The average monthly rent for an apartment in Japan varies widely by location and size of the property, but on average, the rent for a one room studio apartment is about ¥70,000 in a big city and about ¥50,000 nationwide.
Rent is most costly in Tokyo, its surrounding prefectures and Osaka. The most expensive place to rent an apartment in Japan is Tokyo, with the citywide average rent coming in at ¥91,000 ($700) for a 1R apartment. The second, third, and fourth most expensive prefectures are Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, which surround the capital. Osaka comes in fifth, with average monthly rent of ¥61,000 for the typical 1R studio apartment. Here are the top five most expensive prefectures to rent a studio apartment in Japan:
Rural areas and Japan’s northern prefectures have the lowest average rent in the country. Tochigi, for example, a mountainous prefecture located north of Tokyo known for its hot springs resorts and Nikko National Park, has some of the lowest rents in the country, with the average rent for a studio apartment of about ¥33,000, or about 36% of the average rent in Tokyo.
Average rent also varies a lot within a city. In Tokyo, for example, rent is highest in the central six wards of Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Bunkyo, Chiyoda, and Chuo. Lower rent options can be found in Tokyo’s northern wards and outside the Yamanote train line. For detailed data on Tokyo, please see this post: What is the average rent in Tokyo?
The number of rooms is another major factor affecting rent levels. Apartment layouts in Japan are described by the number of rooms + the living/dining/kitchen area, if any.
In the charts below:
- 1R = 1 Room: One room studio apartment. Usually between 13-sqm and 20-sqm in size.
- 1K = K stands for kitchen. One-room studio apartment with a kitchen that is usually separated from the other room by a wall. Usually between 13-sqm and 25-sqm of floor space.
- 1DK = D stands for dining, K stands for kitchen. Two-room apartment with a kitchen and dining space that is separated from the other room. Usually between 25-sqm and 30-sqm of floor space.
- 1LDK = L stands for living, D stands for dining, K stands for kitchen. One-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually between 23-sqm and 35-sqm of floor space.
- 2LDK = Two-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually between 40-sqm and 80-sqm of floor space but can be bigger in the case of higher-end apartments.
- 3LDK = Three-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area. Usually at least 70-sqm of living space but can be bigger in the case of higher-end apartments.
- 4LDK = Four-bedroom apartment with a living/dining room and a kitchen separate from the living/dining area.
Average rent in Japan by prefecture
The chart below shows the average rent for each of Japan’s 47 prefectures as of April 30, 2022. The data is compiled from Homes (a Japanese real estate website), the National Association of Real Estate Transaction Associations of Japan website, and Real Estate Japan‘s in-house data.
Prefecture | 1R / 1K /1DK | 1LDK / 2K / 2DK | 2LDK / 3K / 3LDK | 3LDK / 4K / 4DK |
