawa compare with each other and those of the rest of the country?

I've also considered living in Kyoto because of its historical and cultural significance, but I've heard that Osaka is very expensive (more similar to Tokyo), so I'm worried that Kyoto will also be expensive.

So if anyone knows about the cost of living in each of these cities and where the lowest cost of living in Japan is, I would greatly appreciate it! (As I'm sure many others would.)

Thanks to anyone that can offer some insight!

[MMM]

300,000 a month is more than enough money for a single person to live on. I did JET, lived just outside of Osaka and did just fine.

You can try and find a cheap city, but JET decides where you live, not you.

If you are a penny-pincher, don't move to Japan. I saw so many people that wouldn't tune on their AC units on 100+ degree days, or buy bottled water or eat out because it was so much more expensive than at home. If you are constantly converting yen to dollars in your head, you'll go batty. Seriously. I saw people literally drive themselves crazy, and end up breaking their contracts and going home because they felt that Japan was so expensive. But you are getting paid a lot of money as well. More than enough to love comfortably, even in Tokyo.

Most consumer items have a standardized price, so a Coke in Hokkaido is going to be the same price as a Coke in Osaka.

My advice: don't worry about it. Apply, get in, see where they place you, go over, and have fun.

[RomalianType]

Originally Posted by MMM

300,000 a month is more than enough money for a single person to live on. I did JET, lived just outside of Osaka and did just fine.

You can try and find a cheap city, but JET decides where you live, not you.

If you are a penny-pincher, don't move to Japan. I saw so many people that wouldn't tune on their AC units on 100+ degree days, or buy bottled water or eat out because it was so much more expensive than at home. If you are constantly converting yen to dollars in your head, you'll go batty. Seriously. I saw people literally drive themselves crazy, and end up breaking their contracts and going home because they felt that Japan was so expensive. But you are getting paid a lot of money as well. More than enough to love comfortably, even in Tokyo.

Most consumer items have a standardized price, so a Coke in Hokkaido is going to be the same price as a Coke in Osaka.

My advice: don't worry about it. Apply, get in, see where they place you, go over, and have fun.

What kind of things did you do with JET? What did you think of your experiences? Please tell :-)

[MMM]

The job itself wasn't the greatest in the world. My students weren't very motivated, so it was hard work getting them to work. But the experience of living in Japan changed my life, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[Stacmon]

I appreciate the replies so far.

It's not so much that I want to pinch every penny, but I'm the sort of person that naturally enjoys saving money (not through sales, but rather saving extra income for my future) and has very simple needs. For example, I don't really care if I wear branded clothing or generally go out to expensive restaurants.

I was just curious about areas that have the lowest cost of living because I don't really know where to go. I don't have much of a preference so far, and I was really curious if particular places like Hokkaido, which I would enjoy living in anyway, were cheaper because of climate, and other factors.

You said you lived near Osaka? Would you recommend the Kyoto/Osaka area? Would you recommend any other areas?

I'm still really curious about costs in Hokkaido, I hope I'll find someone that knows that area specifically.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Stacmon

I appreciate the replies so far.

It's not so much that I want to pinch every penny, but I'm the sort of person that naturally enjoys saving money (not through sales, but rather saving extra income for my future) and has very simple needs. For example, I don't really care if I wear branded clothing or generally go out to expensive restaurants.

I was just curious about areas that have the lowest cost of living because I don't really know where to go. I don't have much of a preference so far, and I was really curious if particular places like Hokkaido, which I would enjoy living in anyway, were cheaper because of climate, and other factors.

You said you lived near Osaka? Would you recommend the Kyoto/Osaka area? Would you recommend any other areas?

I'm still really curious about costs in Hokkaido, I hope I'll find someone that knows that area specifically.

Japan is a pretty compact country, especially compared to Canada, so you aren't going to see the extreme differences in prices. Your school will have arranged an apartment for you, and that's going to be your biggest expense. My apartment was 60,000 a month, but the school paid half of that.

I have been to Hokkaido, but don't remember it being any more or less expensive than other places. Of course, Hokkaido is a big place, so living in a country town is going to be cheaper than living in Sapporo.

In terms of where you to recommend, it depends on what you are interested in. I like Osaka and I like Kyoto (though they are very different cities). I would recommend Kobe, too.

[Stacmon]

Well as I understand it, you're given a chance to select preferred places to live in. You mentioned that they'll pick the place, does this mean that these choices generally have little effect and typically they're more likely to assign you elsewhere (so its rare that you get your choices)?

Also, you mentioned that the school paid part of your accommodation. Is this normal? Will your salary/benefits (ie: partly paid for accommodation) vary greatly depending on where you are placed?

And lastly are there any ways to ensure you get a good/favourable placement with good benefits if that is the case?

I don't mean to bombard you with questions, but you seem to be quite helpful, which I really appreciate!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Stacmon

Well as I understand it, you're given a chance to select preferred places to live in. You mentioned that they'll pick the place, does this mean that these choices generally have little effect and typically they're more likely to assign you elsewhere (so its rare that you get your choices)?

Also, you mentioned that the school paid part of your accommodation. Is this normal? Will your salary/benefits (ie: partly paid for accommodation) vary greatly depending on where you are placed?

And lastly are there any ways to ensure you get a good/favourable placement with good benefits if that is the case?

I don't mean to bombard you with questions, but you seem to be quite helpful, which I really appreciate!

Basically after you are interviewed if you pass you are given a ranking. The highest ranked people have a better chance of getting their choices. Think of it this way there are 48 prefectures in Japan, and 90% of the people probably put 10% of them as their preferences. So the chances of getting any of those is slim. I wasn't put anywhere near my choices, but in the end, I was much happier for it.

Accomadations vary, but I don't know about costs. I paid 30,000 a month for a very tiny apartment. My friend paid the same amount for a 3-bedroom house (he lived in alone). But I was closer to the city. The prefecture you live in is your boss, so every situation is different.

I am not sure what you mean by favorable placement, but the short answer would be no, not really. Flexibility and the ability to adapt to unfamiliar situations is the most important quality in a JET applicant.

[Stacmon]

Great thanks,

What I meant by "favourable" was more like "generous." I heard from someone that one person that participated in the program got a far higher salary (he was apparently placed in a private school) which surprised me because I thought that the 3.6 million Yen salary was standardized for all JET participants.

The reason I'm wondering about preferences is because I'm not sure how many people would actually choose Hokkaido. I can't imagine that as many people are interested in going somewhere there as Tokyo, Kyoto, etc. so if I select it, I may be much more likely to be placed there than others.

By the way, did you have any TEFL/formal ESL training before you went?

And lastly, in your experience, how likely is it for someone's contract to be renewed if they want it to be and did a decent job.

Thanks for the great and valuable insights so far !

[Stacmon]

Oops, and I forgot, did you speak any Japanese before you went? Were you provided with good (and free or subsidized) Japanese language courses?