Student housing in Tokyo: share house, studio or residence?

Share house, studio or residence: the three ways to find housing in Tokyo as a student, with 2026 rents, entry costs and procedures.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

3 August 2023

Updated on

6 October 2026

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As a student in Tokyo, you have three options: a room in a share house, the Japanese form of shared living, a small studio for yourself, or a place in a student residence, offered by some schools. The share house is the cheapest to enter, because it avoids most of the set-up costs of a standard lease. The studio offers independence, but at a price that keeps rising.

According to the At Home portal, the average asking rent for an apartment of 30 m² or less in the 23 wards reached 114,339 yen per month in August 2026, charges included, up 10% over a year. That is a record since 2015. In small "apāto" buildings, the average was 77,438 yen, up 11.8%. On top of these rents come entry costs that often amount to three to four months' rent.

Competition is strong: Japan had 408,069 foreign students on 1 May 2025, up 21.2% over a year according to the public body JASSO, of whom 144,661 in Tokyo.

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The share house: shared living, Japanese style

A share house is a building or house run by an operator, where each resident rents their room and shares the kitchen, bathrooms and common areas. Unlike a shared flat with friends, you sign with the operator, not with the other residents.

A concentrated market in Tokyo

According to the 2025 study by the Japan Share House Federation, reported by the Zenkoku Chintai Jutaku Shimbun in May 2026, the country had 5,943 share houses at the end of November 2025, for about 65,000 beds. Tokyo accounts for 60 to 70% of them, mostly in the 23 wards, and notably in Adachi, Itabashi and Setagaya. Buildings are getting bigger: in Tokyo, share houses with 10 to 29 residents went from 771 to 1,754 between 2022 and 2025, while small houses with four people or fewer fell from 2,154 to 1,160.

What to know before choosing

Entry costs are lower: the study presents the share house as a solution for young people and foreigners who want to limit their set-up costs.
Concepts are multiplying: more than a third of share houses are reserved for women (2,121 buildings), and others advertise a specific theme.
Rents are rising too: the federation notes an upward trend, linked to the cost of construction and energy.
Read the house rules: minimum stay, visitors, cleaning of common areas, charges included or not. They vary a great deal from one operator to another.

No recent public statistic gives an average share house rent: compare offers in the same neighbourhood, checking what the price includes.

Together we will find your home

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The studio: independence, at what price

Rents

A 1K studio (18 to 30 m²) generally rents for between 85,000 and 140,000 yen per month depending on the ward. The central wards (Minato, Chiyoda, Shibuya, Chuo) are the most expensive. Edogawa, Adachi, Katsushika and Arakawa are the cheapest of the 23 wards. In between, Shimokitazawa, Koenji and Sangenjaya have a reputation for being lively and more affordable, while Meguro and Setagaya, more residential, offer good value for money.

Entry costs

Shikikin: the deposit, one to two months' rent, refundable at move-out after deduction of repairs.
Reikin: the "gratitude money" for the landlord, one to two months, non-refundable.
Agency fees: generally one month's rent.
Home insurance: mandatory, about 15,000 to 25,000 yen for two years.

In total, plan for three to four months' rent before moving in. The home is most often let unfurnished, with no furniture or appliances: add the equipment to your budget.

The guarantor question

Most landlords ask for a guarantor, preferably Japanese. With no contact on the ground, a guarantor company can replace one, at a cost of about half a month to one month's rent. Some listings carry the mention "hoshōnin fuyō", guarantor not required, which simplifies the application.

Student residences

Some universities and language schools offer residence places to their students, in limited numbers. Ask your institution's international student office as soon as you are admitted, because applications are generally made before arrival. With 144,661 foreign students in Tokyo in 2025, do not count on a place without a fallback plan. Nationwide, 140,174 of them were enrolled in Japanese language schools.

Rents under pressure

The increases do not only affect new leases. According to the Mainichi (August 2026), the Tokyo Metropolitan Government received 1,400 requests for advice on rent increases in fiscal year 2024, twice as many as the year before. It opened a special desk in October 2025, which received about 2,500 requests in six months. Good to know: according to a lawyer cited by the newspaper, a landlord cannot demand that you leave solely because you refuse an increase; in case of disagreement, the matter goes through civil mediation, then possibly the court.

Procedures and pitfalls to avoid

Put together your application: passport, residence card (zairyū card) once you have arrived, proof of enrolment or resources, details of a guarantor or the approval of a guarantor company.
Compare on the main portals such as SUUMO or LIFULL HOME'S, and on share house operators' websites.
Have the lease translated: most contracts are written in Japanese only. Check the term, generally two years for a standard lease, and the renewal fees.
Look at the distance to the station: a cheaper home far from a station costs you in time and transport.
Register your address at the ward office (kuyakusho) within 14 days of moving in: this is needed to open a bank account and take out your subscriptions.

Never send money for a home that no one has viewed for you. If you are preparing your arrival from France, a Remoters home finder based in Tokyo can search for you, view homes, put together the application and review the lease before you sign. The first conversation and the quote are free.