Monthly expenses in Tokyo

Hi all, i am going to Japan to study in a language school this september and i am wondering how much it costs every month in Japan.

I do not know if i am able to get a dormitory now but let's just prepare for the worse and say that i need to find my own accomdation. I know that students are waived of tax but i am not very sure of health insurance.

Actually i have ask someone in Japan about it and he said 80,000 yen per month but i was wondering if one meal in Japan actually cost 1,000 yen. So one day you will spend around 3,000 yen and let's set it as 5,000 just in case.

5,000 yen x 30 days = 150 000 yen (just on food)

Thus i am confused because compared to the 80,000 yen the guy told me, i already over spend and need 150,000 just on food. What about my dormitories, electiricty, mobile bills, leisure, entertainment?

For anyone of you who actually study in Tokyo before in a language school, i hope you can share your experiences.

Thanks in advance!

If you are cooking your own food, and if you are smart about the shops you go to (example: 1.5L Coca-cola can cost Y160 in one shop and Y300 in another), then you can live off Y1000 a day (this is only for food). No it's not bad at all. If you know the right places, that's enough to make chicken cutlets, Caesar salad, spaghetti... pretty much anything you like.

However, if you prefer bars/restaurants, or if you don't have the culinary skills (cooking is e-a-s-y!), then a ramen in a cheap bar would cost some Y500 yen, and a trip to a restaurant will be at least Y1000.

If you prefer McDonald's or something of the sort, then Y100 gets you a hamburger/pie/etc, and sets start at about Y500.

I usually end up overspending, like Y1500 or Y2000 a day (I never go to restaurants though), but that's because I easily stop paying attention to my expenses...

Shortly speaking - Y1000 a day is manageable.

Depends on how you eat, but you can get one good meal at any "fast food" Japanese place like Matsuya or Yoshinoya for under 500 yen.

I remember living as a language student, it was tough at times, I recommend cook your own food if you can, the 100yen shops sometimes has a good selection of basic ingredients, supermarkets before they close usually have sales of 30-50percent on meats and other perishable items. If you are resourceful, you can keep it to the 1000-2000yen range per day, sometimes even less if you can survive not eating too much.

This means no partying out very much, so please do enjoy yourself sometimes!

As for health insurance, you will be paying the monthly premium, it depends on the city you live in, but expect 1000-2000yen permonth.

Also transportation costs, most language students CAN NOT get student discounts for transportation (if you live in Tokyo the only exception is Toei subway/bus) but not everyone lives near toei subway or bus. If you live within biking distance, get a bike you can get a used bike for around 6000 or under, otherwise don't forget to calculate transportation costs to/from school, the cost depends on how far away you might live.
For me, I was a really poor student (@_@) so I used to bike over 1 hour (one way) a day! But it did save me money because I didn't have to take the bus/train.

Yes you also need to factor in rent and utilities as well. Also mobile phone bill and other things as well.

thank you everyone!
so lets say one day is about 3000 on food. 30 days = 90 000

electricty and water bills = 20000
hand phone bills = 10000
health insurance = 3000
miscellenious items = 10000
transport = 7000
entertainment = 10000

*All is on a monthly basis

total = 150 000

is this manageable?

Have you already taken accommodation rent into account?
Otherwise. Your utilities and 'phone bill will probably be less, maybe even half what you have budgeted. It will depend on the time of year and how much heating/air con you use. But your transport costs might well be higher, depending on your commute/leisure actives. Also, your entertainment budget may be a bit on the low side - but it's certainly do-able. If　you cook sensibly, you won't spend nearly that much on food.　　

90,000 a month for food is quite high, especially for a student on a tight budget. You could easily get by on half that.

20,000 on utilities? I pay 15,000 in a 3LDK for 2 people but only on the months I have the a/c on 24/7. You'll probably pay less than 10,000.

You'll be fine with 150,000 a month.

I don't know what you would be eating for breakfast that would cost 1,000 yen- I think it would be hard to come up with a breakfast that actually cost that much, unless you went to a hotel buffet for example. You can get a filling meal for lunch (noodles, gyudon etc, or sandwiches/onigiri from a convenience store) for 400-500 yen as well, and dinner doesn't have to cost 1,000 yen either, even eating out.

If you eat at home sometimes (i.e. toast, yoghurt, granola, or rice miso soup etc. for breakfast), you shouldn't be spending more than about 50,000 yen a month for food, max. Some people feed a family on 50,000 yen a month.