Work in Shinjuku, Live Near Shinjuku: Here’s what you can rent on a ¥290,000/month salary

September 2, 2021

Welcome to this installment in the “work here, live there” series!

In this series, we pick currently open jobs listed on GaijinPot Jobs and give examples of affordable apartments for that approximate salary. Our selection from GaijinPot Jobs this time is for an Editor/Test-Content Specialist position at the Benesse Corporation, based in Shinjuku.

The salary is ¥296,000/month, with summer and winter bonuses (each about ¥444,000).

Here are the key requirements for the job:

English: Native level
Japanese: Conversational
Must currently reside in Japan
Able to commute to Benesse Corporation’s office in Shinjuku, Tokyo (commuting fees paid).
Experience working in the field of English education.
Able to use Microsoft Word / Excel / PowerPoint.
Must be able to work actively within a team and also be able to work independently.
Experience editing English textbooks, test materials, or other materials (preferred)
Visa sponsorship available

For the complete job description, please visit this page on GaijinPot Jobs.

Living in Tokyo on ¥296,000/month

Is this a livable salary in Tokyo? Yes, it’s doable and if you’re careful with your hard-earned money, you should even be able to put aside savings every month.

Your biggest set monthly expense will be rent. In general, you should spend a maximum of between 30% and 35% of your monthly salary on rent. A monthly salary of ¥296,000 ($2,637 USD) works out to between ¥87,000 and ¥101,500 for rent.

You should also factor in utilities, groceries, and other living essentials. The average cost for utilities for a single-person household in Japan in 2019 was ¥7,265/month (Statistics Bureau of Japan). A wireless contract can range from ¥2,753/month from an MVNO (what is an MVNO?) to ¥8,452/month from one of the major wireless carriers in Japan (AU, Docomo, SoftBank), so your basic expenses might look something like this:

Estimated monthly expenses

+¥296,000/month income
-¥47,360 health insurance+pension (16%)
-¥11,840 income tax (4%)
-¥20,720 residence tax (7%) (from 2nd year on)
Estimated net monthly income: ¥216,080
-¥87,000 rent
-¥7,300 utilities
-¥3,000 wireless contract
-¥29,250 groceries/daily necessities
Estimated net savings: ¥89,530/month

This estimate only looks at essential costs and doesn’t consider eating out, entertainment and non-work transportation costs, for example.

For more on estimating monthly expenses, please see: What is the real cost of living for a single person in Tokyo?

What can you rent on this salary?

There are many great properties in Tokyo available in this range (¥87,000 and ¥101,500), but in today’s feature, we’ll be looking at three very livable and convenient neighborhoods within easy commuting distance of Shinjuku.

Fully furnished apartment in Nishi Shinjuku – ¥60,000/month (50% off usual rent!)

Total Monthly Cost:

¥60,000 ($545 USD)

Where

This fantastic, fully-furnished apartment is located in Nishi (West) Shinjuku.

It is about an 8-min walk from Nishi Shinjuku Gochome Station on the Toei Oedo line and an 11-min walk from Hatsudai Station on the Keio New line.

Nishi Shinjuku, also known as the Shinjuku skyscraper district, is very urban, with many high-rise office buildings and hotels, as well as the iconic twin-towered Tokyo Metropolitan Government. There is also a large park, Shinjuku Central Park, a popular place with office workers doing their after-lunch walks.

It is about a 10-minute walk (or about 2-min train ride) from the Nishi Shinjuku neighborhood to Shinjuku Station, so you can’t really get much central than this.

To see all properties currently available near Nishi Shinjuku Station, please see: Nishi Shinjuku Apartments

Property Highlights

For rent is this fully-furnished 1K apartment in an excellent location in Nishi Shinjuku. Monthly rent includes all utilities and unlimited WiFi. Move-in costs for this property are also very low (first-month’s rent only) and there is **no deposit, no key money, no agency fee, and no guarantor fee required**! The agent is also running a limited-time campaign for **50% off the usual rent**. If you sign a minimum one month by October 31st, Total Monthly Rent is ¥60,000 (instead of the regular rent of ¥120,000). You will also be able to extend the contract at the discounted rate. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly to the agent! Image: Residence Tokyo

This is a fully furnished property, including bed, desk, A/C unit, TV, washing machine, microwave, and vacuum cleaner. Image: Residence Tokyo

Very clean, well-maintained property built in 2017. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly to the agent. Image: Residence Tokyo

1K Apartment near Sasazuka Station – 2-min direct ride to Shinjuku

Total Monthly Cost:

¥82,000 ($745 USD)

Where

This great value 1K apartment is located just a 2-min walk from Sasazuka Station on the Keio line.

Sasazuka is a laid back but very conveniently located neighborhood in Shibuya Ward that is just a 5-min direct ride to Shinjuku Station. It is also about a 15-minute ride to Shibuya and about 30-minutes across town to Tokyo Station.

To see all properties currently available near Sasazuka Station, please see: Sasazuka Apartments

Property Highlights

Our featured property in Sasazuka is a spacious 25-sqm first-floor 1K unit. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly to the agent. Image: Aonissin

Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly to the agent. Image: Aonissin

1K Apartment near Kami Kitazawa Station – 14-min direct ride to Shinjuku

Total Monthly Cost:

¥92,697 ($842 USD)

Where

This spacious 1K apartment is located in the Shimo Tokaido neighborhood of Suginami Ward, about 9-min walk from Kami Kitazawa Station on the Keio line and about a 15-min walk from Hamadayama Station on the Keio Inokashira line.

From Kami Kitazawa it is a 14-min direct ride to Shinjuku Station on the Keio line.

Kami Kitazawa is a relaxed residential neighborhood, with a large park (Shimo Tokaido Oozora Park) nearby known for its walking and jogging path. There is also a large hospital, Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital, near the station. Near the station, you’ll find your usual conveniences, include a supermarket, a couple of conbini, a ramen shop and (less usual) a bagel shop!

Hamadayama Station also has a Starbucks and Don Quijote for your caffeine and sundry goods needs.

To see all properties currently available near Kami Kitazawa Station, please see: Kami Kitazawa Apartments

Property Highlights

Spacious 29.25 m² 1K apartment for rent near Kami Kitazawa Station. Please click on the photo for the full listing and to inquire directly to the agent. Image: HIRO

This is a pleasant, well-ventilated first-floor corner unit apartment. Please click on the photo for all the details! Image: HIRO

This is a GaijinPot Housing Service property, which means:
★ No guarantor required
★ Bilingual support
★ No Japanese required
★ Utility set up assistance
★ Bilingual concierge service after move in
★ All payments via credit card and debit card (1-month security deposit is required for debit card payment)
Please click here to see the full listing!