Hello everyone,
Just to start, I’ve done quite a bit of research on this and everything I’ve read online so far tells me I have no reason for concern, BUT I figured I’d ask for the opinion of folks with experience instead of relying on online averages alone.
For a bit of detail: I am a medical devices engineer with about 9 years experience (all in Europe, English-speaking). I have just gotten a job offer letter from a company in Matsudo, for estimated 8.1M/year (broken down into the different things like housing allowance, etc), not including any overtime. This is a pay cut on my gross salary atm, but due to the high tax burden where I currently live, it’s actually about the same after-taxes according to all the calculations I’ve found online (I’ve calculated both with 6M and 6.5M as the take-home pay since I’m getting a lot of conflicting calculations but I’m assuming 6M to go for worst case scenario).
I will be moving with quite a bit of money saved up (at least 5M yen), and I have one dependant, my wife, who is currently learning Japanese (she passed her N3 last December, very proud). She does intend on eventually resuming her career in Japan (she is currently working), but we’re aware it might take several months, maybe even a year until she is comfortable enough with her Japanese level + converts her visa to a working visa, etc, so we will be on the single 8.1M/year income for a good while.
In reality, the company hiring me seems to do the whole “16 months in a year” thing where they give out disproportionately bigger pay in June and December, so really I’m estimating my monthly take-home pay for 10 out of 12 months of the year to be around 375k yen. Of course this shouldn’t matter in the long run, but I’m just trying to figure out cash flow for those first few months.
https://lifullhomes-index.jp/info/money-data/household/chiba-pref/matsudo-city/
The link above seems to give a pretty good idea of the yearly spend for a single person AND a 2+ person family on average in Matsudo. Problem is that it doesn’t seem to include rent nor does it have a breakdown of just 2 people VS 2+, but the number seems to make sense. Let’s say 3.5M yearly, plus 1.2M for housing (assuming 100k/month in Matsudo, which seems to be feasible, hoping to keep my commute to around 30/40min tops, would like a 2LDK, I’m assuming both working AND living in Matsudo will help with both). Even with another 0.5M for luxuries (travel in Japan, etc), we should still be well in the black, hopefully not dipping too much into our savings in the move (other than the reikin/etc when renting the first place… I’m ready for all of that jazz)
So… I know the post is a bit of a mess, but is there anything I’m overlooking? Am I being realistic here, underestimating, overestimating? Any hidden costs I’m not taking into account, or hidden benefits I’m forgetting to take into account? My wife is being very supportive and is all on board! But I want to make sure we can have a comfortable couple life before I sign.
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**~8M yen/year for a couple in West Chiba (Matsudo)?**
Hello everyone,
Just to start, I’ve done quite a bit of research on this and everything I’ve read online so far tells me I have no reason for concern, BUT I figured I’d ask for the opinion of folks with experience instead of relying on online averages alone.
For a bit of detail: I am a medical devices engineer with about 9 years experience (all in Europe, English-speaking). I have just gotten a job offer letter from a company in Matsudo, for estimated 8.1M/year (broken down into the different things like housing allowance, etc), not including any overtime. This is a pay cut on my gross salary atm, but due to the high tax burden where I currently live, it’s actually about the same after-taxes according to all the calculations I’ve found online (I’ve calculated both with 6M and 6.5M as the take-home pay since I’m getting a lot of conflicting calculations but I’m assuming 6M to go for worst case scenario).
I will be moving with quite a bit of money saved up (at least 5M yen), and I have one dependant, my wife, who is currently learning Japanese (she passed her N3 last December, very proud). She does intend on eventually resuming her career in Japan (she is currently working), but we’re aware it might take several months, maybe even a year until she is comfortable enough with her Japanese level + converts her visa to a working visa, etc, so we will be on the single 8.1M/year income for a good while.
In reality, the company hiring me seems to do the whole “16 months in a year” thing where they give out disproportionately bigger pay in June and December, so really I’m estimating my monthly take-home pay for 10 out of 12 months of the year to be around 375k yen. Of course this shouldn’t matter in the long run, but I’m just trying to figure out cash flow for those first few months.
https://lifullhomes-index.jp/info/money-data/household/chiba-pref/matsudo-city/
The link above seems to give a pretty good idea of the yearly spend for a single person AND a 2+ person family on average in Matsudo. Problem is that it doesn’t seem to include rent nor does it have a breakdown of just 2 people VS 2+, but the number seems to make sense. Let’s say 3.5M yearly, plus 1.2M for housing (assuming 100k/month in Matsudo, which seems to be feasible, hoping to keep my commute to around 30/40min tops, would like a 2LDK, I’m assuming both working AND living in Matsudo will help with both). Even with another 0.5M for luxuries (travel in Japan, etc), we should still be well in the black, hopefully not dipping too much into our savings in the move (other than the reikin/etc when renting the first place… I’m ready for all of that jazz)
So… I know the post is a bit of a mess, but is there anything I’m overlooking? Am I being realistic here, underestimating, overestimating? Any hidden costs I’m not taking into account, or hidden benefits I’m forgetting to take into account? My wife is being very supportive and is all on board! But I want to make sure we can have a comfortable couple life before I sign.
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Generally speaking 8m should be perfectly fine salary to support your wife as well. Many people make do with much less. 10man for a 2LDK might be a bit tough, really depends on the location and the condition of the place. Not too familiar with Chiba prices.
What you really need to check, is if that 8m is including bonus or not. Also check how much they are calculating with. Bonus is a big deal in Japan. Twice a year usually 1-3 monthly salaries are paid extra. The problem is that when times are hard, bonus payments will be cut, so your 8m might turn out to just be 5-6m. Which makes supporting another person a bit harder(not impossible though). It’s also common not to receive a bonus in the first 6 months of your employment.
I myself lived in Matsudo for a few years. It is a very large place with many different neighborhoods and landscapes. There are places near roads and factories that are dirt cheap, and hilly residential areas that are better maintained.
You can definitely find a 2LDK for ¥100000 a month but keep in mind, that is the price for someone who has low standards, as in “not picky at all.”
The moment you start adding conditions to your property search, looking for a certain size, a newer building,
proximity to a station, a location higher in a building, an elevator, etc. the price will start to rise. And being a foreigner will limit your options as well. Just assume that as a foreigner you will qualify for apartments and houses that are priced a bit above the market price, and keep that in mind when perusing online listings.
Matsudo is one of those cities for Japanese who want to live in a detached house rather than an apartment. People deliberately choose Matsudo when they want to build their own house near Tokyo. It is a bit counterintuitive, but you may actually find better options looking for a detached house rather than an apartment to rent.