Home / Blog / Share House vs. Apartment vs. UR: The Real Math
Share House vs. Apartment vs. UR: The Real Math
TL;DR
Share houses cost ¥90,000 to move in but ¥8,438/m² per month. Regular apartments cost ¥500,000+ upfront but ¥5,640/m². UR Housing costs ¥373,000 upfront with zero key money, zero agent fees, and no nationality discrimination. Over 2 years: share house ¥1.53M, UR ¥2.74M, apartment ¥2.98M. Start in a share house, then move to an apartment or UR once settled.
Every foreigner moving to Japan faces the same decision: share house, regular apartment, or UR housing? The internet is full of strong opinions but very little math. Here’s the actual cost comparison across all three options, plus the tradeoffs that only become clear after you’ve lived in each one.
Share house vs. apartment vs. UR: what’s the difference?
Regular apartment (賃貸マンション/アパート)
The standard path. You sign a 2-year lease on an unfurnished apartment through a real estate agent. High upfront costs, but the cheapest option per square meter over time. You get full legal tenant protections — your landlord can’t raise rent on a whim or kick you out without cause.
Share house (シェアハウス)
A furnished room in a shared building. You get your own bedroom but share kitchen, bathroom, living room, and laundry. Minimal upfront costs, utilities usually included, move in with just a suitcase. But you’re paying more per square meter and your contract offers less protection.
UR housing (UR賃貸住宅)
Government-affiliated housing that accepts tenants regardless of nationality. No key money, no agent fees, no guarantor needed. Just a 2-month deposit. The closest thing to a discrimination-free rental market in Japan, but with limited availability and often older buildings.
The cost comparison
Let’s compare all three for a single person in the Tokyo area, using realistic numbers.
Move-in costs
| Share House | Regular Apartment | UR Housing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | ¥60,000 | ¥80,000 | ¥85,000 |
| Space | 8m² private room | 25m² 1K | 30m² 1DK |
| First month | ¥60,000 | ¥80,000 | ¥85,000 |
| Deposit | ¥0 | ¥80,000 (1 mo) | ¥170,000 (2 mo) |
| Key money | ¥0 | ¥80,000 (1 mo) | ¥0 |
| Agent fee | ¥0 | ¥88,000 (1 mo + tax) | ¥0 |
| Guarantor fee | ¥0 | ¥40,000 (0.5 mo) | ¥0 |
| Contract fee | ¥30,000 | ¥0 | ¥0 |
| Insurance | ¥0 (included) | ¥18,000 | ¥18,000 |
| Lock change | ¥0 | ¥20,000 | ¥0 |
| Furnishing | ¥0 (furnished) | ¥100,000-200,000 | ¥100,000-200,000 |
| Total move-in | ¥90,000 | ¥506,000-606,000 | ¥373,000-473,000 |
The share house wins on move-in cost by a huge margin. UR saves roughly ¥130,000 over a regular apartment. For a detailed breakdown of every fee in the regular apartment column, see our complete cost guide. But the picture changes over time.
1-year total cost
| Share House | Regular Apartment | UR Housing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move-in costs | ¥90,000 | ¥506,000 | ¥373,000 |
| Rent x 12 | ¥720,000 | ¥960,000 | ¥1,020,000 |
| Management fee x 12 | ¥0 (included) | ¥96,000 (¥8k/mo) | ¥36,000 (¥3k/mo) |
| Utilities x 12 | ¥0 (included) | ¥120,000 (~¥10k/mo) | ¥120,000 (~¥10k/mo) |
| Guarantor annual | ¥0 | ¥10,000 | ¥0 |
| 1-year total | ¥810,000 | ¥1,692,000 | ¥1,549,000 |
| Per month effective | ¥67,500 | ¥141,000 | ¥129,083 |
| Cost per m²/month | ¥8,438 | ¥5,640 | ¥4,303 |
The share house looks cheapest at ¥67,500/month effective — but you’re getting 8m² of private space. Per square meter, you’re paying almost double what a regular apartment costs. UR is the best value per square meter.
2-year total cost
| Share House | Regular Apartment | UR Housing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ¥810,000 | ¥1,692,000 | ¥1,549,000 |
| Year 2 rent + fees | ¥720,000 | ¥960,000 | ¥1,020,000 |
| Year 2 management | ¥0 | ¥96,000 | ¥36,000 |
| Year 2 utilities | ¥0 | ¥120,000 | ¥120,000 |
| Renewal fee (2 yr) | ¥0 | ¥80,000 | ¥0 |
| Guarantor renewal | ¥0 | ¥10,000 | ¥0 |
| Insurance renewal | ¥0 | ¥18,000 | ¥18,000 |
| 2-year total | ¥1,530,000 | ¥2,976,000 | ¥2,743,000 |
| Per month effective | ¥63,750 | ¥124,000 | ¥114,292 |
Over 2 years, UR saves ¥233,000 compared to a regular apartment — mainly from zero key money, zero agent fees, and zero renewal fees. The share house remains cheapest in absolute terms but offers far less space and privacy.
