Actually looking for advice, this post could be more a rant.
I am looking for a small apartment in different areas (even saitama), but it seems even for a 16sqm, 4万円 flat there are upfront costs of 140.000+ or no gaijin.
If I find/take a share house, I pay around 6-8万円, for 6-10sqm of privacy.
UR left me with no vacancy, and also high monthly rents.
Its cheaper and easier to live in an AirBnB. Am I looking at the wrong pages or is it really so messed up? I just want 17sqm of personal space around Soka/Saitama or smth, not 1LDK in Akiba. How do students get their flats? All parents?
I really love living here, but that’s ridiculous.
12 comments
You got it right. Sharehouses are overpriced for a little private space and shared amenities, rentals are cheaper but the upfront costs even for 6 tatami are >120.000 yen.
Pay this or stay homeless, there aren’t many other options (or stay semi-homeless living in internet cafes and karaoke for 1000 yen per night).
If you are only wanting to stay for less than a year, yeah – probably paying for an Airbnb might be cheaper! The upfront costs are pretty high in Japan but that is offset by relatively low rents – what other popular capital city can boast that single people can *gasp* live alone without a good wage.
The upfront fee is pretty much inevitable unless you are lucky enough to get in to a UR. Aside from that 16sqm for 4万 is a very good price for the Soka area (obviously more for Tokyo proper).
Usually students do get help from family but also work part time to offset their living costs
That’s just the reality of renting in urban Japan. Things get much better and cheaper outside the biggest cities.
If you don’t mind places like Higashi-Matsuyama in Saitama, you can still find 17 sqm for 18000 + 2000 management fee = 20000 monthly. Cheaper than any AIRBNB or internet cafe. Startup costs about 110000, divided by 12 it’s less than 10000 per month, so all together total about 30000 per month if you stay for a year, 25000 if you stay for two years. That gives you enough time to get on the UR waiting list and save lots of money until then. [suumo.jp/chintai/jnc_000077925603/?bc=100280501122](https://suumo.jp/chintai/jnc_000077925603/?bc=100280501122)
Craigslist, private rentals, but I don’t think there’s that much for Saitama. Might be able to find something commutable.
My first apartment I ever rented ~20 years ago in the US was $600, and I had to pay first, last, and security, so $1800. The concept of key money is ridiculous, but I don’t see what’s ridiculous about the rent or move-in cost you quoted.
Local students get scholarships, student loans, work ~15 hours a week, have their full choice of housing options, and of course get support from parents.
Foreigners don’t just trip and accidentally land in Japan. I couldn’t have afforded a $1800 move-in cost plus a flight ticket to Japan as a student. So I stayed where I was. It sounds entitled to me if a foreigner expects to have an easy time setting themselves up in a new country if they didn’t bring adequate funds from back home, imho.
That’s cheap for upfront. Anything less and it’s a share house. You need to reajust your expectations because this is normal.
I found a nice little room on craigslists when I first moved over here. It was furnished for a little over 7万円 great location, really quiet lovely neighborhood. I think I paid 3万円 to move in. It was just some nice older man that had an old building he was renting out that had small individual units.
I lived in [Leopalace](https://en.leopalace21.com/) places years ago that were just monthly rentals. They were easy to deal with and no key money etc.
I had once 3 man 25sqm and only 90k initial payment. It was in Machida.
Where are you looking? I checked suumo for 4万 apartments in Soka and a bunch popped up. No key money or deposits. Still gotta pay agents fees, cleaning and various insurances though.