1. Tokyo, Japan
4. Nagoya, Japan
5. Yokohama, Japan
7. Kobe, Japan

The World’s Most Expensive Cities 2010

That report is ridiculous. $5000 on average for an apartment in Tokyo? C'mon. I realize that it is written to compare the cost of providing an executive with the same things they would have in their own country, but to most people it's pointless. The person staying in that apartment probably isn't footing the bill.

While Tokyo can be overpriced, I survived just fine living there for a year. The article is a bit misleading. Take the following from the article:

"FOOD: Lunch at a restaurant: $18
ENTERTAINMENT: Movie ticket: $22
In addition to the costs above, rent for a two-bedroom apartment for expats is typically more than $5,000 per month in Tokyo..."

My experience:
FOOD: You can get lunch at any number of places and pay $5-10 (or less)
ENTERTAINMENT: Movies tickets, cds, dvds are damn expensive.
As far as rent, the $5000 is probably referring to the first month's rent. Which include:
security Deposit =$1000+
key fee= $1000+
other fees =$1000+
After that rent is typically $1500 for a one bedroom in Tokyo.

$5000 is a number I literally can't believe. I'm not joking, I read it, and my brain refused to process the number as dollars. I just thought, "Wow, 5000 yen per month? That's dirt cheap, don't see what all the fuss is about!"

The pic for Kobe is awesome (and maybe a little scary for some people).....

That pic's funny.

Also, I live in Nagoya. Ouch

This is definitely the most expensive place I've ever lived (having lived in 3 other Japanese prefectures before this, as well as various places in the US and Mexico).

Didn't realize it was THAT expensive, though. haha..

Nothing hotter than a girl wearing a face mask. Mmmmm.

Seriously.
Are all Kobe girls that beautiful?

You can see 7 women in that photo (2 of them
you can't really see) and they all look good.

I also think it's funny that the two girls all the way on the right
are giggling.

Yeah if you randomly photographed groups of 8 people in Bristol or London you would be very unlikely to get no fat or ugly people. Although I have to say those face masks could certainly be hiding some ugliness.

Yeah if you randomly photographed groups of 8 people in... anywhere in the US you would be very unlikely to not get a Mickey Dee's or taco bell in the backdrop WITH some fat, ugly people added in for good measure.

Offshore Wrote:Yeah if you randomly photographed groups of 8 people in... anywhere in the US you would be very unlikely to not get a Mickey Dee's or taco bell in the backdrop WITH some fat, ugly people added in for good measure.

Haven't been to those places in a while and I'm so happy. Need to get to Japan though, because I'm tired of all these white chicks. Gah!

Gheesh guys. Show a little love for your fabulous and loving white sisters. We can read you know. :-)

(Not sure whether to get an inferiority complex ...or start 7 threads about why, say, black guys are way better than wimpy, horrible, ugly, relationship impaired, white guys. I hear all the men are hot in Africa. I think I'll move there. I wonder which language I should study?)

[edit: just to be clear, this was a comment on recent and past threads - wasn't meaning to single anyone out here. :-)]

From my anecdotal research, i.e. gut feelings, a can of beer in Tokyo is like 190 yen. 10 eggs 150 yen. Pretty high quality rice like あきたこまち is 350 yen par kilogram. You can have a sashimi bowl at a decent sushi restraint for 800 yen. 2 bedroom apartment can cost 300,000 yen in the most expensive areas like Roppongi, but in other areas, you can rent it for less than 200,000 yen a month. And in Oslo, A lunch costs $43??? mmm I wonder how credible that data is Is anybody here from Oslo?

I wouldn't touch who's hotter debate with a 40 foot pole

Thora Wrote:Gheesh guys. Show a little love for your fabulous and loving white sisters. We can read you know. :-)

(Not sure whether to get an inferiority complex ...or start 7 threads about why, say, black guys are way better than wimpy, horrible, ugly, relationship impaired, white guys. I hear all the men are hot in Africa. I think I'll move there. I wonder which language I should study?)

Okay so maybe I'm wimpy and relationship impaired. Blah! BLAHHH!!! I'm waving my arms around as I type this.

But you're interested in cooking, TheVinster. Girls find THAT sexy! (It's also a great excuse to invite them over)

masaman Wrote:I wouldn't touch who's hotter debate with a 40 foot pole

hehe... it's not about the ...
You did move to Colorado for the girls though, right? right? p.l.e.a.s.e.? ;-)

Here's the average rent of apartments in Tokyo:
http://yachin.homes.co.jp/city/ad11=13/tk=3/bg=2/

If you live in the center of Tokyo or a major expensive ward like Shibuya, you pay averagely $3,000~$6000 for a two bed room apartment. If you include those ridiculous apartments that would cost like $30,000+ per month, the average would easily jump up to $5,000 per month. But I think this is another example of how ridiculous the "average" can look. It doesn't always represent what we think is normal. Besides, there are many cheaper places in Tokyo.

