Cost Of Living in Tokyo 2024

Average monthly spending for singles, couples, students, and families in Tokyo

Whether you're living in Tokyo or planning to move there, it is very important to know the cost of living and the prices of things. Here we list the average spending for the four main population groups.

Singles

The average monthly expense for a single person living in Tokyo is 380,000 JPY. Expenses can range from 130,000 JPY at the minimum level to 2.5M JPY at the highest end.

Couples

The average monthly spending of couples in Tokyo is 630,000 JPY. Expenditure can range from 210,000 JPY to 3.4M JPY per month.

Families

The average cost of living for families in Tokyo is 840,000 JPY per month. Families spend anywhere from 290,000 JPY to 4.6M JPY.

Students

The average monthly expenditure for students in Tokyo is 260,000 JPY. Students spend from 110,000 JPY to 470,000 JPY per month.

Expenditure to Income Ratio in Tokyo

One of the most definite ways to determine how affordable a place is measuring the ratio of expenses to salary. A high expense-to-income to ratio indicates a high cost-of-living index while a low expenditure-to-salary ratio means the place is affordable to live in.

Expense to income distribution levels

Interpretation and Analysis

The average spending-to-salary ratio in Tokyo is 94% This means that on average, people spend around 94% of their income for living. According to the distribution table, 18% of the population spend approximately 60% to 70% of their income every month.

Individual
84%
Spending-Income-Ratio

---

75%

93%

Couple
89%
Spending-Income-Ratio

---

80%

99%

Family
98%
Spending-Income-Ratio

---

88%

110%

How do people spend their money in Tokyo?

We asked thousands of people about their spending habits and expenditure breaks. Below are their answers.

People living in Tokyo typically spend from 15% to 34% of their total monthly expenditure on housing with 26% being the average. The average spend on housing is 160,000 JPY with expenditure ranging from 13,000 JPY to 1.6M JPY. This cost mainly goes for rent but it also includes other accommodation-related expenses. Housing costs are highest for families and lowest for students as expected.

Utility expenditure like electricity, water, and gas in Tokyo ranges from 3% to 10% of total expenses with 6% being the average. The average monthly cost of utilities is 27,000 JPY with 2,100 JPY and 270,000 JPY being the upper and lower limits.

Fuel consumption and cost of transport depend heavily on whether you live near your work or school, but roughly speaking you would expect to spend from 4,200 JPY to 550,000 JPY on commuting with 55,000 JPY being the norm for most people in one month. This means that money spent on transport constitutes about 8% of total spending on average but can go as low as 4% or as high as 12%.

The average outlay on groceries in a month in Tokyo is 140,000 JPY. The cost of groceries can range between 10,000 JPY to 1.4M JPY. People spend on average about 27% on food and groceries with upper and lower bounds of 19% and 33% respectively.

People in Tokyo allocate 4% to 12% of their total monthly expenditure to healthcare including health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. The average spending is around 9%. The range of medical expenses range from 2,900 JPY to 380,000 JPY with 38,000 JPY being the norm.

This category mostly contains discretionary or non-essential expenses but also some non-discretionary spending like furniture for example. The monthly expenses range from 1,700 JPY to 220,000 JPY with 22,000 JPY being the average. Speaking of percentages, that equates to 3% to 10% of total expenses with an average of 6% for most residents.

Spending on education can vary drastically between different people. While working singles can spend 0% on education, families and students' expenditure can reach up to 22%. On average, education constitutes 6% of the monthly expenditure with 4% and 12% being the lower and upper bounds respectively. The average reported education cost is 33,000 JPY per month with 2,500 JPY being the minimum spent amount and 330,000 JPY being the maximum.

How much money can you save in Tokyo every month?

We asked thousands of people what percentage of their income can they save in a month. Below are the answers.

What percentage of people in Tokyo manage to save money from their income every month?

Almost 74% of the surveyed people in Tokyo said that they can save some money at the end of each month while 26% said that aren't saving anything.

Percentage of people saving money by population group in Tokyo

Saving to Income Ratio

Average Monthly Saved Amount

For most people, 10% to 32% of their monthly income is what they can allocate to their savings, with 19% being the average. The amount of money that people can save is approximately 220,000 JPY on average with savings ranging from 17,000 JPY to 2.2M JPY.

79% of surveyed singles reported some of their income going to savings while 74% of couples said the same. 68% of families confirmed their ability to save money.

How much money do people actually save in Tokyo?

