The Cost of Living in Tokyo as a Missionary
Living in Tokyo is not as expensive as many expect. Here is our missionary family's budget, what support goals cover, and where we stand today.
Living in Tokyo is not as expensive as many people expect, but moving here and serving here as a missionary still costs more than most realize. Read on for what our family's budget looks like, why mission organizations set the fundraising goals they do, and where our support stands today.
Is Tokyo Expensive to Live In?
I have pretty much done it all when it comes to housing in Tokyo. I have rented a five-foot room in a share house and three larger share house rooms all over West Tokyo. I have split a two-bedroom apartment with roommates and lived in a dormitory with college students. When my wife and I were first married, we shared a studio apartment.
There are a ton of different options for living here, and if you are young and single, you have nearly all of them. Some share houses do not accept residents over 30, so the options narrow as you get older.
Tokyo is also not as expensive as it was when I first moved to Japan. The change in the US dollar to yen exchange rate has made a real difference for anyone earning or raising support in dollars.
The Main Costs of Living in Tokyo
Rent, taxes and giving make up about 60% of our monthly budget. The remaining 40% goes to groceries, savings and a small personal allowance for my wife and me.
Rent and Move-In Costs in Tokyo
Housing, as in most of the world, is the largest line item. Rent typically takes 20 to 30% of a budget in Tokyo, depending on where you live and how close you are to the station. Our rent in East Tokyo is about 24% of our monthly income.
If you are planning to move to Japan, be ready for the upfront costs of moving into an apartment for the first time. Private rental companies expect three to four times the first month's rent. That covers the security deposit, prorated and first-month rent, building management fees, a commission fee, lock replacement and a guarantor fee, and sometimes other fees on top.
Moving across town, on the other hand, is surprisingly affordable. We hired a local moving company for about ¥50,000 to move a three-room apartment's worth of belongings. International moving services are a very different story.
Taxes, Health Insurance and the National Pension
Taxes and government-related payments are about 19% of our income. This includes national health insurance, Japanese income tax, residence tax, Japan's national pension, and money set aside each year for filing US expatriate taxes.
Giving
God is generous, and we want to grow in generosity too. We are excited to partner with what He is doing through church planting in Japan and through caring for Christians around the world. Our church is working on growing in generosity together this year, and giving is about 17% of our monthly budget.
Groceries, Savings and Everyday Life
The rest of our income covers groceries, savings and the small allowance we each take for outings and commuting. Of course, you also need to eat, get to work and church, and meet with people. As of today, our household income is below the average household income across Japan.
How Much Do Missionaries Need to Raise to Serve in Japan?
Mission organizations have a wide range of fundraising goals and philosophies, shaped by family size and by what they have learned from their missionaries over the years in different fields.
Typical Missionary Budgets From a US Sending Organization
The clearest published figures for US missionaries come from the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) in 2024. Its typical candidate budgets are:
- Single - $6,700 monthly + $20,000 saved
- Couple - $8,600 monthly + $27,000 saved
- Family - $9,700 monthly + $48,000 saved
The number of children in the family budget is not stated. In the Asia Pacific region, the AGWM average is $9,700 a month plus $48,000 in saved funds.
None of these amounts are trivial to raise from monthly giving churches and individual supporters. I know at least one person who came to Japan as a tentmaker, later joined a sending organization, and found it difficult to raise the required base funds.
What a Missionary Budget Pays For
Larger monthly figures make more sense once you see that missionaries are raising funds for their own expenses and for the business and administrative side of their work. SIM USA breaks down an average budget like this:
| Budget area | Share |
|---|---|
| Salary, housing and taxes | 55.2% |
| Health insurance | 13.5% |
| Home and field services (administration) | 10.6% |
| Retirement plan | 9.5% |
| Ministry expenses | 7.8% |
| International travel | 3.4% |
Sending organizations typically keep about 8 to 10% of monthly gifts for their own operating costs and long-term care of their workers. Returning to the US for months at a time to share what God is doing is expensive. International health insurance is costly, and so is language school and cultural training for new missionaries.
Education for Missionary Kids in Japan
Schooling for missionary kids is a major financial consideration here and everywhere else in the world. Education largely decides which language a child becomes academically proficient in, and English remains one of the best choices for future educational opportunities. Accredited English-language schooling in Tokyo costs millions of yen per student in most cases.
Missionaries either need the larger budgets that typical organizations suggest, or they need other arrangements. Some homeschool, and others send their children to local schools. Japan's elementary schools are excellent in many ways, with dedicated teachers who put in very long hours. But foreign students need basic competence in Japanese to benefit, and that academic language gap widens every year without formal instruction in Japanese.
Our Situation as Missionaries in Tokyo
Our fundraising income and situation do not resemble the typical US sending organization model. As of today, our support is not close to the typical budget these organizations require, even for single missionaries.
Living Like Locals
Praise God, I have lived here long enough to pick up conversational Japanese and navigate the systems here largely on their own terms. My wife and I know what it is like to live as locals: bicycles and buses, a breakfast date at Gusto or Jonathan's, trips to Gyomu Super, and occasionally natto on rice in the morning. We share the city-wide frustration of rainy season laundry. We rent a place a bit further from the station to save on rent and get a slightly larger layout, and my wife and I now sleep in the washitsu, the Japanese-style room. It is a blessed life with our son.
Serving on a Smaller Budget Takes Faith
It is possible to do ministry in Japan on a smaller budget, but it takes faith, persistence and a willingness to do things you are uncomfortable with. For us, that has included both of us teaching English.
When I first came to Japan, I was nervous about teaching in a classroom. I took my first position so I could teach one-on-one tutoring lessons instead. Through various circumstances, God eventually led me into classroom teaching, and that door kept me in Japan for many years.
Contentment in 1 Timothy 6
This verse challenged me during our Bible reading the other day:
"But having food and clothing, we will be content with that." (1 Timothy 6:8, WEB)
We are growing in the godliness that comes with contentment. God has given us far more than basic food and shelter, and we are thankful to be here in Tokyo. We do not know what the future holds, but we are walking with Christ toward it, one step at a time. God is faithful to open doors at the right time, and He keeps confirming His love for Tokyo and all of Japan.
Thinking About Serving in Japan Long-Term?
If you feel called to Japan, consider an organization that aligns with your local church and start the process. Find a church to get involved with, look for work in Japan, and join a short-term trip to understand the need and the culture. There are many action steps you can take today, and you are welcome to contact me.
Understand that coming long-term will be hard. Visa requirements have been changing in recent years, and some positions now require passing scores on Japanese language tests. Studying Japanese is worth it: it helps in daily life, and it matters for sharing the Gospel with people in their heart language.
You will be challenged to do things you never imagined, and many things you did not want to do. But serving in Japan keeps you humble and reliant on the Holy Spirit for His leading. God is looking for workers everywhere, and being faithful where you are matters too.
Join us in prayer:
Pray for missionaries raising support. Ask God to provide for those preparing to serve in Japan and to give them persistence through the process.
Pray for contentment. Pray that we and other workers in Tokyo would grow in the godliness that comes with contentment.
Pray for missionary families. Pray for wisdom as parents decide how to educate their children in Japan.
Pray for workers to answer the call. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to Japan, and for faithfulness wherever each of us is serving.
Watch the Video
What surprised you most about the cost of living in Tokyo?
Leave a comment, contact me, or follow our family's ministry at qfamjapan.com if you are praying about ways to be involved.
