[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.)