[quote name='shyguy0383']Hey Cheapy and Kirin, long time lurker here. This might be off topic but, I just wanted to ask how much it cost per month to live in japan? Including rent, food, transportation. Im planning to visit Japan soon, and I was hoping to get some first hand advice rather than just visiting and reading guides from websites. Im not flashy, but I do want to live in a comfortable, safe area (either rent an apt or hotel) and I dont wanna be too cheap on food (i wanna enjoy and savor all the great delicacies that japan has to offer). I also want to go visit around the tourist sites (temples, hot springs, and other tourist hot spots). And lastly, I want to be able to buy some souvenirs (FF stuff, clothes, etc.) So...can you guys give me a ballpark on how much I would spend or start saving up? From the price of that pizza alone, im saying that I should have atleast 5k. Thanks in advance! Also, I hope you can forgive me for threadjacking

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Okay, where to begin...
First of all, the exchange rate right now is about 118 yen to the dollar - that should give you a rough estimate of what you're looking at spending in American dollars when I start talking about how much everything costs in yen.
Hate to break it to you, but an apartment is going to be out of your league unless you're looking at living in Japan on a more permanent basis. Most landlords require key money, which can be up to several times a normal month's rent. I live in a pretty rich town, and I'm fortunate to only be charged about 40000 a month - apparently my school subsidizes the cost, which is actually closer to 70000. Hotels aren't exactly cheap either, but with enough searching (browse the travel books for recommendations) you may be able to find something within your price range. An acceptable, and cheaper, alternative to a hotel would be a ryokan (Japanese-style inn), which is what I used when I stayed in Tokyo many years ago. Kimi Ryokan in Ikebukuro (a Tokyo suburb) was around $60 a night, if I remember correctly. Youth hostels might be up to a fourth of that cost, but that'll mean you'll be sleeping in a room with other people - probably not a good idea if you want to "live comfortably". If that's still too much for you to handle, I suggest you start making some friends over here and beg for a place to stay.
You can probably enjoy a few decent meals on about 3000 yen a day. I spend far less than that, since I like to cook at home most of the time, and lunches at my school are reasonably priced. The going rate for eating out in Japan can range from about 700 to 1500 for an average meal, depending on what you're hungry for. Ramen and curry are near the bottom of that spectrum, with nicer pastas and varied meals near the top. I wouldn't shoot for too many extravagant "delicacies" (2000+) unless you're looking to waste money on food when it could be better spent on other things.
Tourist stuff, let's see... An average train ticket will cost you about 200 yen per trip. Of course, if you want to travel across the country by shinkansen (bullet train), you're looking at the possibility of spending up to 20000 on a one-way ticket. Visitors have the option of getting a rail pass (apply before you come) that gives you unlimited access to shinkansen and JR lines for roughly $500, so if you want to do lots of travelling, I suggest going that route. I spend 1100 yesterday for an hour-long ride to check out Himeji Castle yesterday with some friends, which was worth every penny (so to speak)! My vice-principal gave me free tickets, but I think admission was 800 yen or something along those lines. If you're looking at checking out some temples, some have free admission, others (the big touristy ones) might be 500 yen or so. Souvenirs will vary depending on your spending habits. I once dropped $500 in one weekend in Akihabara, but that was unusual for me. My spending habits on little unnecessary things vary so much from week to week based on my activities that it's hard to ballpark it.
My first trip to Japan was in the late summer of 2000, for three weeks, and including airfare and a rail pass I think I spent around $4500 - that might be the best rough figure of all, I guess. Let me know if you have any other questions.