Free calculators for the real cost of living in Japan.
Five free calculators for rent, salary, monthly living costs, moving and car ownership. No sign-up, no fees — just enter your numbers and get an estimate.
Deposit, key money, agency fee and everything else you pay before moving in.
Open calculatorTurn a gross salary into the amount that actually reaches your bank account.
Open calculatorAdd up rent, food, utilities and everything else to get a monthly and yearly total.
Open calculatorEstimate a mover's quote from distance, household size, luggage and season.
Open calculatorParking, fuel, tax, insurance and shaken — the real yearly cost of a car in Japan.
Open calculatorFor a single person in a Japanese city, ¥170,000 to ¥220,000 a month covers rent, food, utilities and everyday spending. That needs a take-home income of around ¥250,000, which corresponds to a gross salary of roughly ¥4,000,000 a year once tax and social insurance are taken out.
The costs that catch people out are the one-off ones. Moving into an apartment means paying four to six months of rent before you get the keys, the movers want ¥35,000 to ¥100,000 on top, and furnishing an empty Japanese apartment — they come without lighting, curtains or a fridge — adds ¥150,000 or more.
Each calculator here handles one of those questions on its own page, with the assumptions written out so you can see where the numbers come from.
Start with the salary calculator to find your monthly take-home figure. Divide that by three to get the rent you can comfortably afford, then put that rent into the move-in cost calculator to see what signing the lease will actually take out of your savings.
Feed the same take-home figure into the living cost calculator and it will show your savings rate. If a car is part of the plan, the car cost calculator gives a cost per kilometre you can compare directly against train fares before deciding.
¥170,000 to ¥220,000 a month for one person including rent, depending on the city. Tokyo sits at the top of that range and regional cities well below it. Use the monthly living cost calculator to build a figure from your own numbers.
About 78% for most people. Health insurance, pension, employment insurance, income tax and resident tax are withheld before you see the money. The take-home pay calculator breaks down each deduction.
For an ¥80,000 apartment, budget around ¥410,000 for the lease, ¥35,000 to ¥60,000 for the movers and ¥150,000 or more for furniture and appliances — roughly ¥600,000 in total. The rent and moving calculators cover the first two.
Every calculator is free and no account is needed. Nothing you type is sent anywhere — the calculations run in your browser.
They are estimates meant for planning, not exact quotes. Tax and insurance rates follow the published 2024–2025 figures, and market rates are based on typical ranges. Each page lists what it assumes, so you can see where your situation differs.
Fill in the fields, press Calculate, and read the breakdown. Every field has a sensible default, so you can start with an estimate and refine it.
Estimates only. Actual costs vary by contract, city and provider. This site is not financial or tax advice.