The average cost of apartment in Tokyo ranges from around ¥61,000 per month for a compact 1R/Studio in an outer ward to over ¥1,200,000 for a 3LDK in Minato-ku, according to rental statistics published by Hato Mark Site (ハトマークサイト), the property data platform operated by Zentakuren (全宅連) — the public-interest real estate association recognized by the Japanese government. Understanding this range — and specifically how it breaks down by ward and apartment size — is the single most useful piece of information for anyone planning a move to Tokyo, since rent varies more by location within Tokyo than almost any other single factor.

This guide breaks down the average cost of apartment in Tokyo across all 23 wards and major unit types, using ward-level statistics aggregated from listings across Tokyo’s licensed real estate broker network.

Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo by Ward, 1R/Studio (2026)

Ward	Avg. monthly rent	Sample size
Minato-ku	¥146,600	87 listings
Shibuya-ku	¥127,800	95 listings
Chiyoda-ku	¥115,400	22 listings
Ota-ku	¥104,200	110 listings
Chuo-ku	¥97,600	23 listings
Shinagawa-ku	¥87,100	76 listings
Shinjuku-ku	¥84,300	210 listings
Meguro-ku	¥84,000	63 listings
Koto-ku	¥83,200	48 listings
Setagaya-ku	¥77,100	184 listings
Adachi-ku	¥74,700	26 listings
Taito-ku	¥76,400	59 listings
Nakano-ku	¥72,800	133 listings
Sumida-ku	¥72,500	34 listings
Arakawa-ku	¥71,500	30 listings
Toshima-ku	¥71,300	122 listings
Kita-ku	¥71,100	81 listings
Suginami-ku	¥67,900	127 listings
Edogawa-ku	¥65,100	30 listings
Itabashi-ku	¥61,600	97 listings
Nerima-ku	¥61,300	77 listings
Katsushika-ku	¥61,200	21 listings
Bunkyo-ku	¥69,900	81 listings

Source: Hato Mark Site rental statistics (Zentakuren), 2026.

This range — roughly ¥61,000 to ¥147,000 for the same basic studio apartment type depending purely on ward — illustrates why “average cost of apartment in Tokyo” as a single number is almost meaningless without specifying location.

Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo by Ward and Unit Type

Ward	1K/1DK	1LDK/2DK	2LDK/3DK	3LDK/4DK
Minato-ku	¥150,300	¥366,000	¥679,100	¥1,201,700
Shibuya-ku	¥109,400	¥231,600	¥395,000	¥701,200
Chiyoda-ku	¥142,700	¥229,800	¥482,000	¥620,000
Chuo-ku	¥126,400	¥231,100	¥380,200	¥523,500
Shinagawa-ku	¥98,400	¥160,300	¥382,700	¥390,300
Meguro-ku	¥92,900	¥183,200	¥298,000	¥454,500
Shinjuku-ku	¥103,100	¥192,400	¥291,600	¥430,300
Setagaya-ku	¥85,100	¥149,900	¥224,000	¥326,700
Nakano-ku	¥86,000	¥155,400	¥209,100	¥344,000
Suginami-ku	¥74,800	¥127,300	¥224,500	¥285,200
Itabashi-ku	¥71,300	¥113,800	¥161,600	¥184,500
Nerima-ku	¥69,400	¥109,100	¥159,700	¥212,400
Adachi-ku	¥76,000	¥93,200	¥145,100	¥170,900
Edogawa-ku	¥69,900	¥118,800	¥192,600	¥204,100

Source: Hato Mark Site rental statistics (Zentakuren), 2026. See our 3LDK apartments Japan guide and 2 bedroom apartments Tokyo for foreigners guide for more on those specific unit types.

What Drives the Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo Up or Down

Distance from a major train station. Listings within 5 minutes’ walk of a station command a meaningful premium — often 10–20% — over otherwise identical units 15+ minutes away.

Building age and construction type. Newer buildings and reinforced concrete (RC) construction generally command higher rent than older wood-frame buildings, reflecting both modern amenities and better sound/earthquake performance. See our reinforced concrete building guide for more on this distinction.

Floor level. Higher floors, particularly in buildings with elevators, typically rent for more than ground or lower floors, reflecting both light access and reduced street noise.

