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Updated October 9, 2026
Japan Student Cost of Living Calculator
Planning to study at a senmon gakko or language school in Japan? Pick your city and lifestyle to see a realistic monthly budget, broken into rent, utilities, food, transport and fun, with an interactive chart.
-Per month
-Per year
-Per day (avg)
What this calculator does
This calculator estimates a single student's monthly living costs in Tokyo, Osaka or Fukuoka. Choose a city and a lifestyle, and it breaks the budget into rent (a one-room 1K/1R apartment), utilities plus internet, groceries, transport, and eating out plus fun, drawn from 2026 expat cost-of-living surveys. The bar chart shows where the money goes.
Where the numbers come from
Each category uses a published 2026 range for a single foreign resident. Your lifestyle picks a point in the range: student budget takes the low end (shared-style frugality), comfortable the midpoint, generous the high end. Rent is the biggest lever: Tokyo runs roughly double Fukuoka for a similar apartment, with Osaka in between.
What is not included
- Tuition: senmon gakko tuition typically ranges from ¥600,000 to ¥1,500,000 a year depending on the field.
- Move-in costs: Japanese rentals often charge key money, deposit and agent fees totaling 3 to 5 months of rent up front (less for student dorms and sharehouses).
- Health insurance: National Health Insurance premiums for students are reduced but not zero.
- Visa and travel: flights, the student visa application, and the COE process.
Cutting costs as a student
Student dormitories and sharehouses skip most move-in fees and run well below market rent. Cooking at home, supermarket closing-time discounts, and a commuter pass (teikiken) cut food and transport sharply. Part-time work up to 28 hours a week is the standard way students close the gap.
Planning estimate only. Results use the list prices shown and may differ from your actual bill. Terms
Frequently asked questions
How much does a student need per month in Tokyo?
Surveys put a single foreign resident in Tokyo at roughly ¥165,000 to ¥259,000 a month for living costs alone, before tuition. Osaka runs about ¥127,000 to ¥205,000 and Fukuoka about ¥109,000 to ¥179,000.
Is Fukuoka really that much cheaper than Tokyo?
For rent, yes: a similar apartment in Fukuoka can cost roughly half of Tokyo's rent, and often with more space. Groceries, transport and fun are cheaper too, though the gap is smaller than for rent.
What are key money and deposit?
Japanese rentals traditionally charge reikin (key money, a non-refundable gift to the landlord of 1 to 2 months' rent), shikikin (deposit, usually refundable) and an agent fee. Budget 3 to 5 months of rent for move-in, or choose a dorm or sharehouse that skips them.
Can part-time work cover living costs?
Partly. At Tokyo's minimum wage (around ¥1,100+ an hour in 2026) and 28 hours a week, students can earn roughly ¥120,000 a month before tax, which covers a frugal budget in cheaper cities but not a comfortable Tokyo lifestyle alone.
Are these numbers up to date?
The ranges come from 2026 expat surveys. Rents and prices move with inflation, so treat them as planning estimates and check current listings before signing anything.