Is Japan expensive?

Average rent in Tokyo for a 3LDK^ is 162,000 yen per month, or just under AU$1,700 per month. Our house is technically a 4LDK, but it is old and the rent we pay is less than the

This is our house (the green/blue coloured
roof) with our car in the carport.

average stated above. The average for the same size accommodation in the whole country is 88,000 yen (about AU$920). We pay more than this, but it's understood that property costs make doing mission in Tokyo expensive.*

This is the living expense in Japan that is way higher for us. Groceries aren't much different to Australia. Australia has caught up to Japan in this area, when we first moved to Japan there was a large difference in grocery expenses, but not any more.


^Here is a decoder for the abbreviations above (they are standard for real estate here): 

“D” stands for “dining” and “K” stands for “kitchen”. A 1K is an apartment with a main room and a kitchen that may be separated from the main room by a wall, but sometimes is not. A 1DK has a main room, with a dining area and a kitchen (which again, may not be separated by a wall).

“L” stands for “living”. A 1LDK apartment has a living room, dining area, kitchen and one additional room; 1LDKs are bigger than 1Rs/1Ks/1DKs. 

The number in front of the K or DK stands for the additional number of rooms, so a 2K has two rooms and a kitchen. A 2DK has two rooms plus a dining area and kitchen. A 2DK apartment in Tokyo is typically about 40 square meters, but this can vary.

*Source: http://resources.realestate.co.jp/report/average-rent-in-japan-by-prefecture/