Ward “brand” and amenity density. Wards like Shibuya and Minato carry a premium partly tied to nightlife, shopping, and international infrastructure density beyond what raw commute time alone would predict — visible in the data above, where Minato-ku’s 1R average of ¥146,600 sits nearly ¥85,000 above Katsushika-ku’s ¥61,200 for the same basic unit type.

Sample size and data reliability. Wards with a larger number of listings in the underlying dataset — such as Shinjuku-ku’s 210 1R listings or Setagaya-ku’s 184 — tend to produce more statistically stable averages than wards with smaller samples, like Chiyoda-ku’s 22 listings. Treat ward averages built from very small samples as directional rather than precise.

Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo: Initial Move-In Costs

Beyond monthly rent, the average cost of apartment in Tokyo includes a substantial upfront payment. For a ¥75,000/month 1K apartment (roughly the citywide 1K average across mid-tier wards):

Cost item	Typical amount
Security deposit (敷金)	¥75,000–¥150,000
Key money (礼金)	¥0–¥75,000
First month’s rent	¥75,000
Agency fee	¥75,000–¥82,500
Guarantee company fee	¥37,500–¥75,000
Fire insurance	¥15,000–¥20,000
Total	¥277,500–¥477,500

See our apartment move-in cost in Japan guide for the full national breakdown of these costs, and our no key money apartments in Tokyo guide for listings that reduce this upfront burden.

Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo: Outer Tama Area Comparison

For context, the average cost of apartment in Tokyo drops further once you move beyond the 23 wards into the Tama area’s commuter cities:

City	1R/Studio	1K/1DK
Musashino City (Kichijoji area)	¥52,800	¥69,100
Chofu City	¥55,900	¥61,900
Machida City	¥47,200	¥46,600
Hachioji City	¥40,300	¥41,500

Source: Hato Mark Site rental statistics (Zentakuren), 2026.

These Tama-area cities sit meaningfully below even Tokyo’s most affordable 23 wards, reflecting longer commute times into central Tokyo in exchange for substantially lower rent.

Income Needed to Afford the Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo

Japanese landlords commonly apply a 1/3 rule — monthly rent should not exceed one-third of monthly income. Based on the ward-level data above:

Apartment type	Example ward	Avg. rent	Required monthly income	Required annual income
1R (affordable ward)	Katsushika-ku	¥61,200	¥183,600	¥2.2M
1R (mid-tier ward)	Setagaya-ku	¥77,100	¥231,300	¥2.78M
1R (premium ward)	Shibuya-ku	¥127,800	¥383,400	¥4.6M
1LDK (mid-tier ward)	Nakano-ku	¥155,400	¥466,200	¥5.59M

For context on how this compares to typical salaries in Japan, see our average salary in Japan 2026 guide.

Tips for Managing the Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo

Consider outer wards with good train access. Adachi-ku, Itabashi-ku, Nerima-ku, and Katsushika-ku all post 1R averages between ¥61,000 and ¥75,000 — significantly below the citywide premium-ward tier, while maintaining reasonable commute times via direct train lines.

Filter for no-key-money listings. This alone can reduce upfront costs by ¥55,000–¥130,000 depending on apartment size — see our dedicated guide linked above.

Time your search outside peak season. Listings posted outside the March–April and September moving seasons sometimes come with more negotiating room on rent or fees.

Weigh share house and guest house options for short stays. If you’re not committing to a year or more, these alternatives can offer meaningfully lower effective monthly cost — see our short stay apartments under ¥50,000 guide.

How the Data in This Guide Was Sourced

The ward-level figures in this guide come from Hato Mark Site (ハトマークサイト), a property statistics platform operated by Zentakuren (全宅連) — the 公益社団法人全国宅地建物取引業協会連合会, a public-interest association recognized by the Japanese government and made up of licensed real estate brokers across all 47 prefectures. The averages are calculated daily from active listings across Zentakuren’s member broker network and reflect units within roughly a 10-minute walk of a train station, broken down by floor plan type. Sample sizes (number of underlying listings) are included alongside each figure in this guide so you can judge the statistical reliability of any specific ward and unit-type combination.

Zentakuren — National Federation of Real Estate Brokerage Associations — the public-interest association operating Hato Mark Site’s rental statistics platform.