Singles

Saving to Income Ratio

Average Monthly Saved Amount

Savings to income distribution levels for singles

Interpretation and Analysis

Singles who can afford to save reported that they allocate from 13% to 35% of their monthly income to savings, with 23% being the average for most singles. The average amount of money that singles are able to save is 150,000 JPY with 50,000 JPY and 1,000,000 JPY being the minimum and maximum respectively.

Couples

Saving to Income Ratio

Average Monthly Saved Amount

Savings to income distribution levels for couples

Interpretation and Analysis

Couples who confirmed their ability to save reported saving equivalent to 11% to 34% of their monthly income, with 21% being the average for most couples. The average amount of money that couples can save is 250,000 JPY with 83,000 JPY and 1.3M JPY being the minimum and maximum respectively.

Families

Saving to Income Ratio

Average Monthly Saved Amount

Savings to income distribution levels for families

Interpretation and Analysis

Families in Tokyo can save anywhere between 10% to 31% of their monthly income, with 18% being the average for most families. The average amount of money that families can put aside is 330,000 JPY with 120,000 JPY and 1.8M JPY being the minimum and maximum respectively.

A typical and healthy budgeting structure

The 50/30/20 rule

Spending among different people can vary significantly based on factors such as their income, lifestyle, location, and personal preferences. A commonly used guideline for budgeting is the 50/30/20 rule, which suggests allocating your income into three main categories in the following percentages.

• 50% for needs and financial obligations

  This category includes essential expenses like housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and healthcare.

• 30% for wants and discretionary spending

  This category covers discretionary spending on non-essential items, such as dining out, entertainment, travel, and other lifestyle choices.

• 20% for savings and emergency fund

  This is the percentage that must be allocated to savings, emergency funds, and retirement accounts.

About financial planning, money management, and household budgeting

Affordable living in Tokyo

Income and cost of living compatibility

We asked residents one simple question and recorded their answers.

Is it affordable or economical to live in Tokyo?

Around 83% of surveyed residents think that living in Tokyo is affordable with proper budgeting while 18% reported that it is just too expensive and not affordable even with frugality and thriftness.

Low-cost alternatives in Tokyo

People are always looking for ways to cut down expenses and reduce expenditures. The hallmark of any affordable place is the availability of discount stores, bargain deals, smart or secondhand shopping, refurbished items, and couponing. We asked residents how easily cost-cutting is and the answers were distributed as follows:

Plenty of low-cost options68%

Few low-cost options32%

Based on the survey, 68% of the people living in Tokyo have no problem finding low-cost alternatives to support a frugal lifestyle while 32% think that thriftness is difficult due to scarcity in discount markets and secondhand outlets.

Emergency Funds

An emergency fund is a financial safety net comprised of easily accessible savings set aside to cover unexpected expenses or financial emergencies, typically amounting to three to six months' worth of living expenses. We asked residents of Tokyo whether they have an emergency fund and the answers were as follows.

Yes80%

No20%

Based on the survey, 20% of the people living in Tokyo said that they don't have an emergency fund while 80% said that they do.

Financial Literacy in Japan

Financial literacy is the knowledge of concepts and principles related to personal finance that allow individuals to make informed decisions regarding their money such as budgeting, saving, investing, borrowing, managing debt, financial risk management, and planning.

Financial Leteracy69%

We asked residents of Japan whether they acquired any adequate personal financial training in their lives. Approximately 31% of the people who participated in the survey said that they are not well informed about the topics of budgeting, saving, etc., and just manage things based on their own experience, while 69% said that they know about the general principles of personal finance from sources other than their own experience.

Difficulty in Budgeting and Financial Planning

We wanted to understand whether residents of Japan have problems or difficulties in managing their expenditures and savings so asked the people one simple question: do you struggle with your personal finances? 28% of the participants reported that they indeed struggle in creating budgets and in organizing their finances while 72% said that they have everything under control.

Struggles with finance28%

Easily manages finances72%

Financial goals of people in Tokyo

In an attempt to understand the economic situation in Tokyo, we asked participants about their financial targets. By knowing what the population in general is trying to achieve, we can shed light on the economic outlook, cost of living, and quality of life in general.

