
Study in Japan Cost Per Month: A Realistic Breakdown

Table of Contents
How much do you REALLY need? We break down rent, food, transport, and fun money for Tokyo vs. Rural Japan.
Budgeting is key. Here is a realistic monthly budget for a student in 2026.
Tokyo Budget (Expensive)
- Rent: 70,000 JPY (Share house or small apartment).
- Food: 45,000 JPY (Cooking at home + occasional eating out).
- Transport: 10,000 JPY (Train pass).
- Phone/Internet: 5,000 JPY.
- Insurance: 2,000 JPY.
- Fun: 20,000 JPY.
- TOTAL: 152,000 JPY (approx. $1,000 USD).
Rural / Cheaper City Budget (Fukuoka/Sapporo)
- Rent: 35,000 JPY.
- Food: 35,000 JPY.
- Transport: 5,000 JPY (Bike everywhere!).
- Phone/Internet: 5,000 JPY.
- Insurance: 2,000 JPY.
- Fun: 15,000 JPY.
- TOTAL: 97,000 JPY (approx. $650 USD).
How to cover it?
- Part-time Job: 28 hours/week x 1,100 JPY = 123,000 JPY/month.
- Result: You can almost cover your entire living cost just by working part-time!
š Save Money: Cheap Student Accommodation in Japan: Share Houses vs. Dorms
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