Japan Living Costs: ₹1 Lakh for 25 Days (Excluding Food)

Starting a new life in a foreign country brings exciting opportunities, but also significant financial realities. An Indian man, Dev Vijay Vargiya, recently shared his experience of spending nearly ₹1 lakh (or 150,000 yen) on basic living expenses during his initial 25 days in Japan.

This substantial amount covered essentials like rent, electricity, gas, water, Wi-Fi, a SIM card, and transportation. You might be surprised to learn he received ten separate bills within just his first month, indicating how frequently charges can come up.

Key Expenses to Note

What’s particularly striking is that this ₹1 lakh figure did not even include his food and daily grocery costs, which he identified as his largest ongoing expenditure. Understanding these differences is crucial if you are considering moving abroad.

To give you a clearer picture, Dev Vijay Vargiya highlighted some grocery price comparisons between Japan and India. For instance, one litre of milk cost around ₹168 in Japan, compared to ₹50 in India. A loaf of bread was approximately ₹100 in Japan versus ₹20 back home.

Other everyday items also showed significant price gaps: four eggs cost ₹120, two onions were ₹150, and a single tomato cost ₹53. You would also pay around ₹350 for a muskmelon and ₹120 for three bananas.

Despite these high costs, Vargiya notes that Japan’s higher salaries offer a different context for these expenses. He expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of life, pointing to the clean environment, peace, abundant greenery, and good air quality as factors that help justify the financial outlay.

When you’re planning your first job or move abroad, remember to factor in not just the big expenses, but also the daily costs that can add up quickly. Your budgeting will need to reflect the local economy, balancing higher costs with potential salary benefits.