In this installment of the “what can you rent” series, we focus on Tokyo, especially short-term and student-friendly options to see what you can rent in and near Tokyo for about $500 (¥57,000) a month. No one likes to pay high move-in costs, so the examples below all feature apartments that don’t charge key money, a deposit, and agency fees.
Studio Apartment for Rent Near Kunitachi Station – Convenient for Students at Hitotsubashi University
- Where: Kunitachi Station (7 min-walk) on the JR Chuo Rapid line, about a 35-min direct ride to Shinjuku.
- Total Monthly Cost: ¥55,957 ($493)/month
- Key Money: None
- Deposit: None
- Agency Fee: none
- Size: 20.06 m² (215-sqft)
- Floor: 1st-floor in 2-story building
- Notes: Perfect for a student at Hitotsubashi University’s Kunitachi campus. Built in 1994, sunny south-facing unit. Many convenience stores and a branch of SEIYU (discount supermarket) nearby. This is a GaijinPot Housing Service apartment, so you do not need a guarantor and can pay for everything with a credit card.
Private Room in a Renovated Guest House – Akabane Station – Women Only
- Where: Akabane Station (15 min-walk) on the JR Saikyo line.
- Akabane is a major train station in the JR East network. From Akabane you can get to Tokyo non-stop in about 19 minutes, to Shinjuku in about 14 minutes, and to Ikebukuro in 8 minutes. Being on the Keihin-Tohoku and Saikyo lines, Akabane also allows easy access to locales north and south of the city. For example, from here you can get directly to Yokohama in less than 45 minutes on the Saikyo line. For more on Akabane Station, please see: Tokyo’s top under-the-radar neighborhoods
- Total Monthly Cost: ¥57,957 ($502)/month
- Key Money: None
- Deposit: None
- Agency Fee: none
- Size: 20.06 m² (215-sqft)
- Floor: 1st-floor in 2-story building
- Notes: Furnished private room in recently renovated share house. Women only. Free WiFi in your room and and common areas. Fully equipped kitchen. Sunny roof deck. Free laundry machines on premises.
Studio Apartment near Machida Station – Room sharing (up to 2 people) ok
- Where: Machida Station (15 min-walk) on the JR Yokohama line, about a 40-min direct ride to Shinjuku, 30-min direct ride to Yokohama.
- Total Monthly Cost: ¥57,000 ($502)/month
- Key Money: None
- Deposit: None
- Agency Fee: none
- Size: 19.87 m² (213-sqft)
- Floor: 2nd-floor in 2-story building
- Notes: Furnished, sunny southeast facing unit. WiFi pre-installed. Room sharing (up to 2 people) ok.
Private Room in a New Share House – Near Keisei Kanamachi Station – Perfect for students at the Tokyo University of Science – $326 a month
- Where: Keisei Kanamachi Station (7 min-walk) on the Keisei Kanamachi line, about a 40-min direct ride to Shinjuku, 30-min direct ride to Yokohama.
- Keisei Kanamachi station is a few minutes walk to Kanamachi station on the Keisei Kanamachi, which will get you to Nishi Nippori station on the Yamanote line in about 20 minutes. It’s also easy to get to the center of Tokyo via the Chiyoda line and (in the other direction) to Chiba! The neighborhood definitely has a quiet, working-class feel about it but is taking on new life with recent re-development.
- Total Monthly Cost: ¥37,000 ($326)/month
- Key Money: None
- Deposit: None
- Agency Fee: none
- Size: 7.08 m² (75-sqft)
- Floor: 2nd-floor in 2-story building
- Notes: Recently built (2017) share house. Furnished room. Perfect for a student at the Tokyo University of Science Katsushika campus. Also convenient for accessing the Chiyoda lines and for commuting to Chiba. Total move-in costs are about ¥72,000 ($625), so this is a great budget-friendly option!
Studio Apartment for Rent – Oizumigakuen Station – 17-min direct to Ikebukuro – $362
- Where: Oizumachi Station (17 min-walk) on the Seibu Ikebukuro, about a 17-min direct ride to Ikebukuro
- Total Monthly Cost: ¥41,693 ($362)/month
- Key Money: None
- Deposit: None
- Agency Fee: none
- Size: 10.78 m² (116-sqft)
- Floor: 1st-floor in 2-story building
- Notes: Convenient neighborhood. Lots of convenience stores nearby. This is a GaijinPot Housing Service unit, so you do not need a guarantor and can pay for everything with a credit card.
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Top image: Hitotsubashi University, Kunitachi campus
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