Today, I’ll address a common myth – that Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world to live. By some statistics, that’s actually true. According to a June 18, 2003 article about Mercer Investment Consulting’s survey of the world’s most expensive cities to live, Tokyo ranked No. 1, Moscow No. 2, and Osaka No. 3, with a standard basket of costs some 26% higher than the baseline city New York (ranked at No. 10). Despite Japan’s four continuous years of price deflation, the appreciation of the yen vs the dollar put Tokyo back on top.
But real people living in Tokyo know that there are plenty of bargains to be had, despite Tokyo’s top ranking. Seeking to replicate a three-bedroom home, two-car lifestyle one might have enjoyed overseas will certainly come at a premium in a nation where space is limited, and a car a luxury item. The key to enjoying an abundant lifestyle at a lower cost in Japan is both adjusting your expectations and learning where and how to shop!
Here are a few tips to help ease Tokyo’s “sticker shock!”
1) Stop converting prices into your home currency. If both your income and consumption are in yen, it’s pointless to continually convert prices back into dollars or Euros. Learn to recognize roughly how much items cost on average in yen – it will help you develop real price awareness to sniff out bargains!
2) Learn to distinguish between the luxury and everyday items in Japan, and adjust your shopping accordingly. Everyone’s heard stories of melons priced for hundreds of thousands of yen at department stores. It seems ridiculous, but remember – very few people actually buy or eat these melons for themselves! They’re most often given as seasonal or thank you gifts. There are plenty of reasonably priced melons and fruit at your local grocery store or vegetable stand – you just have to know where to look!
3) Go native. Incorporate local ingredients and brands into your cooking. Learn to recognize common Japanese equivalents of household products to avoid shopping at expensive import stores. Brave the unfamiliar menus and foods to discover more reasonably priced Japanese and Asian cuisine at neighborhood shops and diners.
While trying to live a New York style life in Tokyo certainly costs more, living a Tokyo-style life in Japan is cheaper than ever. Help disprove the “Tokyo is expensive” myth by exploring and celebrating the rich variety of bargains to be had here!
© 2004 Wendy J. Imura.