What the numbers don’t tell you
Share house: the hidden costs
Privacy. Your room is 6-10m². Walls are often paper-thin wood frame. If your housemate drinks loudly at 4am on a weekday and your room is near the common area, you have limited recourse.
Quality lottery. Management quality and housemate quality vary enormously. One resident describes a well-managed 50-person house with clean common areas and friendly residents. Another describes stolen Amazon packages and aggressive, unemployed housemates.
Contract fragility. Most share houses use fixed-term contracts (定期借家契約), typically 6 months. The company can decline to renew when your term ends, effectively ending your stay with no obligation to explain why. A regular apartment with a standard lease (普通借家契約) gives you far stronger legal protections — your landlord can’t easily remove you. But that protection only holds if the apartment lease is actually a standard one: a growing share of apartments are fixed-term too. Our fixed-term lease trap guide covers how to tell before you sign.
Social pressure. Share houses can be great for making friends, especially in your first months in Japan. But the social dynamic can also be cliquey or exhausting. As one long-term resident put it: “Most are still immature ‘kids’ living away from home for the first time.”
Long-term cost creep. Some share houses charge per-room electric metering on top of “included” utilities. Others raise rent on contract renewal. Always read the renewal terms before signing.
Regular apartment: the hidden benefits
Stability. A 2-year renewable lease means your landlord can’t easily remove you. You can renew indefinitely at the same rent (with a standard lease). Your housing cost is predictable.
Space. Even a basic 1K in an outer ward gives you 20-25m² of private space — kitchen, bathroom, closet, room. You can cook, have guests, work from home.
Equity in furnishing. Yes, you need to buy a fridge, washing machine, and other basics (¥100,000-200,000 total). But you keep these for years and they’re one-time costs. Compared to paying the share house premium every month, the break-even is usually around month 8-10.
UR housing: the hidden tradeoffs
Location. Many UR buildings are 15+ minutes from the nearest station by foot or bicycle. Some are served only by bus. The newer, better-located UR buildings exist but competition for them is intense.
Availability. Good UR units go fast. One couple registered as 6th on a waiting list and eventually got in — but only because the other five applicants dropped out. Popular UR buildings near stations have perpetual waitlists.
Age. Most affordable UR buildings were built in the 1960s-1980s. The layouts can feel dated, and facilities may lack modern conveniences like auto-lock entries or built-in air conditioning (though many have been partially renovated).
Unfurnished. Just like a regular apartment, you’ll need to furnish everything yourself. Factor ¥100,000-200,000 for basics.
Decision framework
Choose a share house if:
- You’re staying less than 6 months
- You want to arrive with just a suitcase and start immediately
- Social connections are a priority (first time in Japan, no existing network)
- Your budget is under ¥70,000/month total
- You’re okay with minimal private space
Choose a regular apartment if:
- You’re staying 1+ years
- You value privacy and stability
- You have (or can get) the upfront capital (4-6 months’ rent)
- Your income passes standard screening (Japanese employer, 3x rent)
- You want tenant protections and predictable costs
Choose UR housing if:
- You’re tired of rejection and want zero discrimination — see our guide to foreigner acceptance rates
- You don’t have standard Japanese income — see how to rent without Japanese income
- You want to minimize upfront and recurring fees
- You’re flexible on location and building age
- You’re staying 1+ years and want no renewal fees
Can you start in a share house then move to an apartment?
The most common successful approach for foreigners new to Japan: start in a share house for 1-3 months, then move to an apartment or UR once you know the city, have a Japanese bank account, and have started building income documentation.
This gives you:
- Immediate housing on arrival (no panic)
- Time to explore neighborhoods before committing to a 2-year lease
- A Japanese address to set up banking and residence registration
- Social connections during the adjustment period
- Time to find a good agent and start the apartment application process properly
The cost of this strategy: roughly ¥60,000-80,000 for the share house months, plus the full move-in cost for the apartment when you transition. Budget accordingly.
Use the cost calculator to estimate your own move-in total for any rent amount, or take the ward quiz to find wards that match your budget and priorities. You can also compare any two wards side by side to see how rents, key money rates, and building ages differ.
When you’re ready to search, ask Tanu for listings. Tell it what matters to you — budget, ward, layout — and it’ll search 14,000+ real listings across Tokyo’s 23 wards. If you’re new to the timeline, our housing timeline guide covers what to do 3 months, 1 month, and 1 week before arriving.
Cost estimates based on typical Tokyo rates as of March 2026. Individual prices vary by location, building, and operator.