Hokkaido | 39,000 | 51,000 | 62,000 | 84,000 |
Aomori | 33,000 | 49,000 | 52,000 | 72,000 |
Iwate | 48,000 | 44,000 | 56,000 | 70,000 |
Miyagi | 39,000 | 49,000 | 56,000 | 82,000 |
Akita | 34,000 | 46,000 | 47,000 | 64,000 |
Yamagata | 38,000 | 45,000 | 53,000 | 64,000 |
Fukushima | 42,000 | 45,000 | 54,000 | 78,000 |
Ibaraki | 35,000 | 45,000 | 51,000 | 73,000 |
Tochigi | 33,000 | 41,000 | 51,000 | 76,000 |
Gunma | 45,000 | 60,000 | 63,000 | 137,000 |
Saitama | 63,000 | 87,000 | 102,000 | 138,000 |
Chiba | 61,000 | 84,000 | 99,000 | 123,000 |
Tokyo | 91,000 | 157,000 | 221,000 | 240,000 |
Kanagawa | 68,000 | 100,000 | 117,000 | 157,000 |
Niigata | 44,000 | 64,000 | 85,000 | 106,000 |
Toyama | 41,000 | 56,000 | 68,000 | 76,000 |
Ishikawa | 47,000 | 62,000 | 65,000 | 125,000 |
Fukui | 57,000 | 65,000 | 64,000 | 86,000 |
Yamanashi | 39,000 | 71,000 | 70,000 | 108,000 |
Nagano | 48,000 | 61,000 | 72,000 | 96,000 |
Gifu | 46,000 | 59,000 | 60,000 | 83,000 |
Shizuoka | 47,000 | 63,000 | 69,000 | 84,000 |
Aichi | 56,000 | 79,000 | 93,000 | 118,000 |
Mie | 43,000 | 58,000 | 63,000 | 82,000 |
Shiga | 47,000 | 65,000 | 73,000 | 104,000 |
Kyoto | 57,000 | 95,000 | 109,000 | 126,000 |
Osaka | 61,000 | 97,000 | 114,000 | 119,000 |
Hyogo | 56,000 | 77,000 | 82,000 | 112,000 |
Nara | 43,000 | 71,000 | 69,000 | 84,000 |
Wakayama | 43,000 | 55,000 | 60,000 | 84,000 |
Tottori | 39,000 | 56,000 | 63,000 | N/A |
Shimane | 45,000 | 55,000 | 61,000 | 68,000 |
Okayama | 46,000 | 64,000 | 70,000 | 101,000 |
Hiroshima | 55,000 | 71,000 | 78,000 | 97,000 |
Yamaguchi | 41,000 | 56,000 | 59,000 | 84,000 |
Tokushima | 43,000 | 50,000 | 56,000 | 77,000 |
Kagawa | 43,000 | 55,000 | 57,000 | 82,000 |
Ehime | 42,000 | 57,000 | 66,000 | 89,000 |
Kochi | 43,000 | 59,000 | 78,000 | 85,000 |
Fukuoka | 48,000 | 70,000 | 79,000 | 102,000 |
Saga | 41,000 | 56,000 | 78,000 | 84,000 |
Nagasaki | 47,000 | 64,000 | 86,000 | 96,000 |
Kumamoto | 47,000 | 58,000 | 66,000 | 83,000 |
Oita | 41,000 | 62,000 | 67,000 | 115,000 |
Miyazaki | 40,000 | 52,000 | 55,000 | N/A |
Kagoshima | 44,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 | 94,000 |
Okinawa | 51,000 | 89,000 | 130,000 | 156,000 |
Average rent for a 1R apartment in Japan by Prefecture
Prefecture | Average rent for a 1R / 1K /1DK apartment in JPY |
Tokyo | 91,000 |
Kanagawa | 68,000 |
Saitama | 63,000 |
Chiba | 61,000 |
Osaka | 61,000 |
Fukui | 57,000 |
Kyoto | 57,000 |
Aichi | 56,000 |
Hyogo | 56,000 |
Hiroshima | 55,000 |
Okinawa | 51,000 |
Iwate | 48,000 |
Nagano | 48,000 |
Fukuoka | 48,000 |
Ishikawa | 47,000 |
Shizuoka | 47,000 |
Shiga | 47,000 |
Nagasaki | 47,000 |
Kumamoto | 47,000 |
Gifu | 46,000 |
Okayama | 46,000 |
Gunma | 45,000 |
Shimane | 45,000 |
Niigata | 44,000 |
Kagoshima | 44,000 |
Mie | 43,000 |
Nara | 43,000 |
Wakayama | 43,000 |
Tokushima | 43,000 |
Kagawa | 43,000 |
Kochi | 43,000 |
Fukushima | 42,000 |
Ehime | 42,000 |
Toyama | 41,000 |
Yamaguchi | 41,000 |
Saga | 41,000 |
Oita | 41,000 |
Miyazaki | 40,000 |
Hokkaido | 39,000 |
Miyagi | 39,000 |
Yamanashi | 39,000 |
Tottori | 39,000 |
Yamagata | 38,000 |
Ibaraki | 35,000 |
Akita | 34,000 |
