How Much It Costs to Move Into a Tokyo Apartment (2026)

The advertised rent is only the visible part. In Tokyo, signing a standard lease can cost four to six months of rent all at once, before you have carried a single box inside. Here is the full move-in cost breakdown for 2026, and how to shrink it.

Quick answer: On a standard Tokyo lease, budget on top of your first month: reikin (key money, 0 to 2 months, non-refundable), shikikin (deposit, 1 to 2 months, refundable), agency fee (1 month), guarantor company (0.5 to 1 month), and home insurance (around 20,000 JPY for two years). That is four to six months of rent up front. On a 100,000 JPY studio, that is roughly 400,000 to 600,000 JPY, about US$2,500 to US$3,750. Share houses and furnished flats avoid almost all of it.

The upfront costs

The recurring costs people forget

• Renewal fee (更新料 koushinryou): often one month of rent every two years.
• Annual guarantor fee: the guarantee company takes roughly 10,000 JPY or 0.5 month each year.
• Common area charges (共益費): sometimes billed on top of the advertised rent.

Traps to check before you sign

• Is the reikin negotiable? (often yes on units that are slow to rent)
• Does the deposit cover a mandatory move-out cleaning fee?
• Are there early-termination penalties?
• Ask for the explanation of important points (重要事項説明) in English if you need it. Our guarantor guide covers the guarantee-company side.

How to avoid almost all of it

Nearly all of these costs disappear with a share house, a monthly mansion or a furnished flat: no reikin, no agency fee, minimal deposit. That is exactly why these options are so popular on arrival (see the furnished apartments guide and the gaijin house guide).

Knowing these costs in advance is how you avoid the first-bill shock and spot where to negotiate. For the full process, see how to find an apartment in Tokyo, and if you would rather have someone inside the market handle it, tell us what you need.

Figures are typical 2026 market ranges. USD at roughly 160 JPY per USD.