What you can rent in Tokyo for $500 now

You can live in Tokyo (even within the 23 Wards) without breaking the bank. One way to do this is to look for apartments near smaller stations that are within an easy commute of a major hub (such as Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, or Shinagawa). Your commute will be a few minutes longer, but it can save you hundreds of dollars a month in rent.

Here are some examples of what you can rent this month in Tokyo for $500 (55,500 yen) or less.

Article updated May 26, 2016.

Studio Apartment, 13-min direct ride to Shinjuku

  • Where: Nishi Ogikubo Station, 13-minute direct ride to Shinjuku
  • Rent: ¥55,000 ($500)
  • Size: 16.95-sqm (182-sqft)
  • Key Money: None
  • Deposit: 1 Month
  • Agency fee: 1 Month
  • Minimum lease term: 2 years
  • Notes: Excellent location on the JR Chuo Rapid line giving you easy access to central Tokyo. This is a 4th-floor apartment in a 5-story building.
Studio apartment for rent near Nishi Ogikubo Station, 13-minute direct ride to Shinjuku. Please click on the photo for the full listing to inquire with the agent.
4th-floor studio apartment in 5-story building for rent near Nishi Ogikubo Station, 13-minute direct ride to Shinjuku. Photo is of a similar unit on the first floor. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire to the agent.

This listing is a good example of how you can live inexpensively in a convenient location. Choose a smaller station (in this case, Nishi Ogikubo) that is linked to a major hub: Shinjuku Station.

Living on the JR Chuo Rapid line is convenient for commuting to just about anywhere that is linked to Shinjuku. You can also ride directly to Tokyo Station in 30 minutes.

Studio Apartment, 10-min direct ride to Shibuya

  • Where: Toritsu Daigaku Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line
  • Rent: ¥55,000 ($500)
  • Size: 14.95-sqm (160-sqft)
  • Key Money: None
  • Deposit: None
  • Agency fee: 1 Month
  • Minimum lease term: 2 years
  • Notes: Excellent location — 10-minute direct ride to Shibuya, 15 minutes to Roppongi, and also direct access to Yokohama. Lots of shopping and restaurants near the station. Apartment will be available as of June 6th, 2016. Inquire now for a room view!
Top floor studio apartment for rent near Toritsu Daigaku Station on the Tokyu Toyoko line. Excellent location! Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire to the agent.
Top floor studio apartment for rent near Toritsu Daigaku Station on the Tokyu Toyoko line. Excellent location! Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire to the agent.

Furnished Studio Apartment, 30-min direct ride to Tokyo Station

  • Where: Kameari Station on the JR Joban line, 30-minute direct ride to Tokyo Station
  • Rent: ¥55,000 ($500)
  • Size: 17.19-sqm ($185)
  • Key Money: None
  • Deposit: None
  • Agency fee: None
  • Minimum lease term: 2 years
  • Notes: This is a fully furnished (fridge, microwave, washing machine, bed, TV) studio apartment, with Internet available from ¥1,645 per month. Good location for commuting in eastern Tokyo.
Fully furnished studio for rent near Kameari Station, which is a 30-minute ride to Tokyo Station on the JR Joban line. Please click on the photo for the full listing, a video tour, and to inquire to the listing agent.
Fully furnished studio for rent near Kameari Station, which is a 30-minute ride to Tokyo Station on the JR Joban line. Please click on the photo for the full listing, a video tour, and to inquire to the listing agent.

Studio Apartment, 10-min ride to Shinjuku

  • Where: Nakai Station, 10-minute direct ride to Shinjuku Station on the Toei Oedo line
  • Rent: ¥55,000 ($500)
  • Size: 16.20-sqm (174-sqft)
  • Key Money: None
  • Deposit: None
  • Agency fee: 1 month
  • Minimum lease term: 2 years
  • Notes: First floor unit in 4-story building. Supermarket and lots of shops and restaurants near the station.
Studio apartment for rent near Nakai Station on the Toei Oedo line, 10-minute direct ride to Shinjuku Station. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly with the agent.
Studio apartment for rent near Nakai Station on the Toei Oedo line, 10-minute direct ride to Shinjuku Station. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly with the agent.

Studio Apartment in Kita Ayase, 30-min ride to Otemachi, pay your rent with a credit card

  • Where: Kita Ayase on the Chiyoda line, 30-minute ride to Otemachi (central business district), with one transfer.
  • Rent: ¥55,000 ($500)
  • Size: 22.68-sqm (244-sqft)
  • Key Money: None
  • Deposit: 1 Month
  • Agency fee: 1.1 Months
  • Minimum lease term: 2 years
  • Notes: This apartment is offered through the GPlus Media Housing Service. As of June 1, 2016, you’ll be able to pay all the initial move-in costs and the monthly rent with a credit card. No guarantor required, all contracts in English, and full bilingual support throughout the term of your lease. Please click through for details on the GPlus Media Housing Service.
Studio apartment for rent near Kita Ayase station on the Chiyoda line. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly with the agent.
Studio apartment for rent near Kita Ayase station on the Chiyoda line. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly with the agent.

You may also be interested in: Tips for Getting the Apartment You Want

Top photo: Sotokanda, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo


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4 thoughts on "What you can rent in Tokyo for $500 now"

Les Grossman

There are so many empty apartments and condos and houses in Tokyo now because there are no jobs there anymore. Negative interest rates are in full effect and the BOJ has threatened to lower them even more so soon if Japanese banks don’t lend. But this presents a very serious conundrum to the zombie Japanese banks who are already operating in the red. Many of them, especially those in the outer suburbs and countryside regions will fail from this. Also this “bail in” is just stealing money from everyone’s bank account in Japan because the BOJ must continue to inflate the Nikkei stock market which it pretty much owns now from all of its previous insane quantitative easing. If it doesn’t pump up the stock market it will fall hard and the long rates on JGBs will climb and the yen will collapse and then it will be over once and for all.

Self Confidence

What a very negative wishful thinking. As an economist, that is not likely to happen

Les Grossman

Blackrock Turns Its Back On Japan Leaving Kuroda Scrambling

Things are going from bad to worse for the efficacy of the grand – and failed from the beginning – experiment known as Abenomics. As Bloomberg reports,
Larry Fink’s Blackrock has changed its stance on investing in Japan, and joins Citigroup, Credit Suisse, and LGT Capital Partners, the $50 billion asset manager based in Switzerland in their decision to head for the exits.

Ironically, Blackrock’s decision comes only a few months after blogging about “The Case for Investing in Japan”, in which they explicitly cited increased demand for Japanese stocks.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-04-10/blackrock-turns-its-back-japan-leaving-kuroda-scrambling

Les Grossman

Fortunately, for now at least, the Nikkei 225 futures went 200 points vertical but we know that there is only one player left in the game. 😉

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