🇯🇵 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 | ¥120,000–200,000/mo (center); ¥70,000–110,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Osaka | ¥70,000–130,000/mo (center); ¥50,000–80,000/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 | ¥50,000–85,000/mo (center); ¥40,000–65,000/mo (suburbs) |
| Fukuoka | ¥55,000–90,000/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) |
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