The Cheapest Rents in Japan: 5 Japanese Prefectures with Most Affordable Housing!

What are the most affordable housing rent options in Japan? This common question crosses many foreigners’ minds while moving to Japan. Knowing the cheapest rent is very natural because we all know that rent is one of the major factors affecting our cost of living in Japan.

Moreover, when we try an online search, most of the data is centered around rents in Tokyo and other major cities.

Even if a foreigner moving to Japan has some friends or acquaintances in Japan, they may be living in one of the major cities. Therefore, they may be unable to throw light on the best options in other cities.

However, this article is not just for a foreigner planning to move to Japan but also for people already living here. Especially those who have the luxury of remote working by moving to a city in Japan with cheaper rents and a relaxed lifestyle.

Opportunities with Cheaper Rents to Experience Japan

With remote work on the rise, many rent-payers in Japan residing in crowded, expensive cities have begun pondering cheaper alternatives to lighten their budget.

The changing work environment also allows foreigners to experience Japan’s beautiful countryside. These changing times offer an opportunity to know the real Japan at a much more affordable cost of living by spending much less on rent and other amenities. Moreover, even the smaller places in Japan offer most of the conveniences that metropolitan cities like Tokyo and Osaka can offer.

Even Tokyo, which has continued to buck and duck Japan’s declining population trends, has seen flocks of workers leaving in favor of the spacious, affordable suburbs of neighboring cities. 

Using nationwide rent pricing information from August 2019, we present the five prefectures with the cheapest rents in Japan!

Each of Japan’s 47 prefectures boasts a unique economy, population, and size, forging a jumble of varying rent prices warranting careful consideration.

Naturally, thriving hubs like Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Hyogo take the lead with average rents of well over 60,000 JPY for studio apartments. However, the less-populated, quieter prefectures offer better deals for bigger accommodations.

With detailed research, I have come up with the following 5 prefectures of Japan with the cheapest rents and a healthier and more relaxed lifestyle:

1. Tottori Prefecture (average monthly rent: 43,236 JPY)

Facing the Sea of Japan, Tottori is a quiet, secluded prefecture located in the southwest Chugoku region. With a tiny population above 500,000, it ranks Japan’s least-populated prefecture. It also has the lowest number of cities and towns and the smallest GDP, making it a haven of peace and tranquility. 

The most famous sights in Tottori are the Tottori Sand Dunes, a desert of rolling sand dunes not seen anywhere else in Japan, along with Mitokusan Sanbutsu Temple and the Tottori Castle Ruins.

Tottori’s most prominent local industries are agriculture and fishing, with Tottori watermelons, pears, and Chinese onions as some of its most esteemed products.

The prefecture’s largest city is Tottori City, with a population of roughly 192,000. Tottori City has direct access to Osaka in 145 minutes via the Limited Express Super Hakuto train. 

2. Toyama (average monthly rent: 45,155 JPY)

The tiny prefecture of Toyama can be found in the central Chūbu region bordering the Sea of Japan. It also forms part of the Hokuriku region and the surrounding Niigata, Ishikawa, and Fukui prefectures.

Toyama boasts a moderate population of just over a million. Almost half of Toyoma’s residents reside in the fashionable capital of Toyama City. Sightseeing highlights include the enchanting nightlights of Toyama Bay, the deeply historical Toyama Castle Park, and the jaw-dropping Toyama Glass Museum. 

With abundant farmland and pristine water, Toyama has been at the forefront of domestic rice production since ancient times.

Other notable industries include farming, fishing, manufacturing, and large-scale hydroelectricity production, enabling residents the lowest energy bills in Japan. Toyama City can be accessed from Tokyo via a roughly 2-hour journey on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. 

3. Wakayama (average monthly rent: 46,010 JPY)

The mid-sized mountainous Wakayama prefecture covers the Kii Peninsula’s southeastern tip in the Kinki region.

The prefecture’s main claim to fame is the deeply spiritual Buddhist heartland of Mt. Koyasan. This is the center of Shingon Buddhism, founded by legendary monk Kobo Daishi. The mountain is dotted by over 100 temples, many of which provide overnight accommodation for visitors.

There is also a wealth of mountainous trails and spiritual paths crossing the land, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kumano Kodo.

Alongside Osaka and Kobe, Wakayama City and Kainan City form the Hanshin Industrial Region, one of the world’s most productive areas with a GDP of USD 341 billion.

The most prominent industries include steel, iron, and petroleum, which account for 60% of the prefecture’s output.

The region’s agreeable weather has also spawned a lucrative fruit industry, with abundant mandarins, plums, and persimmons shipped across the country. The total population of Wakayama is roughly 944,000, with the capital of Wakayama City accounting for just over 364,000.

Wakayama City can be accessed from Osaka via the Nankai Main Line in roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4. Gunma (average monthly rent: 46,347 JPY)

A surprising entry considering the proximity to Tokyo, Gunma Prefecture is a mountainous, landlocked landmass in the Kanto region of central Japan. While its population of 1.9 million is significantly larger than the above entries, its sizable area allows for a lower-level population density of 310 people per km². 

With over 400 individual springs and 96 hot spring towns, Gunma is celebrated as one of Japan’s hot spring heartlands. It also has a wide assortment of mountains adorned with world-class ski resorts.

Gunma has a substantial manufacturing industry, with automobile machinery and food manufacturing taking the lead. While the capital is Maebashi, the largest population resides in the neighboring city of Takasaki, which has over 370,000 residents. Takasaki also boasts a bullet train line with access to Tokyo in less than an hour. 

5. Yamaguchi (average monthly rent: 46,360 JPY)

Yamaguchi Prefecture sits at the southernmost tip of Japan’s Honshu main island. Being surrounded by ocean on three sides, it boasts roughly 1,500km of pristine coastline dotted by beaches and cliffs.

It has a modest population of 1.37 million and an area size similar to that of Gunma, making it a relatively easy-going place to live. While not the highest in Japan, it has experienced a sizable population decline, with a -3.2% drop between 2010 and 2015. 

Despite being one of the least-visited prefectures in Japan, there is a wide assortment of sights to explore, including the Akiyoshido Cave, the Beppu Benten Pond, and the magnificent views from the Tsunoshima Bridge.

It is also the home of Asahi Shuzo, the sake brewery behind the beloved Dassai sake series.

Other industries include an oil refinery, shipping, farming, and fishing. In particular, the southern city of Shimonoseki has a bustling fishing industry boasting Japan’s highest yield of pufferfish.

With a population of roughly 268,000, Shimonoseki is also the prefecture’s largest city, beating out the capital of Yamaguchi City. The Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train from Shin-Yamaguchi Station can access Osaka in two hours.

Conclusion

Despite the vibrant cultures, boundless sightseeing, and ample job opportunities in cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo, exorbitant rents for average apartments have many rethinking options.

While career opportunities are undoubtedly scarce for foreigners, if you have an option to get a job at such places, sacrificing life in a trendy area for cheaper rent is tempting. Similarly, it may be a great option for people with remote working flexibility to have a cozier life at a much more affordable cost of living with much cheaper rents in Japan.

With fantastic, off-beat attractions alongside deep histories and unique delicacies, the prefectures of Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Gunma, and Yamaguchi, amongst others, offer ex-pats the chance to try out a new lifestyle while saving on their hard-earned incomes.

You may also like to read about How to choose your neighborhood in Japan.

_{(Credit for the pictures is to JNTO (with permission).}