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Last updated: 21 August 2026
In short
- Short-term housing is cheap to enter and expensive per month. A normal rental is the exact opposite. That single trade-off decides everything.
- A monthly apartment in Tokyo runs 140,000 to 180,000 yen a month – more than a normal rental – but you pay only a cleaning fee of 10,000 to 50,000 yen before moving in.
- No deposit, no key money, no agency fee, and utilities are usually a flat 400 to 1,000 yen a day, included.
- The break-even is roughly three months. Under that, monthly wins. Over a year, a normal rental wins. In between, a share house.
- If your residence period is under one or two years, some agencies will refuse you a two-year contract anyway. Then this is not a preference – it is your only route.
You have somewhere to be in Japan next month, and you do not have 400,000 yen for a normal rental. Or your stay is one year and no agency will sign a two-year lease with you. This is the guide for that situation. Contracts and the full cost breakdown for a normal rental are in how renting works in Japan.
What is a monthly apartment?
A monthly apartment – in Japanese mansuri mansion (マンスリーマンション) – is a flat you rent by the month rather than on a two-year lease. It comes furnished, with appliances and internet already working. There is a weekly version too. You agree the length at the start and usually pay for the whole period upfront.
The reason it exists is that Japan’s normal rental market is nearly impossible to enter for a short stay. Two-year contracts, four to six months of rent upfront, and a guarantor. A monthly apartment removes all three – and charges you for it in the monthly rate.
What it actually costs
Here is the number the operators’ own sites put last: a monthly apartment in Tokyo costs 140,000 to 180,000 yen a month. That is more than most normal rentals. Single-person units at a little over 100,000 exist and are not hard to find, but the average sits well above what you would pay on a lease.
What you save is at the entrance. The bill is built like this:
| What you pay | How much | When |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, charged per day | the bulk of the total | usually the whole period upfront |
| Utilities, flat rate | 400 to 1,000 yen per day | included in the total |
| Cleaning fee | 10,000 to 50,000 yen | once, before you move in |
| Insurance | small, fixed | once |
| Deposit, key money, agency fee | none | – |
The flat-rate utilities are worth understanding. You are not billed on what you use, so a cold January with the heating on does not produce a frightening bill. It also means a careful person subsidises a wasteful one. For a short stay, the certainty is usually worth more.
Always ask what is included before you sign. Internet and building fees are bundled in some contracts and not others, and the headline day rate hides that difference.
How long are you staying? That decides everything
There is no best option here, only a break-even point. The monthly apartment’s high rate is buying you the 300,000 to 500,000 yen you did not pay at the start. The longer you stay, the worse that trade gets.
One to three months – a monthly apartment is genuinely the cheapest thing available. You skip 300,000 yen of entry costs and pay a premium for only a few months.
Three months to a year – a share house is usually the better deal. Monthly rates start far lower, and the entry costs are still close to zero. You give up some privacy for it.
Over a year – a normal rental starts winning, because you are there long enough for the cheaper monthly rate to repay what you handed over at the start.
The situation nobody mentions: you may not be allowed a normal rental
If you are in Japan on a stay of under one or two years – a short language course, a working holiday – agencies may simply refuse to sign a two-year lease with you. It is not about your money or your Japanese. The contract outlives your permission to be here, and that is enough for them to say no.
If that is your situation, the comparison above stops being a choice. Short-term housing is your route, and the question becomes which one, not whether.
What you need to sign
Compared with a normal rental this part is short. You show ID and sign. A residence card is the standard document; a passport is used for people who do not have one yet. No Japanese guarantor is required, which removes the single biggest obstacle in the normal market.
Being refused is still possible. The usual reasons are a stay shorter than the contract, no way to pay upfront, or a building that simply does not take foreign tenants. Ask before you view, not after.
From one month, in your own language: X-House
X-House (Cross House) runs share houses and furnished flats in Tokyo from one month, so it covers the same need as a monthly apartment at a share-house monthly rate. Support is available in Nepali, Sinhala and other languages.
- Share house rooms from 24,800 yen a month (official site, checked August 2026) – well under a monthly apartment
- No deposit, no key money, no agency fee, no guarantor
- Furnished, so you can move in the day you land
- Honest note: the “30,000 yen to move in” in the ads is not the total. Your first month of rent comes on top
Share houses do not suit everyone, and we say who should think twice in our share house guide. If you need your own bathroom and silence, a monthly apartment is worth its higher rate.
Market rates were checked on 21 August 2026 and change by area and season. Confirm the current total with the operator before you book. Official source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, guideline on restoration costs
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner rent a monthly apartment?
Yes. You show identification and sign a contract, the same as anyone else. A residence card is standard, and a passport is accepted where you do not have one yet. No Japanese guarantor is required.
Is a monthly apartment cheaper than a normal rental?
Only for a short stay. The monthly rate in Tokyo is 140,000 to 180,000 yen, which is higher than most leases – but you avoid 300,000 to 500,000 yen of entry costs. Under about three months you are ahead; over a year you are behind.
Do I pay for electricity separately?
Usually not. Utilities are charged at a flat 400 to 1,000 yen a day and included in the total, so there is no separate bill and no surprise in winter.
What is the cleaning fee?
A one-off charge, generally 10,000 to 50,000 yen, set in the contract and paid before you move in. It replaces the deposit-and-restoration system of a normal rental.
I am only in Japan for one year. What are my options?
Agencies may refuse a two-year lease when your residence period is shorter than the contract. A monthly apartment or a share house is then the practical route, and a share house is usually much cheaper for a stay of that length.
Summary
- Cheap to enter, expensive per month. A normal rental is the opposite
- Tokyo monthly apartments: 140,000 to 180,000 a month, cleaning fee 10,000 to 50,000 upfront
- No deposit, key money, agency fee or guarantor. Utilities flat at 400 to 1,000 a day
- Break-even is about three months. Longer than that, look at a share house; over a year, a lease
- A short residence period can remove the choice – agencies may refuse a two-year contract
