[patio11]

I assert that you can find an apartment considered appropriate for a middle-class person in Tokyo for approximately $800~$1,200 in virtually any district of the city in under one day of looking. This is not true of Manhattan or San Francisco.

If you strongly believe this is unlikely, name a neighborhood and I'll show you three apartment listings.

[Sukotto]

If you want a 1K ~ 2DK [1] for 1 ~ 3 people I think you are right.

For larger families? I dunno. We're a family of 5 (1 in jr high, 2 in elementary) and really struggling to find a place to move up into from our current 2LDK. :(

I admit, we have a bunch of constraints, but I don't think they are too unusual. (want to be reasonably near to work, school, and in-laws)

[1] For those that don't know, apartments here are typically listed by number of rooms, plus if the space includes an "L" living room, "D" dining area, "K" kitchen. So "1K" would be a single room with a place to cook. 2DK would be 2 rooms, with an eating area and a kitchen.

[Nadya]

>If you strongly believe this is unlikely, name a neighborhood and I'll show you three apartment listings.

I don't believe it is unlikely but I'd like to take you up on your services. ;)

Got anything for the Harajuku or Akihabara districts? You seem to be more knowledgeable on how/where to search for this info and I'm a bit lost. (Still have over a year to properly research this stuff on my own, but I really want to move to near one of those two districts next year.)

[othello]

Even in Shibuya? That's interesting, because depending on the size of the apartment you consider middle-class, this would make it cheaper than Paris. Definitely not what I remember from living in Japan 10 years ago.

Has prices softened that much since then?

[patio11]

Here are 45 properties within a 10 minute walk of Shibuya Station, ranging from ~$600 to ~$1,200 and 1K through 2DK.

http://suumo.jp/jj/chintai/ichiran/FR301FC001/?ar=030&bs=040...

For folks who don't have the local color here: if you're willing to live in apartments sized for middle class Japanese folks, and that is a big if for many foreigners, Tokyo can be impressively inexpensive to live in. Shibuya is a very desirable and relatively centrally located neighborhood; think "SOMA" or, hmm, I don't know Manhattan that well but somewhere in Midtown maybe?

(If you optimize for commute down to the minute, prestige of building, or living space, you can end up paying a lot of money. Though even in an apartment that scores well on all three my rent is less than the median in SF.)