Around 7% of those who participated in the survey said that their main goal is to establish an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses while 34% said their number one priority is to pay off high-interest debt or loans and improve credit. 8% of surveyed people confirmed that saving for retirement to ensure a comfortable lifestyle in the final years is their main target. Around 8% reported that their priority is saving for the tuition fees and education costs of their children while 17% choose to buy a home or pay off existing mortgage before other things. 8% of the population would like to build wealth through investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or real estate. For 10% of people, saving for vacations or upgrading their lifestyle is the number one concern. Approximately 9% of the residents said that saving for healthcare expenses including insurance premiums is their main goal.

Saving Challenges in Tokyo

Reasons that make it difficult for people to save money

We wanted to understand what is stopping people from maximizing their savings in Tokyo. Listed below are the answers given by the survey participants.

Around 6% of the people said that their salary is too low to accommodate a portion for savings while 9% said that the high cost of living leaves little room for savings. 18% of the residents said that they are burdened with debt and find it challenging to save money. 10% reported that they just don't have the knowledge or discipline to create and stick to a budget, leading to overspending and an inability to save. 10% blamed impulsive spending as the reason for saving inability. Around 6% said that unexpected expenses like medical bills or car repairs are derailing their savings goals. 7% bluntly said that they don't see the purpose of it and prefer to live each day to the fullest. 17% reported that they understand the value of saving but are putting off saving for the future, thinking they have plenty of time to start later. 11% blamed inflation, saying that every time they save some money they end up using it immediately. A surprising 3% said that social pressure and keeping up with peers or societal expectations makes them overspend. Lastly, 3% blamed market instability and price fluctuations.

Typical saving choices for people in Tokyo

Where do people choose to put their savings?

Retirement, pension plans, and life after work in Tokyo

What does the retirement lifestyle look like in Tokyo and how much retirement savings are required?

Retirement age

The retirement age for most employees in Japan is 65 years. Specific retirement ages can vary based on factors like occupation, gender, years of contribution, and location. It is not entirely unlikely for people to retire either before or after this age.

Retirement planning and savings

There are many retirement saving options, some are personally initiated and others are government-sponsered. Regardless of the source of savings, the minimum amount of money that needs to be put aside to ensure a peaceful and comfortable retirement at each age can be found in the table below. This data is largely approximated and can vary drastically based on individual needs and situations. Treat these figures as a general guideline.

Retirement Income Distribution

We asked residents of Tokyo about their retirement income sources and below are the results.

Retirement Monthly Expenses in Tokyo

Debt, loans, and mortgages in Tokyo

Percentage of people who are in debt

According to the survey, 30% of the people in Tokyo have some kind of debt, loan, mortgage, or credit card payments while 70% reported that they don't have financial obligations to banks.

Debt-to-income ratio in Tokyo

Interpretation

The debt-to-income ratio measures the percentage of income being paid as debt settlement across the population. It is calculated by dividing the monthly debt settlement payment of an individual by their monthly income. Based on collected data, approximately 32% of the people's monthly income in Tokyo goes to debt settlement.

Debt levels

Monthly debt settlement payment as percentage of monthly income

According to our data, 3% of the debtors in Tokyo pay 60%+ of their income as debt settlement while 12% of the people pay 50% to 60% of their income for the same, which is quite an alarming financial situation for those individuals. 12% of people in debt dedicate 40% to 50% of their income to loan and mortgage payments while 14% dedicated 30% to 40% of income for same. Things are looking brighter for 15% of individuals as they only pay 20% to 30% of their income for loan and credit card repayment.

Distribution by type of debt in Tokyo

13% of debtors in Tokyo confirm that real estate mortgages constitutes the main part of their outstanding debt while 25% say that credit card payments are the reason they are in debt. Auto loans were the main type of debt for 22% of people and personal loans rose at 37%. Lastly, student loans are the main source of debt for 3% of debtors in Tokyo.

Good debt vs. Bad debt

Not all debt is bad. Good debt typically refers to borrowing money for investments that can increase in value or generate income over time like purchasing a home or acquiring student loans. On the other hand, bad debt involves borrowing for things that fail to generate lasting value like high-interest credit card debt used for non-essential expenses like luxury items or vacations.

Loan Affordability Index in Tokyo

Besides measuring the loan-to-income ratio, we asked residents of Tokyo how many times in a year they defaulted or were unable to pay their due credit card or loan payments on time. Understanding how often people default on their due payments is one of the indicators of the cost of living and economic situation.

Frequency and percentage of people who failed to pay their monthly credit card or loan payments on time last year.