About girls in Kobe, if the pic represented the average situation, your average guy over there would be usually surrounded by 7 good looking girls, which I wish were real.

Thora Wrote:But you're interested in cooking, TheVinster. Girls find THAT sexy! (It's also a great excuse to invite them over)

You... know me so well. Lately I was talking to some girl and she said, "All you talk about is food." Mmmm, so delicious.

oregum Wrote:In addition to the costs above, rent for a two-bedroom apartment for expats is typically more than $5,000 per month in Tokyo..."

Expat is the key word here. $5,000 a month for an "expat" apartment in Tokyo is very reasonable.

The whole world is more expensive if you are measuring it by the US dollar, which is currently at 89yen. If you aren't in the top 2% of wage earners that list isn't so relevant. If I were living in Tokyo I have little doubt I could live on less than 100,000yen per month. I have very simple needs though. I lived in Kyoto for three months with only 150,000yen in my pocket back in 2007.

Tourists visiting Kauai would always tell me it would be an impossible dream living on that island paradise because of the cost of living. Eh, rent a tiny one bedroom apartment a thirty minute walk from the beach and furnish it with items from the Salvation Army (You're in Hawaii. You will never be home anyways), buy a bicycle, plant some fruit trees and purchase only the vegetables that are on sale. All of the best and most fun activities are free (hiking, swimming, surfing). You will have plenty left over on a $1,000/month income.

I live in Nagoya and those numbers don't match reality unless you search for the most expensive item you can find.

Eggs cost about 170yen for 10 unless you get the most expensive organic ones. Lunch is only 1800 if you to a nice restaurant and not the typical teishokuya or yoshinoya. Washing machines only cost 2-3man on average, not 7man etc.

We're lucky they didn't include cost of transportation. They probably would have used a chauffeured Rolls Royce as the standard.

I live in Kobe and I call BS on some of these...

Article Wrote:Lunch at a restaurant: $16

I eat lunch out every day, costs between $4 and $9. A $16 lunch can be found, but you'd have to be stupid or rich to eat like that all the time.

Article Wrote:Can of beer from grocer: $3.09

This seems a little on the high side, but beer is pretty expensive here. Now 焼酎, whisky, 日本酒, or any imported liquor, that's another matter. Pretty much everything BUT beer is cheap.

Article Wrote:Movie ticket: $20

Yes, this is true. It's stupid. I really don't understand how people can go to the movies.

Article Wrote:Washing machine: $470

If you insist on buying a new one. I got mine for about $150, delivered to my door and fully installed at no extra charge within 15 min of saying "that one please."

It doesn't feel all that expensive here, really. As usual with big cities, it's easy to spend money fast. But if you know where to look, you can get KILLER french and italian food, multi-course set menu style, for about 2000円-3000円 a person. Cheap lunch places abound as well. If I go to the 商店街 down the street, I can pick up a 500円 bento that's bigger than I'll ever need.

And yes, there are lots of pretty girls here.

Thora Wrote:Gheesh guys. Show a little love for your fabulous and loving white sisters. We can read you know. :-)

(Not sure whether to get an inferiority complex ...or start 7 threads about why, say, black guys are way better than wimpy, horrible, ugly, relationship impaired, white guys. I hear all the men are hot in Africa. I think I'll move there. I wonder which language I should study?)

I think it would be fun to read a thread like that. Not that women ever discuss such things...

Ooops! Hitomi is home. Gotta put the Sex and the City DVD back in the case before she catches me watching it!

I lived in Kobe for 2 years and just moved last year. The 7 hot girls to 1 male foreigner is about right if you ignore the per 50 sleeping salarymen on the subway

Thora Wrote:Gheesh guys. Show a little love for your fabulous and loving white sisters. We can read you know. :-)

(Not sure whether to get an inferiority complex ...or start 7 threads about why, say, black guys are way better than wimpy, horrible, ugly, relationship impaired, white guys. I hear all the men are hot in Africa. I think I'll move there. I wonder which language I should study?)

You can't argue with the motivational poster.

So if the white guys all go for Japanese women, the white women all go for african men... does that leave the asian men and african women to sort things out amongst themselves?

blahah Wrote:So if the white guys all go for Japanese women, the white women all go for african men... does that leave the asian men and african women to sort things out amongst themselves?

haha imagine if that actually happened on a global scale, major demographic shift.