FAQ: Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo

What is considered cheap rent in Tokyo? Based on current ward-level data, anything below ¥70,000/month for a 1R or 1K is considered affordable in Tokyo, achievable mainly in outer wards like Katsushika, Nerima, and Itabashi.

Which Tokyo ward has the highest average rent? Minato-ku consistently posts the highest averages across nearly every unit type, including a 1R average of ¥146,600 and a 3LDK average exceeding ¥1.2 million per month.

Does the average cost of apartment in Tokyo include utilities? No — quoted rent figures are almost always exclusive of utilities (electricity, gas, water), which typically add ¥8,000–¥15,000/month depending on apartment size and season.

What ward offers the best value in Tokyo? Suginami-ku and Nakano-ku consistently offer a strong balance of reasonable rent (1R averages of ¥67,900 and ¥72,800 respectively) and good train access to central Tokyo, making them popular value picks for both Japanese and foreign renters.

→ Browse apartments across all Tokyo wards

By Lucy , Real Estate Advisor at Arealty Japan.

Comparing Tokyo’s 1LDK/2DK Average Cost Across All Wards

While the unit-type table above covers the 14 most-searched wards, the average cost of apartment in Tokyo for a 1LDK/2DK extends across the full set of 23 wards:

Ward	1LDK/2DK average	Sample size
Minato-ku	¥366,000	141 listings
Shibuya-ku	¥231,600	88 listings
Chuo-ku	¥231,100	50 listings
Chiyoda-ku	¥229,800	22 listings
Meguro-ku	¥183,200	48 listings
Shinjuku-ku	¥192,400	195 listings
Shinagawa-ku	¥160,300	115 listings
Nakano-ku	¥155,400	127 listings
Bunkyo-ku	¥165,500	83 listings
Toshima-ku	¥142,600	128 listings
Taito-ku	¥145,100	91 listings
Setagaya-ku	¥149,900	143 listings
Ota-ku	¥136,500	167 listings
Sumida-ku	¥135,900	90 listings
Koto-ku	¥132,200	54 listings
Suginami-ku	¥127,300	106 listings
Kita-ku	¥125,900	93 listings
Edogawa-ku	¥118,800	73 listings
Itabashi-ku	¥113,800	151 listings
Arakawa-ku	¥107,400	35 listings
Nerima-ku	¥109,100	115 listings
Katsushika-ku	¥85,500	53 listings
Adachi-ku	¥93,200	72 listings

Source: Hato Mark Site rental statistics (Zentakuren), 2026.

Katsushika-ku stands out here as the most affordable ward for a 1LDK/2DK at ¥85,500 — meaningfully below even Adachi-ku’s ¥93,200, despite both wards posting similar 1R averages. This illustrates that ward affordability rankings can shift depending on the specific unit type you’re searching for, making it worth checking the size-specific table rather than relying on a single ward’s general reputation for being “cheap” or “expensive.”

How Sample Size Affects Confidence in the Average Cost of Apartment in Tokyo

Not all averages in this dataset carry equal statistical weight. Compare two wards with similar 1R pricing but very different sample sizes:

Shinjuku-ku (¥84,300, n=210) — with over 200 underlying listings, this average reflects a broad cross-section of the ward’s rental stock, smoothing out the influence of any single unusually priced building or street.

Chiyoda-ku (¥115,400, n=22) — with only 22 listings, this average is more vulnerable to being skewed by a handful of premium buildings near the Imperial Palace or central business district, and may not represent the full range of what’s actually available across the ward.

When using this data to budget or compare neighborhoods, treat wards with sample sizes above 75–100 listings as reasonably stable averages, and treat wards with fewer than 30 listings as a rough directional estimate rather than a precise figure — useful for narrowing your search, but worth verifying against live listings once you’ve picked a specific area.

Internal Resources for Ward-by-Ward Cost Comparison

• Kawasaki apartments for rent for foreigners — comparison against a Tokyo-adjacent Kanagawa alternative
• Chiba apartments for rent for foreigners — comparison against the eastern Tokyo-adjacent commuter corridor
• Saitama apartments for rent for foreigners — comparison against the northern Tokyo-adjacent commuter corridor
• Best neighborhoods to live in Tokyo — qualitative neighborhood guide to pair with this quantitative cost data