Maybe we're splitting hairs, but if you're paying 1.5 or 1.8 a month rent after you split 3 ways, that's around $5000 a month rent for a 3 bedroom and at city r

Maybe we're splitting hairs, but if you're paying 1.5 or 1.8 a month rent after you split 3 ways, that's around $5000 a month rent for a 3 bedroom and at city rental yields that's likely a 1.5-mil-plus unit (for ownership), which was kind of my point. If you want to be a homeowner with this property you need to be a multimillionaire. If you look at properties worth 1.5-mil-plus in Tokyo, rather than the average middle class house, I'm sure your opinion of the Japanese lifestyle would be different. The tradeoffs are just as bad as in Tokyo, they're just different tradeoffs. Instead of a tiny house with poor heat insulation with a 50 minute train ride, you have 2 roommates and still pay a hefty sum of rent. That's a no-go for many people, especially those with families.