I couldn’t see a question like this so, if you don’t mind sharing, how much approximately did it cost you to move to Japan, Tokyo in particular . I understand that it depends on the country, wards (for the rent) etc., but would be grateful if you could give me a rough amount. Saw a video on YouTube of a guy who moved and it cost him around 6000 euros (he’s married to a Japanese woman, so he didn’t have to spend money on some things). Thank you in advance!
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When the wife and I moved from a guest house to a proper apartment, we budgeted approximately 6 months rent for the move in fees and then roughly another 1million JPY for appliances/furnishings.
It’ll be difficult to give any sort of answer because it depends on how much stuff you have, and whether you’re shipping it by air or by sea.
If you’re working in tech, any employer worth their salt will help with relocation costs. My company offers 350,000 yen for singles, 500,000 yen for families, covers economy airfare one way, and provides a “Welcome to Japan” bonus to help with purchasing household appliances of… I think 300,000 yen.
In my case, I won’t be paying anything since I don’t have much to ship. That said, I will be purchasing furniture and such once I arrive, so one might consider that part of the relocation costs.
Also depends on your company and what they will support.
I moved as a student, had a dorm ready for me and all, I needed about 250,000 yen for my first month. The rest I paid via allowances.
Left Japan then came back as an employee, my company paid for my accommodations, so I likely paid around jpy100,000 for my bed, small ref, table, chair, etc.
Wife and I are just setting up an apartment on our own. Probably looking at a 1million yen in the end with everything. Apartment and utilities startup is a big chunk, appliances another, than furniture. I had to spend more for new, but still budget appliances with three year warranties for the wife’s anxiety, though. If it was just me, cheaper place, and used appliances (which are like half is not less in price). Lots of hidden costs, like realtor fees, internet contract and install, laundry machine stand, kitchen stuff, proper appliances like a microwave oven that reaches 250C jump in price, and so on. And I’m in a small city, but Tokyo just has higher apartment costs, not everything else.
I will still say: If we average all the costs for the contract period of the apartment, far cheaper than a basic apartment in the states–and I’m talking a cheap city. Lots of upfront cost in Japan for the sticker shock, but it kind of works out in the end. I think about this with cars as well; for the life or period of time that I own it, what’s the total amount divided by the months I’ll use it.
I moved to Japan with one backpack and two large check in suitcases. I had to pay the airplane, but the company set up the initial costs of the apartment for me, so about 1600 USD.
Company paid for our move, and reimbursed most set-up fees. Packed up our US apartment (upto a specified cubic meter) and paid for our flights, temp accomodations, and a relo specialist for first-week needs. Plus reimbursing a large portion of the new apartment fees.