Continuing our apartment comparison series, today we’ll take a look through a few budget-minded options in Tokyo and discuss the pros and cons of each apartment.

But before we dive into that, let’s recap our last Tokyo Apartment Head-to-head Comparison (here). Which looked at apartments in the ¥130,000/month price range. In our user survey, the 1R apartment in Minato Ward proved to be the most popular among the three apartments. The allure of living right in downtown Tokyo is pretty hard to beat!

As you begin your apartment hunt in Tokyo, it can be a good idea to look at what’s available in different price ranges to build up an idea of what kinds of features you should be expecting at different prices. With this in mind, you’ll be much better equipped to browse apartments and pick out features at a value that are just right for you.

Even in the ¥70,000 range, there can be interesting and distinct differences between apartments. So much so, that when I was looking through the variety of apartments to show off for this comparison I couldn’t just limit myself to 2 or 3, so today we’ll have 4 different apartments in this price range to examine!

1R – Toshima Ward – ¥73,000

• Year built: 2018
• Size: 17.48 m²
• Separate toilet/bathroom: Yes
• 2nd floor or higher: No
• Closest station: 7 min to Komagome Station (Yamanote Line, Namboku subway line); 9 min to Sugamo Station (Yamanote Line, Mita subway line)
• Other features: No deposit, internet ready

At this price point, 1R and 1K apartments will be the most common layouts. But upon closer inspection, this apartment has a few features that could sway potential apartment hunters. It’s recently built (2018) and has a separate toilet and bathroom (fairly common in studio apartments to combine these in one room), and gives residents great transportation access thanks to the Yamanote Line. The lack of space is the only real downside to this apartment, but it should still prove to be a very comfortable and livable space for a young professional living alone!

1K – Edogawa Ward – ¥73,100

• Year built: 2020
• Size: 18.12 m²
• Separate toilet/bathroom: Yes
• 2nd floor or higher: No
• Closest station: 7 min to Edogawa Station (Keisei Line)
• Other features: No key money, balcony

Similar to the first entry in this list. However, this apartment is slightly more spacious (with a 1K layout you’ll feel more space just because of how the kitchen is separate from the living room), has a balcony area (so useful for hanging laundry to dry), and two burners in the kitchen. The trade-off is that this apartment is located towards the eastern edge of Tokyo. The Keisei Line will give residents a direct route to Ueno (28 min), which really isn’t a bad commute all things considered. This location will be a huge benefit to those who split their time between Tokyo and Funabashi (15 min).

1DK – Setagaya Ward – ¥73,000

• Year built: 1990
• Size: 23.00 m²
• Separate toilet/bathroom: No
• 2nd floor or higher: Yes (2nd)
• Closest station: 4 min to Ikejiriohashi Station (Tokyu Denentoshi Line)
• Other features: No key money, no deposit, balcony

Here’s the standout of the group. More space than the standard studio apartment, but also a bit older compared to the others in today’s lineup. However, 4 min to Ikejiriohashi Station is a very attractive feature for those looking for quick and simple transportation to downtown Shibuya. There are different factors to consider when picking an apartment to call home in Tokyo, so this might be a diamond in the rough for you. Or you might find the more modern construction of a smaller studio apartment more appealing. Tokyo has a wide variety of apartments at most price points for you to find your home!

1R – Nerima Ward – ¥74,000

• Year built: 2018
• Size: 16.05 m²
• Separate toilet/bathroom: Yes
• 2nd floor or higher: No
• Closest station: 10 min to Nerima Station (Oedo subway line, Seibu Ikebukuro Line, Seibu Yurakucho Line, Seibu Toshima Line); 8 min to Toshimaen Station (Oedo subway line, Seibu Toshima Line)
• Other features: No key money, no deposit, Wi-Fi included

Rounding out our apartments for this article is this 1R studio in Nerima Ward. With multiple windows this apartment offers good airflow and natural lighting. You’ll find shopping malls around Nerima Station as well as a SEIYU supermarket (open until 1:00AM), very convenient and useful neighborhood fixtures. With the Oedo subway line, residents will also enjoy direct access to Shinjuku (17 min) and Roppongi (27 min).

We hope this helps give an idea of the different kinds of apartments you can find even in reasonably-priced studio apartments in Tokyo. A couple of these apartments are located very close to stations that would give you very easy access to downtown locations, which is a pretty important factor to keep in mind if your work/school is located in central Tokyo. As always, make sure to visit our Area Guides page for more details on the different wards and neighborhoods in Tokyo. Or start browsing our listings, here’s a link to apartments for rent under 80,000/month within Tokyo’s 23 wards.

Let us know what you think about these apartments with the survey below!

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