Japan vs Malaysia: Cost of Living Breakdown (Tokyo Edition)

To keep cost down, I rented a place slightly outside the city center, around 30 minutes by train from my office.

• In Japan, I rented an entire apartment to myself. Due to inflation, rentals might have gone up at least 2%.

According to PropertyGuru, the average rent for room rental in Malaysia ranges from RM500 to RM1,500. As I am living with my parents, I do not pay rent. However, I contribute around RM1,000 per month toward their medical bills. For a fair comparison, I’ll treat this amount as my “rent” in Malaysia.

Japan: Gas is commonly used for hot water and cooking, but I lived in an all-electric apartment, so my gas cost was ¥0. In general, gas costs around 2,000-4,000 yen per month on average.

Malaysia: My household uses cooking gas, which costs around RM25 per month.

Water is government-managed in both countries and very affordable.

• Malaysia: Around RM15 per month for the household (paid by my parents)

Japan: Electricity is supplied by regional private companies (e.g. TEPCO in Tokyo). Costs are higher in summer and winter due to air-conditioning and heating.

• My average monthly electricity bill was around ¥7,000, though this can be higher for larger apartments.

Malaysia: Electricity costs vary widely depending on air-con usage, but are generally lower than Japan. My parents are covering this, thus I will leave it as RM0, however, on average, it costs around RM150 for a 2-3 bedroom apartments.

Internet setup is similar in both countries — you choose a provider, and they handle installation.

Japan: You can refer to this website for prices comparison. (only in Japanese) Please note that some apartments provide free Wi-fi, and you can avoid the hassle in looking for a internet provider.

Malaysia: I currently pay for the household Wi-Fi.

On workdays, lunch in Tokyo costs around 1,200 yen if you eat out. While I prefer bringing my own lunch, I usually schedule at least one lunch per week with colleagues or friends to catch up.

During off days, I sometimes dine out with friends, or visit a bar or cafe. A casual outing like this usually costs around 2,000 yen –5,000 yen in total, depending on the place.

*Fun fact: Grocery prices in Japan are surprisingly consistent — whether you’re in Tokyo or the countryside, prices are largely the same.

Since I am living with my parents, we share the grocery bill, and we usually eat at home. I bring my food to work almost everyday and usually dine out with colleagues about once a week.

There isn’t much casual “after-work” entertainment in Malaysia compared to Tokyo, so when meeting friends or family, it’s usually centered around meals. This explains why my spending on groceries and dining out is relatively balanced.

I love traveling and hiking, so when I was living in Japan, I made it a point to take small trips 1–2 times a year to explore different parts of the country.

On average, it costs around 20,000 yen per month.

Since returning to Malaysia, I have been helping with my parents’ medical expenses, so I try to keep my wants, such as entertainment as low as possible.

Fortunately, there are many ways to enjoy life in KL without spending much. Jogging, hiking, and exploring nearby parks are easy and accessible. As mentioned earlier, dining out is my main form of entertainment and social time, rather than an additional expense.

In Tokyo, I do not own nor need a car, I can get around entirely by public transport.

My company covers my train season pass between home and office, so I only pay for the train rides when I travel on other lines or go somewhere unrelated to work.

Basically, public transport in Tokyo is extremely convenient and I can essentially get anywhere by train, which keeps transportation costs low and predictable.

My parents are kind enough to lend me their car, so I do not have any car loans.

The RM250 average monthly expense includes:

Petrol, maintenance & repairs, car wash, driving license, road tax and car insurance.

I used post paid package, provided by Line Mobile.

Includes 5GB of data, calls are charged per minute, however, I rarely make phone calls.

I am using CelcomDigi prepaid – RM25 package

Includes 40GB of data and unlimited calls