🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan
Expensive but endlessly rewarding. Tokyo infrastructure, food, and safety are unmatched anywhere. The cost is real but the quality of everything — from a $8 ramen bowl to a $300/night hotel — is extraordinary.
All figures in approximate USD. Last verified May 2026. Prices change frequently — always verify current costs through local expat groups or Numbeo before making relocation decisions.
What's included
| Category | Monthly | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🏠 Accommodation | $900 | Share house in Shimokitazawa or Koenji via Sakura House. Private room. |
| 🍜 Food | $450 | Convenience store meals ($3–6), ramen ($8–12), gyudon ($5). All extraordinary. |
| 💻 Coworking | $150 | Café WiFi at Doutor or Starbucks. Both fast and nomad-friendly. |
| 🚌 Transport | $100 | Suica card covers everything — metro, JR, buses. |
| Total | $1,600 | Share house, convenience store meals, Suica card |
What things actually cost in Tokyo
✓ Best for
- •Nomads who want the highest quality baseline for everything
- •Food obsessives — Tokyo has more Michelin stars than any city on earth
- •Developers and tech workers — infrastructure and internet are unmatched
- •Solo travelers — Tokyo is the safest major city on earth
✗ Avoid if
- •Budget nomads — Tokyo is legitimately expensive and the Lean budget requires discipline
- •July–August — extremely hot, humid, and rainy season
- •Anyone who needs European timezone overlap — 8–9 hour gap
Money tips for Tokyo
- 1
Get a Suica card at Narita or Haneda airport — works on trains, metros, and convenience stores
- 2
JR Pass is worth buying if you're doing Tokyo + Kyoto + Osaka — buy before you leave home
- 3
Convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) are genuinely excellent for breakfast and late-night meals
- 4
Shimokitazawa and Koenji are more affordable neighbourhoods than Shinjuku or Shibuya
- 5
Book accommodation 4–6 weeks ahead for cherry blossom (late March/early April) — it sells out completely
JPY (Japanese Yen) — All figures in USD. 1 USD ≈ 155 JPY as of May 2026. Verify current rates before travel.