Cost of furnishing empty apartment

I am moving to Japan in the next week and have an empty apartment to furnish. I will have to purchase a bed, a futon (I have more than 1 bedroom), refrigerator, stove, oven, AC and TV. Those are my bare essentials. About how much would this all cost, assuming that I have to purchase everything new.

It really depends on the quality of goods you are looking for. Check out Nitori and Amazon to get an idea of the typical prices of home goods, and Bic Camera for typical home appliances prices:

http://www.nitori.co.jp
http://www.amazon.co.jp
http://www.biccamera.com/

Here's my rough low end estimate considering what I would buy if I were on a budget (assuming a one person household):

bed - 20,000 yen complete
futon - 10,000 yen complete
refrigerator - 25,000 yen for a 100L size
stove - 15,000 yen (with a built in broiler)
oven - from 5000 yen if you mean microwave oven. More expensive microwaves can also bake. Most homes don't have ovens, so if you want anything larger or more serious than that then it will be quite a bit more expensive.
AC - from 50,000 yen installed (on sale)
TV - 20v (20 inch diag) start around 20,000 yen, 32v (32 inch diag) start around 50,000 yen

It totally depends on the size of your wallet, Electrical appliances can be bought for a wide range

example TV-32 Inch LCD- From 40K to 100K
Refrigrator- From 50K-100K
Stove from 10K-50K
Same from bed 30K-90K

If you can consider to buy used ones, You can find a lot of 'Sayonara sale' through which you can fully furnish the whole house at very decent prices.

Thanks! This is actually very helpful. I needed a realistic range because I would really like to keep the total cost under US$2000. I will scour my area for the Sayonara Sales. Since I'm going towards the end of summer, maybe there will be several. Except for the beds, and maybe the TVs, I'm hoping to buy everything slightly used.

Also check out recycle shops (2nd hand stores like Book Off and Hard Off). You'll be able to find most of the things you're looking for for about 2/3rds the new price. Recycle shops tend to inspect and clean their items pretty well and the better ones guarantee their goods for a short period.

An air conditioner will most likely have to be purchased new at an electronics store. Luckily the sale season for AC units is just beginning. But do you know that your apartment doesn't come with one already?

Don't think that you will be able to live with the things you listed here, there are so many things that you will also need, including for example:

- Your TV will certainly require a TV shelf (if you don't want to mount it on the wall)

- You want to eat on the floor? Otherwise you will need a table, you certainly also don't want to sit on the floor, the bed you mentioned is an alternative, but for eating, you also want to have some chairs. I also recommend a sofa (which can be pretty expensive).

- You also want to have a desk for working or just using your computer (I assume you have a notebook).

- Besides the oven you want you will also need several cooking tools and plates to eat from.

The list goes on and on and although the single items don't cost too much, this will pretty fast add to a pretty high number.
I also moved here over one year ago and was shocked, how many things you will need to buy, you don't think about earlier (e.g. vacuum cleaner. Trust me I also want to save some money and only use a broom. After the first time, I had to realize that a vacuum cleaner is an absolute requirement.

But you shouldn't be too picky about the money in the beginning, sure you will use a lot of money, but this is a one time thing in the beginning and it is essential that you also buy things that you like and not only the most cheapest things. this will increase your life quality, which is important in a new country.

i also recommend Ikea, they have decent prices and some good things.
You can also check out the english web page of the japanese store, where you can already calculate some expenses.

Well, this the best season to need all of those things.

I don't to which city you are moving but try to find a Bic Camera Outlet store.
http://www.biccamera.co.jp/shoplist/i_ekimae.html

August is the huge sell-off month and the Bic outlet is very cheap. You get great prices but still get support, warranties, points, etc.
Also they deliver quickly.

For a budget of $2000, you should have no problems buying everything you need.

Sayonara sales are obviously another route to take, but theirs always big risk in buying used electronics and appliances, and used beds/bedding is never a good idea for reasons I don't think I have to explain.

