🇯🇵 Japan
Moving to Tokyo
Tokyo's monthly rents are lower than most people expect for a city of its size. What catches everyone out is the entry cost: key money, deposit, agency fee, guarantor company fee, fire insurance and a lock change, all payable at signing. The other reality is that a share of landlords will not rent to foreign tenants at all, which narrows the market before you have seen a single flat.
- Visit
- €49
- Starter
- €899
- Premium
- €1,900
The rent is manageable. The move-in cost is four to six months of it, at once.
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in Tokyo
Nakameguro & Daikanyama
Young professionals, couplesRiver, cafés, and two stops to Shibuya on the Toyoko line. Popular, priced for it, and packed along the Meguro River in cherry-blossom season.
Setagaya (Sangenjaya, Shimokitazawa)
Families, longer staysMore space, quieter streets, and still fifteen minutes from the centre.
Nakano & Koenji
Value seekersOn the Chuo line, cheaper than anywhere comparable to the south, with a strong local scene.
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa & Kuramae
Couples, creativesEast of the centre, low-rise, coffee roasters and craft studios, and a short ride to Otemachi and Nihonbashi. Better value than the west, with fewer English-speaking services.
Azabu & Hiroo
International families, embassy staffEmbassies, international schools, Arisugawa Park and supermarkets with imported food, close to the Roppongi and Toranomon offices. The most international address in Tokyo, and among the most expensive; larger flats are mostly let on company leases.
Kichijoji & Mitaka
Families, value seekersJust outside the 23 wards on the Chuo line, about fifteen minutes from Shinjuku: Inokashira Park, a lively shopping area and quieter streets beyond. More space for the money, a longer ride to the east side.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Monthly, unfurnished, excluding management fee (kanrihi) of ¥5,000–20,000. Tokyo rents rose steadily through 2025 and 2026, fastest for small flats in the central wards.
- 1K / 1DK, central wards¥110,000 – ¥180,000
- 1LDK, central wards¥180,000 – ¥280,000
- 1K, outer wards¥75,000 – ¥110,000
Indicative only · last checked · your Insider confirms before you commit.
What catches people out
Move-in costs of four to six months' rent
Key money (reikin) is a non-refundable gift to the landlord of nought to two months. Add the deposit, the agency fee, the guarantor company fee, fire insurance and a lock change. This is normal, and it is a lot of cash.
Foreigner-refused listings
A meaningful share of properties are marked as not available to foreign tenants. It is legal and common. Working with an agency that filters for this saves weeks of dead ends.
The guarantor company is not optional
Most landlords require a guarantor company even if you have a Japanese employer. Their fee is typically half to a full month's rent, plus an annual renewal.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insider does this with you rather than sending you a checklist.
How long a move to Tokyo takes. Four to six weeks, and have the move-in cost liquid before you start.
- Step 1
Residence card and ward registration
Register your address at the ward office within 14 days of moving in. The resident record that follows is what everything else asks for.
- Step 2
National health insurance and pension
Enrolled at the same ward office visit if you are not covered through an employer.
- Step 3
Bank account and phone
A classic loop: some banks want a phone number, some carriers want a bank account. A residence card plus your ward registration usually breaks it.
- Step 4
Utilities
Electricity, gas and water are set up separately, and the gas connection requires someone to be home for the appointment.
LanguageJapanese for leases, agencies and ward offices. English support is limited outside specialist agencies. Your Insider works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Relocation tools
Plan the move to Tokyo
Small tools built on this guide: what a month costs, the steps in order, what to pack and what to do when you land. Indicative figures, in the local currency.
- Cost calculatorA month in the city, three ways, in the local currency.Open
- Visa timelineYour route, step by step, with how long each part takes.Open
- Neighbourhood matchmakerFour questions, one neighbourhood, and what a one-bed costs there.Open
- Packing listA checklist for this city and the season you land in.Open
- First 48 hoursWhat to do first after landing, in the order that works.Open
- Local appsThe phone setup that runs daily life, and what each replaces.Open
- Speak localUseful phrases for taxis, cafés and the flat, read aloud.Open
- Dish finderWhat to order, by time of day, and what it is called.Open
- Weekend getawaysEasy escapes, by travel time and how you get there.Open
Pricing for Tokyo
What a move to Tokyo costs
These are the fees in Tokyo, published before you start, in euros. No commission on your rent, no percentage of the lease, no success fee.
Visit
Your Insider visits for you€49single · €99 pack of 3- In-person visit by a local Insider
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
- Most popular
Starter
Full home search€899flat fee · Tokyo- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- 50% to start, 50% at the keys
Premium
Home search + full setup€1,900flat fee · Tokyo- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
The full guide
Five deep dives for someone arriving, not visiting
- Housing Modest monthly rents, a move-in bill of four to six months, and a market where a share of landlords will not consider you at all.
- Paperwork The ward office is the centre of everything: register your address there within fourteen days and the residence record it produces unlocks the rest.
- Healthcare Universal insurance with a fixed patient share, clinics on every corner, and a system that expects you to start small and be referred upwards.
- Schools Free, high-quality public schools assigned by address and taught in Japanese, an expensive international sector, and a nursery system allocated on points.
- Getting around The best rail network in the world, run by several competing operators, which is exactly why the fare on your route may be higher than it should be.
On the ground
Alfred, Antoine, Capu, Eva, Nico — the people behind Insidoor.
Every Insider lives in their city and holds a verified ID. We match you on language and on who is coming with you.
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