One of the advantages of living in the Chiba area is that living expenses are not as high as in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, though they are located very close to each other.
Note that it is not customary to tip in Japan. For example, you do not need to tip at restaurants or taxi drivers.
Refer to the following table to get an idea of how much things cost to plan your budget.
| Item | Average prices/costs | |
|---|---|---|
| bread | ¥150/loaf | |
| rice | ¥2,000/5 kg | |
| milk | ¥200/liter | |
| egg | ¥200/10 eggs | |
| apple | ¥130/each | |
| juice/soda pop | ¥150/liter | |
| McDonald's | hamburger: ¥120 ~ 500/each value set: ¥480~ | |
| lunch | ¥500~ | |
| dinner | ¥800~ | |
| toilet tissue | ¥350/12 rolls | |
| tobacco | ¥400~/pack | |
| blanket/comforter | ¥2,000~ | |
| clothing | ¥2,000~/a cotton shirt | |
| bus/train fare | ¥210/¥160~ (depends on distance) | |
| taxi fare | ¥700/for the first 2 km + ¥100/every additional 0.5 km Rates increase by 30% during late evening-early morning | |
| gasoline | ¥140~/liter | |
| mobile phone plan | ¥3,000~/month | |
| movie | ¥1,800/adult ¥1,300~¥1,500/student discount | |
| monthly rent (Nishi-Chiba area) | studio: ¥35,000~; 1-bedroom apartment: ¥42,000~; 2-bedroom apartment: ¥45,000~ | |
| utilities | electricity | ¥1,500 ~ 4,000+/month |
| water | ¥1,500 ~ 4,000+/month | |
