Hello, this is a late addition to the blog because I just left Japan, however I made this video over a year ago. But I think I found a good deal for a cheap apartment in Japan. If you are looking into Japan and wondering if it is an expensive place to live I will say yes and no.
Japan is often expensive to travel in (in my previous experience) but once you get set up I don't think it's any more expensive than any other Asian country I lived in: China, Korea and Taiwan. Of course it will depend on where you live and your lifestyle. If you want to live in Tokyo and party 2-3 nights a week and eat out then you will pay for it.
So I lived in Fukuoka, Japan for about 21 months. Prior to this place I was living in sharehouses which served its purpose but wasn't that fun.
My expenses in Japan
I paid about 94,000 Yen to move into this place which was about $900 USD. So normally you have to pay key money, guarantor fees, deposits, agents fees, etc.
But every place is different.
My monthly rent was about 30,000 Yen ($300 USD). Then I had an electric bill which ranged from about $60-100. Water was about $50 or so every 2 months. My phone with Line mobile which provided internet was around $20 a month I think??? It was the 5gb plan, but not good for video.
I think that was all of my fees except health insurance which was like $20+ a month or so. Food was maybe $250-300 a month.
Monthly bills were (according to these numbers) less than $800.
How does my place compare to others in Fukuoka?
Other places I looked at were more like $450-500 a month and some had contracts for like 2 years. There was another place a little more convenient than this one in Fujisaki that I was looking at that had a 2 year contract (not very foreign friendly) and many others seemed to be that way.
It was a little noisy and for a while I had an annoying neighbor with this really loud annoying laugh that would go on everyday until one day (like after 6 months of this) I just snapped and went outside my door and was yelling obsentities at him and then that was the end of that.
I think he moved out or something.