Accommodation Costs for Exchange Students in Japan

If you're planning to go to Japan as an exchange student, you're probably going to have to find some place to stay at. Most students have three accommodation options: apartment, dormitory, or homestay. The following rates are approximations appropriate to the Osaka area.

Apartments are exactly what they imply—private rooms or sets of rooms for individuals where you can live however you want. If you don't care about quality, you can get an apartment close to Umeda for as low as ¥25,000 per month without key money. Rent (¥25-80,000) + key money (¥0-300,000 paid once) + electricity (¥3,000) + gas (¥1,500) + water (¥1,500) + food. If you were to stay in an apartment for a year, it would cost you at least ¥372,000 + food.

Dormitories are like small apartments that are usually shared among two students. They are a lot cheaper than real apartments but dormitories in Japan follow a 11 PM curfew. Staying in a dorm will cost around ¥40-60,000 + electricity (¥3,000). Two meals per day may or may not be included. A year would thus cost ¥516,000 at minimum.

The homestay option is often the cheapest solution at around ¥50,000 per month, including two meals per day. You get to become a member of the host family, and only need to pay the monthly rent. Choosing the homestay option for a whole year would be approximately ¥600,000.