Someone said that the cost of living in Japan for 1 month in Tokyo is about 90,000 to JPY100,000. Is that true in reality? In this article, Jellyfish Education will introduce in detail “living costs of international students in Japan” for those who are interested!
I. WHAT IS THE MONTHLY COST OF LIFE IN JAPAN?
To live in Japan or any other country, your living expenses will include fixed amounts such as: rent, electricity, gas, water , meals, travel expenses, communication fees, exchange costs, etc.
So how much will you need to prepare to live in a famously expensive place like Japan? Below is an example of living costs in Japan for 1 month for students studying in Tokyo.
In general, this fee is quite high compared to the cost of living in the country. So below, Jellyfish will introduce each of these expenses in detail and how to save each of these costs for your reference.
1. Rent – Payments when renting a house in Japan
It can be seen that in the cost of living in Japan, house rent accounts for a large amount. However, compared to other localities, the cost of renting a house in Tokyo is often much higher, so the cost of living in Tokyo is also higher than in other cities.
Estimated rental price in Japan for DHS:
| Tokyo | about JPY 35,000 |
| Kyoto | about JPY 30,000 |
| Osaka | about JPY 30,000 |
| Other cities | rent will be about 20 – 30% cheaper |
It is easy to see that compared to other cities, the rent in Tokyo is higher. However, it must also be recognized that this rent is not too high compared to big cities in other developed countries such as the US, Switzerland, France or the UK…
So how to save maximum rent when studying abroad in Japan? Here are a few ways to cut costs so you can easily live in an expensive place like Tokyo.
How to save money on rent:
– Firstly, you might consider sharing the cost.
– In addition, Kanagawa, Chiba or Saitama are provinces adjacent to the capital, only about 1 hour from Tokyo by subway, but the rent is much cheaper. .
– Or you can also look for houses a bit far from the station. Because the rental house near the station, although convenient, the rent is too high.
2. Meals – Cost of accommodation in Japan
Meals include the following expenses: Daily food, drinks, snacks, spices… Depending on the cost, in each country, the meal will be different. different.
The daily food expenditure of an international student will be about 35,000JPY.
For example, in Vietnam, with only 10 thousand VND you can buy 1 kg of cucumber. But in Japan, the amount you have to spend for 1 kg of cucumbers is 75,000 VND.
In 2020, Japan ranked 4th among the countries with the most expensive cost of living in the world (according to the economic magazine CEOWORLD Magazine). So when you just started living in Japan, you may not be familiar with the price difference in this country compared to Vietnam.
What’s the secret to saving money on food?
– The time when the supermarket is close to closing is a very profitable shopping time. The reason is because you can get bargains at half the price on items with a short shelf life like bread, cooked food, sashimi…
– Buy only the essentials and preferably for the whole week according to a set plan. This not only helps you avoid wasteful shopping, but also saves on transportation.
3. Electricity, water, gas – Living expenses of international students in Japan
– Water bill: Cost of cooking, laundry, bathroom, toilet.
– Gas: Cost of using hot water and cooking related items. There are two types of gas: propane gas (LP gas) and city-supplied gas (Toshi gas).
Propan gas is more expensive than Toshi gas but has a larger heat capacity, so it is often chosen by people who cook. The advice for you is to ask in advance about the type of gas that can be used when choosing to rent a house. In case you do not use a gas stove but use an electric stove, the attached cost is not gas but electricity.
– Electricity: Expenses for using household appliances and lighting in the house.
What is the average monthly cost of electricity, gas, and water?
| Electricity bill | about 5,000 JPY |
| Water bill | about 2,000 JPY |
| Gas money | about 1,000 JPY |
| Total | 8,000 JPY (~1.7 million VND) |
To pay for electricity, gas, water, you can choose to pay via credit card or through a convenience store, transfer or pay via bank account … Before you move in, be sure to confirm your payment method in advance.
Tricks to save money on electricity and fuel:
– No more than 70% of the refrigerator’s capacity will save about 80 yen. Unplug household appliances that are rarely used can save about 500 yen. Although it does not save much, this method is quite useful and simple.
4. Travel expenses
In general, the standard of living in Japan and the costs are higher than in Vietnam, so the cost of travel is certainly not cheap. To move in Japan, you can use Use public transport such as buses, trains, and taxis. Let’s see how much is the fare for vehicles in Tokyo!
| Private public bus | 220 yen/turn (~48 thousand VND) |
| City public bus | 210 yen/turn (~46 thousand VND) |
| JR Train | 140 yen/turn (~30 thousand VND) |
| City subway | 180 yen/turn (~39 thousand VND) |
| Private train | 130~210 yen/turn (28~46 thousand VND) |
| Taxi | 1,052km price 380~410 yen (83~90 thousand VND) |
How to reduce the cost of living in Japan when using public transport:
Transport IC card is a kind of electronic magnetic card. Using this card will save you a few yen each time you travel by bus or train.
For example, the transportation fee in a certain area is 220 yen/ticket, you only need to pay 216 yen/ticket if you use a traffic IC card. Plus, you’ll save time buying tickets every time you need to travel by refilling your card.
5. Phone bill
You can install wifi if you want to use the internet comfortably at home. Depending on your personal choice, you can choose one of many types such as WiMAX with a monthly fee of ~2,590 yen/month; or Softbank Air for ~4,880 yen/month.
The secret to reducing communication costs:
First, choose the service pack that suits your needs. Plus, you can take advantage of cheap sim cards and cheap phones. In addition, to save money, you can also use an IP calling operating system like Skype or LINE. For international calls, Facebook or Zalo messenger applications are also ideal options.
II. HOW MUCH MONEY CAN DHS MAKE FROM PARTY WORK TO PAY FOR LIFE IN JAPAN
| Min hourly wage | 1000 yen/hour |
| Overtime hours/week | 28 hours |
| Overtime hours/month | 112 hours |
| Salary/month | 112,000 yen (~22 million VND) |
However, you need to strictly adhere to Regulation of part-time work for Japanese international students< /strong> otherwise the fine will be quite heavy.During the holiday, DHS can work twice as many hours, so the maximum income can be up to ~200,000 yen/month (about 43.7 million VND) .
Your overtime salary will be proportional to your Japanese level. Therefore, please invest seriously in learning Japanese right from the time you are in Vietnam. That not only helps you less hard in the process of studying at school; but also helps a lot in improving your overtime salary as well as your living expenses.
