3 ms·

It's comparable to any world-class city, and significantly cheaper than, say, San Francisco or London (especially if you consider the age/condition of apartment

It's comparable to any world-class city, and significantly cheaper than, say, San Francisco or London (especially if you consider the age/condition of apartments). The population of the Tokyo area is still growing, so I'm guessing people are just moving more towards the city's center.

deciplex 11y ago
> especially if you consider the age/condition of apartments But apartment buildings in Tokyo are terrible. Fifteen years is considered "old" and that's not due to high standards - it's because after fifteen years the building is falling apart. I also suspect that if you compare rent per square meter, you're right you'll still have higher prices than London at least and probably SF as well, but significantly cheaper might be a stretch. $2500/month for 500 sq ft is expensive anywhere. (And if the rent doesn't get you, parking will, though it's very easy to live without a car in Tokyo.)
- rheide 11y ago
  You're right about the parking bit but I have a hard time believing you about the rent or the building quality. I lived in Kanagawa for 5 years in a very old (for Japanese standards) apartment building, and it was rock solid. Don't forget that these buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes, whereas London buildings are just slowly rotting away. Regarding rent: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&city1=London&country2=Japan&city2=Tokyo http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?coun... Nowadays I'm living in London and have seen housing for way higher prices and way, way worse condition than the apartments I've seen in Tokyo. London build quality is utterly terrible. Japanese build quality is quality.
  - fenomas 11y ago
    There are basically two approaches to multiresidence buildings in Japan. There are "mansions": large, modern and built to last, normally all concrete and having a single common entrance, and then there are "apaato": usually 2-3 stories, separate entrances, typically wooden, and ramshackle after 10-15 years. Both styles are common; sounds to me like you guys are comparing opposite ends of the spectrum.

deciplex 11y ago

> especially if you consider the age/condition of apartments But apartment buildings in Tokyo are terrible. Fifteen years is considered "old" and that's not due to high standards - it's because after fifteen years the building is falling apart. I also suspect that if you compare rent per square meter, you're right you'll still have higher prices than London at least and probably SF as well, but significantly cheaper might be a stretch. $2500/month for 500 sq ft is expensive anywhere. (And if the rent doesn't get you, parking will, though it's very easy to live without a car in Tokyo.)

rheide 11y ago
You're right about the parking bit but I have a hard time believing you about the rent or the building quality. I lived in Kanagawa for 5 years in a very old (for Japanese standards) apartment building, and it was rock solid. Don't forget that these buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes, whereas London buildings are just slowly rotting away. Regarding rent: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+Kingdom&city1=London&country2=Japan&city2=Tokyo http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?coun... Nowadays I'm living in London and have seen housing for way higher prices and way, way worse condition than the apartments I've seen in Tokyo. London build quality is utterly terrible. Japanese build quality is quality.
- fenomas 11y ago
  There are basically two approaches to multiresidence buildings in Japan. There are "mansions": large, modern and built to last, normally all concrete and having a single common entrance, and then there are "apaato": usually 2-3 stories, separate entrances, typically wooden, and ramshackle after 10-15 years. Both styles are common; sounds to me like you guys are comparing opposite ends of the spectrum.