Furnished vs Unfurnished Apartments in Tokyo: The Real Cost

Moving to Tokyo, one of the first real decisions is furnished or unfurnished. It sounds small, but it changes your monthly rent, your move-in bill and how fast you can settle in. Here is the honest, data-backed answer, from real rental listings across Tokyo's 23 wards, updated every quarter.

Quick answer: A furnished or monthly 1K studio in Tokyo costs roughly 20% to 98% more per month than a standard unfurnished one, and the premium is biggest in the cheaper outer wards. Furnished makes sense for a short or uncertain stay, or a fast arrival with no guarantor. Unfurnished wins for a long, committed stay where the lower monthly rent pays off.

How much more does furnished cost in Tokyo?

Comparing the median rent of a furnished 1K studio to a standard one in the same ward, the gap runs from about +20% in the most central wards to +98% in the cheapest. The smallest premiums:

• Minato: 144 000 JPY unfurnished, 173 400 JPY furnished (+20%)
• Chiyoda: 143 000 JPY unfurnished, 173 400 JPY furnished (+21%)
• Shibuya: 130 000 JPY unfurnished, 167 400 JPY furnished (+29%)
• Shinjuku: 123 500 JPY unfurnished, 161 400 JPY furnished (+31%)
• Koto: 123 000 JPY unfurnished, 165 000 JPY furnished (+34%)

And the biggest premiums, all in cheaper outer wards:

• Katsushika: 83 000 JPY unfurnished, 164 400 JPY furnished (+98%)
• Edogawa: 78 000 JPY unfurnished, 146 400 JPY furnished (+88%)
• Adachi: 81 000 JPY unfurnished, 136 500 JPY furnished (+69%)
• Suginami: 85 000 JPY unfurnished, 141 600 JPY furnished (+67%)
• Chuo: 104 500 JPY unfurnished, 169 800 JPY furnished (+62%)

Two things drive this gap. A furnished or monthly place bundles convenience: furniture, appliances, often no key money, no guarantor and a flexible term. And it lets you move in within days instead of weeks. You are not only paying for a sofa, you are paying to skip the hardest parts of the Japanese rental system.

Why the premium is biggest in the cheapest wards

This is the counter-intuitive part. In an expensive central ward like Minato, a furnished studio is only about +20%, because the standard rent is already high. In a cheaper outer ward like Katsushika, the same furnished convenience can nearly double the rent, because the standard base is so low. In short, the cheaper the neighbourhood, the more the furnished route costs you in relative terms. If your budget is tight and you were counting on a cheap outer ward, going furnished can quietly erase that saving.

When furnished is worth it, and when it is not

Choose furnished or monthly if you are arriving soon and need a home within days, if you do not have a Japanese guarantor or a local income record yet, if your stay is short or uncertain, or if you want to avoid the four-to-five-months-of-rent upfront bill of a standard lease.

Choose unfurnished if you are staying two years or more and want the lowest monthly rent, if you can cover the upfront move-in costs and a guarantor company, or if you want more space for the money, especially in the cheaper wards where the furnished premium is steepest.

For many newcomers the smartest play is to start furnished for the arrival, then move to an unfurnished lease once they have a residence card, a bank account and a feel for the city. Just remember the move-in costs are paid again on the second move, so this two-step only pays off on longer stays.

How to decide with real numbers

• Check the furnished premium for your target ward in our Tokyo Rent Index, then weigh it against the standard rent.
• Budget the full upfront bill, not just the rent. Our guide to renting in Tokyo as a foreigner breaks down deposit, key money, agency and guarantor fees.
• If you want someone inside the market to run the search and handle the furnished-or-unfurnished trade-off for you, see how our property hunter works or book a free call.

Data: median furnished or monthly rent versus median standard rent for a 1K studio, Tokyo 23 wards, 2026. Updated quarterly. The two cheapest wards have smaller furnished samples, so read those as indicative.