Aomori | 33,000 |
Tochigi | 33,000 |
Average rent for a 1LDK apartment in Japan by Prefecture
Prefecture |
Average rent for a 1LDK / 2K /2DK apartment in JPY |
Tokyo | 157,000 |
Kanagawa | 100,000 |
Osaka | 97,000 |
Kyoto | 95,000 |
Okinawa | 89,000 |
Saitama | 87,000 |
Chiba | 84,000 |
Aichi | 79,000 |
Hyogo | 77,000 |
Yamanashi | 71,000 |
Nara | 71,000 |
Hiroshima | 71,000 |
Fukuoka | 70,000 |
Fukui | 65,000 |
Shiga | 65,000 |
Niigata | 64,000 |
Okayama | 64,000 |
Nagasaki | 64,000 |
Shizuoka | 63,000 |
Ishikawa | 62,000 |
Oita | 62,000 |
Nagano | 61,000 |
Gunma | 60,000 |
Kagoshima | 60,000 |
Gifu | 59,000 |
Kochi | 59,000 |
Mie | 58,000 |
Kumamoto | 58,000 |
Ehime | 57,000 |
Toyama | 56,000 |
Tottori | 56,000 |
Yamaguchi | 56,000 |
Saga | 56,000 |
Wakayama | 55,000 |
Shimane | 55,000 |
Kagawa | 55,000 |
Miyazaki | 52,000 |
Hokkaido | 51,000 |
Tokushima | 50,000 |
Aomori | 49,000 |
Miyagi | 49,000 |
Akita | 46,000 |
Yamagata | 45,000 |
Fukushima | 45,000 |
Ibaraki | 45,000 |
Iwate | 44,000 |
Tochigi | 41,000 |
Average rent for a 2LDK apartment in Japan by Prefecture
Prefecture |
Average rent for a 2LDK / 3K /3DK apartment in JPY |
Tokyo | 221,000 |
Okinawa | 130,000 |
Kanagawa | 117,000 |
Osaka | 114,000 |
Kyoto | 109,000 |
Saitama | 102,000 |
Chiba | 99,000 |
Aichi | 93,000 |
Nagasaki | 86,000 |
Niigata | 85,000 |
Hyogo | 82,000 |
Kagoshima | 80,000 |
Fukuoka | 79,000 |
Hiroshima | 78,000 |
Kochi | 78,000 |
Saga | 78,000 |
Shiga | 73,000 |
Nagano | 72,000 |
Yamanashi | 70,000 |
Okayama | 70,000 |
Shizuoka | 69,000 |
Nara | 69,000 |
Toyama | 68,000 |
Oita | 67,000 |
Ehime | 66,000 |
Kumamoto | 66,000 |
Ishikawa | 65,000 |
Fukui | 64,000 |
Gunma | 63,000 |
Mie | 63,000 |
Tottori | 63,000 |
Hokkaido | 62,000 |
Shimane | 61,000 |
Gifu | 60,000 |
Wakayama | 60,000 |
Yamaguchi | 59,000 |
Kagawa | 57,000 |
Iwate | 56,000 |
Miyagi | 56,000 |
Tokushima | 56,000 |
Miyazaki | 55,000 |
Fukushima | 54,000 |
Yamagata | 53,000 |
Aomori | 52,000 |
Ibaraki | 51,000 |
Tochigi | 51,000 |
Akita | 47,000 |
Average rent for a 3LDK apartment in Japan by Prefecture
Prefecture |
Average rent for a 3LDK / 4K /4DK apartment in JPY |
Tokyo | 240,000 |
Kanagawa | 157,000 |
Okinawa | 156,000 |
Saitama | 138,000 |
Gunma | 137,000 |
Kyoto | 126,000 |
Ishikawa | 125,000 |
Chiba | 123,000 |
Osaka | 119,000 |
Aichi | 118,000 |
Oita | 115,000 |
Hyogo | 112,000 |
Yamanashi | 108,000 |
Niigata | 106,000 |
Shiga | 104,000 |
Fukuoka | 102,000 |
Okayama | 101,000 |
Hiroshima | 97,000 |
Nagano | 96,000 |
Nagasaki | 96,000 |
Kagoshima | 94,000 |
Ehime | 89,000 |
Fukui | 86,000 |
Kochi | 85,000 |
Hokkaido | 84,000 |
Shizuoka | 84,000 |
Nara | 84,000 |
Wakayama | 84,000 |
Yamaguchi | 84,000 |
Saga | 84,000 |
Gifu | 83,000 |
Kumamoto | 83,000 |
Miyagi | 82,000 |
Mie | 82,000 |
Kagawa | 82,000 |
Fukushima | 78,000 |
Tokushima | 77,000 |
Tochigi | 76,000 |
Toyama | 76,000 |
Ibaraki | 73,000 |
Aomori | 72,000 |
Iwate | 70,000 |
Shimane | 68,000 |
Akita | 64,000 |
Yamagata | 64,000 |
Tottori | N/A |
Miyazaki | N/A |
Sources:
Lead image: Tokyo aerial street view via iStock 483097726
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