What is the average rent in Tokyo?

May 15, 2021

In this post we give a detailed overview of the average rent for apartments in the Tokyo 23 Wards and the main factors affecting rent levels.

What is the average rent in the Tokyo 23 Wards?

Average rent in the Tokyo 23 Wards varies widely, depending on the location of the apartment and layout, among many other factors. The chart below shows the overall average, average for city-center apartments, and for non-central properties.

Here is a breakdown of average rent in the Tokyo 23 as a whole, by room layout:

1R: ¥71,583 ($652 USD)
1K: ¥81,217 ($739 USD)
1LDK: ¥120,974 ($1,101 USD)
2LDK: ¥181,996 ($1,657 USD)
3LDK: ¥266,352 ($2,425 USD)
4LDK: ¥456,886 ($4,159 USD)

Average rent in the Central Six Wards is significantly higher than for the 23 Wards as whole. The central six wards are: Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Bunkyo, Chiyoda, and Chou.

Average rent in the northern wards is lower than for the 23 Wards as a whole. If you are looking to lower your cost of living, bargains are more likely to be found in the northern wards, including Adachi, Arakawa, Edogawa, Itabashi, Kita, Nerima, and Suginami. However, if you are commuting to the city center for work or school, the trade off is more time on the train.

Minato Ward, which is home to many iconic high-end residential and commercial neighborhoods (including Akasaka, Aoyama, Azabu Juban, Omotesando, Roppongi, and Shirokane) and many foreign company headquarters and embassies has the highest average rent overall, regardless of the layout except for 4LDK apartments.

Apartments in Japan can be rented for the long-term (with a standard lease of two years) and short-term. Unless otherwise stated, apartment listings on Real Estate Japan and at bricks-and-mortar real estate agencies are for long-term contract.

Long-term rental apartments in Japan come unfurnished and do not include a refrigerator and washing machine, unless otherwise stated in the listing. Utilities (water, gas, electricity) are also not included in the monthly rent, unless noted in the description, so it’s important to budget for these recurring expenses. Most people will also want to set up home WiFi internet connection, which is another cost to consider.

Move-in costs for Japanese apartments are also much higher than in most countries, averaging between 5.5 and 7 months of rent. For more on this, please see: What are the move-in costs to rent an apartment in Japan?

Most apartments in Japan do not allow pets, but you can find pet-friendly apartments on Real Estate Japan and also at bricks-and-mortar rental agencies by making it a search criteria. Landlords and property owners usually allow tenants to have one small cat or dog and require at least one-month additional deposit for your canine or feline companion.

Main factors affecting how rent is set

There are many factors that affect average rent. Even units in the same building can have different rent, depending on some of the main factors below.

Size and layout
Distance from nearest station (measured by number of minutes to walk to station)
Year built
Construction material (wood, reinforced concrete, steel-reinforced concrete, steel frame)
Floor number (the higher the floor, the higher the rent. First-floor apartments are on average less expensive)
Corner unit (corner units have higher average rent than middle units on the same floor)
Direction facing (south-facing apartments on average have higher rent)
Amenities
- Examples include pre-installed A/C unit, auto lock, on-site building manager, garbage room, whether is a balcony and size of balcony, availability of on-site parking, availability of earthquake resistant construction. For very high-end apartments, amenities can include on-site gym, bilingual concierge service, party room, communal observation deck, city views from high floors, and much more.

Tokyo 23 Wards – By Average Monthly Rent and Layout

Apartment layouts in Japan are described by the number of rooms + the living/dining/kitchen area, if any.

In the charts below:

1R = 1 Room: One room studio apartment. Usually between 13-sqm and 20-sqm in size.
1K = K stands for kitchen. One-room studio apartment with a kitchen that is usually separated from the other room by a wall. Usually between 13-sqm and 25-sqm of floor space.
1DK = D stands for dining, K stands for kitchen. Two-room apartment with a kitchen and dining space that is separated from the other room. Usually between 25-sqm and 30-sqm of floor space.
1LDK = L stands for living, D stands for dining, K stands for kitchen. One-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually between 23-sqm and 35-sqm of floor space.
2LDK = Two-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually between 40-sqm and 80-sqm of floor space but can be bigger in the case of higher-end apartments.
3LDK = Three-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually at least 70-sqm of living space but can be bigger in the case of higher-end apartments.
4LDK = Four-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area.