Monthly budget for living in Tokyo?

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Reply #26 - 2009 September 09, 11:53 pm
activeaero Member
From: Mobile-AL Registered: 2008-08-15 Posts: 500

blackmacros wrote:

You spend at least 20 minutes a day in deadly peril though, right?

I drive to work and back so yes.

Reply #27 - 2009 September 10, 12:14 am
Jarvik7 Member
From: 名古屋 Registered: 2007-03-05 Posts: 3946

Aero is actually Jack Bauer.

Admit it.

Reply #28 - 2009 September 10, 3:18 am
Tobberoth Member
From: Sweden Registered: 2008-08-25 Posts: 3364

Wow, I had no idea ISI had dorms. I applied through a swedish institute which placed us in guesthouses (56 000 yen each month in rent, so quite cheap and nice with all the Japanese people living there, but also 40 minutes from school by train).

Anyways, I think people here are sorta confused about grocery prices... either they haven't lived in Tokyo, or their own country has pretty sick prices for groceries. Personally, I found groceries to be really expensive in Japan. Eating at home was almost always more expensive than eating the same meal out. If you bought groceries late when the prices of fresh wares are lowered, it becomes economical... but still, you also have go buy food really late.

Of course, some stuff is worth making at home. The kind of food which lasts for a few days.

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Reply #29 - 2009 September 10, 3:36 am
captal Member
From: San Jose Registered: 2008-03-22 Posts: 677

I've lived in Japan a year and at my current place 5 months and I just figured out last night that the grocery store puts half price stickers on all the fresh food at 9pm before closing at 10pm. I had tonkatsu and some onigiri for like 220 yen. Score.

Definitely cheaper than buying stuff and doing it yourself- maybe I'll start having a light snack at 6 and dinner at 9:30 big_smile

I lived in Tokyo for about 2 months at a friends place- I spent a ton on the trains- probably about what you budgeted - $150-200 per month- but I was definitely going all over. Just get a Suica and put 1man on it and forget about it for awhile.

Every station on the Yamanote is like a different city- try and hit all the major ones but have a look at the "smaller" (if such a thing exists in Tokyo) stations too. Buy one of those ticket packs at the tourist center too- I forget what they're called but they give you discounts to tons of museums and such and it doesn't cost much to buy.