Housing costs, accommodation, and housing affordability in Tokyo

Rent Cost in Tokyo

Monthly Rent Prices

Studio apartment

49,000 JPY

73,000 JPY

200,000 JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$320

$490

$1,300

1-bedroom apartment

73,000 JPY

120,000 JPY

290,000 JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$490

$780

$1,900

2-bedroom apartment

98,000 JPY

150,000 JPY

390,000 JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$650

$970

$2,600

3-bedroom apartment

120,000 JPY

200,000 JPY

530,000 JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$780

$1,300

$3,500

Furnished apartment

230,000 JPY

590,000 JPY

1.2M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$1,600

$3,900

$7,800

Townhouse

200,000 JPY

290,000 JPY

840,000 JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$1,300

$1,900

$5,600

House

230,000 JPY

590,000 JPY

1.2M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$1,600

$3,900

$7,800

Villa

290,000 JPY

730,000 JPY

1.2M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$1,900

$4,900

$7,800

The monthly rental cost of a studio apartment in Tokyo ranges between 49,000 JPY and 200,000 JPY, meanwhile the cost of monthly rental of a one-bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 73,000 JPY to 290,000 JPY. Two-bedroom rentals rate ranges between 98,000 JPY and 390,000 JPY per month. The monthly rental for a three-bedroom apartment ranges from 120,000 JPY to 530,000 JPY. The average rent of a townhouse in Tokyo is around 290,000 JPY while house rental costs can be as high as 590,000 JPY per month. Finally, if you want to rent a villa, expect to pay anywhere from 290,000 JPY to 1.2M JPY per month.

Apartment and house prices in Tokyo

Cost of buying a property

Studio apartment

9.8M JPY

15M JPY

29M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$65,000

$97,000

$190,000

1-bedroom apartment

12M JPY

20M JPY

73M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$78,000

$130,000

$490,000

2-bedroom apartment

20M JPY

59M JPY

120M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$130,000

$390,000

$780,000

3-bedroom apartment

65M JPY

98M JPY

290M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$430,000

$650,000

$1.9M

Townhouse

84M JPY

200M JPY

730M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$560,000

$1.3M

$4.9M

House

98M JPY

590M JPY

840M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$650,000

$3.9M

$5.6M

Villa

120M JPY

650M JPY

980M JPY

MINIMUM

AVERAGE

MAXIMUM

$780,000

$4.3M

$6.5M

The average price of a studio apartment in Tokyo can range from 9.8M JPY to 29M JPY depending on location. One bedroom cost can be anywhere from 12M JPY to 73M JPY. A villa can cost you 650M JPY on average with prices ranging from 120M JPY to 980M JPY.

House / apartment prices to income ratio

Property prices in Tokyo can be x128 to x233 multiples of the monthly income depending on the property and the income of the person. On average, property prices are approximately x128 multiples of the average monthly salary in Tokyo.

Rent to income ratio

The average rent-to-income ratio in Tokyo is around 35%. This means that people pay 35% of their income for rent. Those figures can range from 23% to 46% depending on the salary, location, and type of property.

Housing affordability index

The housing affordability index measures how affordable accommodation is in a particular place. This can measured in multiple ways, the most common being housing expenditure to total expenditure ratio and the rent to income ratio. The housing expenditure ratio is a figure reported by individuals on the percentage they allocate for housing. Rent to income ratio is calculated by dividing the average monthly rent by the average income. Because these values are both percentages, we can find their average and get the best of the two worlds.

Property Taxes

Real estate owners pay property taxes to local tax authorities, which are determined by the assessed value of their property. Typically, these taxes are paid once a year. Property tax funds contribute to community development, financing infrastructure improvements, public services, and local education initiatives.

Home Maintenance Costs

Home maintenance costs encompass various expenses associated with the upkeep and repair of a residence. These expenditures include regular tasks such as lawn care, pest control, and HVAC system servicing, as well as occasional repairs and renovations like fixing leaks, painting, or replacing appliances.

Urban vs. rural living costs

Urban living typically entails higher housing and transportation costs due to demand and limited space, while rural areas generally offer lower housing expenses but may have higher prices for goods and services. The differnce in rental rates between urban areas and rural areas can be as high as 300% in some cases.

SingleSpending habits, consumption analysis, and expenditure patterns for a single person living in Tokyo

CoupleAverage monthly living expenditure breaks and spending patterns for couples in Tokyo

FamilyAverage monthly expenses and break out of spending for families living in Tokyo

StudentCost of living and expenses break down for students living in Tokyo