Cityhunter has a point that you will need more than the basics that you asked about, but it doesn't have to be expensive. If you're really budget conscious the 100 yen stores can be your best friend. Most of your dishware, and home furnishings can be purchased there, and if you only need enough stuff for one person then you can get the basics for practically nothing.

Considering the other items cityhunter mentioned, most people get a Kotatsu as a table. They are low to the floor and can double as a desk and a heater. Kotatsu, TV stands, and vacuum cleaners can be purchased at second hand stores for very cheap. For example, I was able to purchase all three for less than 10,000 yen total.

Actually, I'd recommend just getting the essentials at first and then slowly shopping around for the non-essentials. You'll find better deals, and get things that you're happier with then if you just rush into it and purchase everything at once, when cheap is at the forefront of your mind. Of course it depends on you, your budget, and how long you plan to stay in Japan. Let us know if you need more help, and good luck and enjoy the transition!

Yllwsmrf - I don't know if the apt comes with an AC unit. I won't see it until next week. Personally, I'd like to be presently surprised by a fridge and stove, but that is really wishful thinking.

CityHunter - Those were just the bare essentials to get me through the first couple of weeks. I've already prepared a list of things that I need, plus I'm bringing some items from home. And I found out that there is a Muji near me and the outlets are within a 15 min train ride.

This isn't my first apt, just my first in Japan. Unfurnished really does mean nothing but walls, floors and ceilings! That's just too funny to me.

If you have planned everything out you should do fine. Japan is not much more expansive than any other country in the world (if you know where to shop). Depending from where you come, it is a bad time to come to Japan, since the Yen is pretty expensive at the moment.

Unfurnished can mean also in Japan different things. For example my aparmtent was also unfurnished, but an AC and a stove was already included, this applies by the way to all apartments I visited here, but it also depends on the place and the price of the apartment.

One more tip, if you buy your electronic things at a big electronic store, please note that most of these shops have a point system, so getting a point card from the shop is important, otherwise you will waste alot of money. The amount of point you get sometimes is unbelievable.

The dollar is so disgustingly weak it makes me sick! So yeah, not a good time because of the exchange rate. Thanks for the tip on the point system - it will come in handy.

For some reason, I'm almost positive I was told that there was no stove or fridge. AC is actually a question mark.

To be economical,

there is ikea in Japan also.
http://www.ikea.com/jp/en

also there are 2nd hand store in Japan also but it's hard to find...

If you have a budget,
you can visit home center.. such as
http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/enjoy-home/


ーーーWelcome!ーーー

I'd be very surprised if there wasn't an AC unit already installed. Very few places don't have them.

Otherwise it will be empty unless the person living there before left some stuff, but even if they did, usually the landlords sell it all off.

Where are you living? In my opinion the best bet is 2nd hand stores. I know some good chains, but they tend to be local to prefectures or areas. The stuff you get in them is as good as new, as they are very strict with the stuff they buy from people. One I went to wouldn't take my TV because I'd lost the battery cover off the controller.

I'm moving to Nara, so I definitely expect to find some second-hand shops. I'm going to see where there is an Ikea near me, because I will go there to get whatever I can't second-hand.

Thanks for all the help!

The nearest Ikea would be the Tsuruhama store on the Osaka Waterfront. Its probably not close enough to make it worth it especially if you don't have a car. Instead I'd check out Nitori which carries the same kind of stuff at similar prices. They have branches in every major city so delivery won't be as much of an issue.

Second hand stores are a good option, and I don't think they're that difficult to find. Just ask around, your neighbors and landlord will surely know a local one.

Also, I think no stove, but AC included in at least one room is pretty standard; however I've seen enough places that didn't come with AC that I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised and save a chunk of cash. And don't worry about the weak dollar, assuming you're coming to Japan to work its actually in your favor. Sure it hurts your moving costs, but if you plan to save money while you're here then in the long run you should see a net benefit.