TOKYO - Average rents in Tokyo’s 23 wards have climbed to record levels, creating a situation where even student districts are no longer affordable for students.
According to a 2024 household survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, monthly living expenses excluding rent for single households under 35 were estimated at 136,542 yen, with food costing 40,305 yen, utilities 9,005 yen, medical expenses 8,252 yen, and communication 5,730 yen. With rent on top of these expenses, many young people say living alone has become increasingly difficult.
Compared with ten years ago, the survey showed average monthly rent for single households under 35 has risen by about 6,600 yen and other living expenses by about 3,800 yen, adding roughly 10,000 yen to the monthly burden. A real estate appraiser, Masanori Taito, noted that the surge in condominium prices has pushed up rental costs as well, with rents expected to continue rising gradually.
A survey by real estate information service LIFULL HOME’S of 1,693 men and women in their 20s from the Tokyo metropolitan area found that 37.7% live with their parents, 27.7% live alone, and 17.0% live with a partner or children. Smaller shares live with relatives (7.3%), with a partner (7.4%), or with friends (1.1%).
Street interviews suggest that many in their twenties recognize themselves in the nearly 40% who remain at home. One 23-year-old from Gunma, who recently started living alone, said most of his peers still live with their parents. Another 22-year-old in Saitama who remains at home said that while she plans to buy a car this year, she has yet to contribute money to the household but intends to do so in the future. She acknowledged that once she starts sharing a room with her younger brother, the lack of privacy could become a disadvantage.
The same LIFULL HOME’S survey found the top reasons for staying with parents were the desire to save money, inability to pay rent or living expenses, proximity to the workplace, wanting to spend on hobbies or “oshi-katsu” fan activities, the burden of household chores, and parental requests not to move out. One 24-year-old, Ranmaru Kishitani, said nearly all of these applied to him except for parental requests. He spends most weekdays at a shared office but returns home about twice a week for meals and family comfort, estimating that about 80% of his peers also live with their parents.
The benefits of staying at home include help with chores, reliable meals, lower costs, and a sense of security, while drawbacks range from family rules and interference in daily life to difficulties inviting friends or partners, as well as inconvenient commuting. Kishitani added that more young people now see living with parents not as a failure of independence but as a form of cooperation, especially if they have no pressing need to leave.
Source: TBS
