🇯🇵 Japan · Housing
Renting and buying property in Japan — typical rents, deposits, contracts, and official tenancy rules.
Renting in Japan involves substantial upfront costs beyond rent — a deposit (shikikin), key money (reikin), an agency fee and usually a guarantor or guarantor company. Leases fall under the Act on Land and Building Leases, and real-estate transactions are overseen by MLIT. There is no nationality restriction on renting or owning property.
- Move-in costs often total four to six months' rent (deposit + key money + agency fee + first month + guarantor fee).
- Most tenants use a guarantor company (hoshō-gaisha); some landlords still require a Japanese guarantor.
- There is no nationality restriction on buying property, though financing is harder without residency.
Official authorities
- MLIT — 国土交通省
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism — real estate.
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.
Typical rents by city
| Cities | 1-bedroom rent |
|---|---|
| Tokyo | ¥135,000–230,000/mo (center); ¥80,000–125,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Osaka | ¥80,000–145,000/mo (center); ¥55,000–90,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Yokohama | ¥80,000–140,000/mo (center); ¥60,000–95,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Nagoya | ¥55,000–95,000/mo (center); ¥42,000–70,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Sapporo | ¥50,000–75,000/mo (center); ¥40,000–65,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Fukuoka | ¥55,000–80,000/mo (center); ¥42,000–68,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kobe | ¥60,000–100,000/mo (center); ¥48,000–78,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kyoto | ¥60,000–100,000/mo (center); ¥48,000–78,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kawasaki | ¥70,000–120,000/mo (center); ¥55,000–88,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Saitama | ¥60,000–100,000/mo (center); ¥48,000–78,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Hiroshima | ¥50,000–75,000/mo (center); ¥40,000–65,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Sendai | ¥48,000–72,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–62,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Chiba | ¥55,000–90,000/mo (center); ¥45,000–70,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kitakyushu | ¥45,000–68,000/mo (center); ¥36,000–60,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Sakai | ¥50,000–75,000/mo (center); ¥42,000–66,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Niigata | ¥42,000–64,000/mo (center); ¥34,000–56,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Hamamatsu | ¥45,000–68,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–60,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kumamoto | ¥42,000–64,000/mo (center); ¥34,000–56,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Sagamihara | ¥50,000–82,000/mo (center); ¥42,000–65,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Okayama | ¥42,000–64,000/mo (center); ¥34,000–56,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Shizuoka | ¥45,000–68,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–60,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kagoshima | ¥40,000–62,000/mo (center); ¥33,000–54,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Hachioji | ¥50,000–82,000/mo (center); ¥42,000–65,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Himeji | ¥45,000–66,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–58,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Matsuyama | ¥40,000–60,000/mo (center); ¥33,000–52,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Utsunomiya | ¥45,000–66,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–58,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Matsudo | ¥55,000–88,000/mo (center); ¥45,000–68,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Nagasaki | ¥40,000–60,000/mo (center); ¥33,000–52,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Kanazawa | ¥45,000–66,000/mo (center); ¥38,000–58,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Naha | ¥50,000–72,000/mo (center); ¥40,000–62,000/mo (suburbs) |
Tools & platforms
- SUUMO
Japan's largest rental and property portal.
- GaijinPot Apartments
Foreigner-friendly rentals in English.
Government portals
- Prime Minister's Office of Japan — Official site of Japan's Prime Minister — cabinet policies, press conferences, policy statements
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan — Japan visa applications, overseas safety info, consular services, and diplomatic policy
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan — Residence status, work visas, permanent residency, and naturalization in Japan
- National Tax Agency (Japan) — Income tax, corporate tax, consumption tax filing and e-Tax online submission