Tokyo for seven days in under $2000
Known as being the most expensive city in the world you might think that you’d never be able to afford a trip to far off Tokyo.
Well have we news for you. Not only can you afford it, but it’s also surprisingly cheap.
First, forget everything you’ve heard about Tokyo being the most expensive city in the world (which it is), and how lunch for one typically costs $18.00 USD, or a movie ticket $22.00 USD, or even more ridiculous $5000.00 USD for an apartment[1]. The reality is its only expensive if you go to expensive places. Lunch is closer to $8.00 USD, a movie ticket $14.00 USD, and a one bedroom apartment 700-1000.00 USD.
[1] Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109909/the-worlds-most-expensive-cities-2010
However, don’t be fooled. Tokyo can easily become the most expensive city in the world, if you allow it to be. If you’re smart, play your cards right (and follow our guide) the cost of living in Tokyo can easily match that of a medium sized American city.
The trick is knowing how to make your trip inexpensive. Read on to find out how.
1. Air Fair
Anywhere between 900 – 1600 USD you’ll find roundtrip flights from America to Tokyo. The closer you live to the West coast the cheaper they become. For example, a flight for someone in LA would be several hundred dollars less than for one in NY, obviously.
The Cheapest Plane Ticket
Visiting Tokyo in the off-season will render you the cheapest plane tickets, anywhere between 850-950 USD.
The off seasons are: Late Summer (July, Aug), Late Winter (Mid Dec – Feb)
The most expensive time to go is Spring (March – May), at this time expect to pay up to 1600 USD for your ticket.
Buy ticket at least 3 weeks ahead of time
Price drastically decreases if you buy your ticket 3+ weeks from the present day. If you’re in no rush to go, experiment with your plane ticket website on different dates, try 1 month, 2 months or more to find the best deal. If its in the off season the best you’ll find will be between 850-950 USD.
$900 Plane
2. Food
Food can get pricey in an awful hurry if you’re not mindful of what you’re doing. With no consideration for alcohol let’s examine the daily cost for food in Tokyo:
Local average dining (average cost eating)
Breakfast - $8
Lunch - $8
Snack & novelty - $8
Dinner & dessert - $15
Total per day: $39
Local cheap dining (lowest cost eating)
Breakfast - $4
Lunch - $4
Snack & novelty - $3
Dinner & dessert - $9
Total per day: $22
Assorted:
Ice cream cone - $3.00
Domino’s Pizza, medium one topping $14.00 (one of the most shameless rip-off’s in the country)
Denny’s, most entrees, $9.00
Sushi, 5 pieces, $10.00
Yoshinya, Japanese Beef Bowl, $5.00
Chinese street vendor, bowl of rice veggies and meat - $4.00
Chinese Restaurant, Beef, veggies, rice and soup - $8.00
Local Japanese Dining, meat, veggies and rice - $8.00
Ramen Shop, Large bowl of Ramen - $7.00
McDonalds, Hamburger - $1.00
In your average Japanese restaurant $8 will get you a decent meal. You can spend double for higher end places, or spend half for street-side vendors’ selling meals in Styrofoam bowls.
For a trip of seven days, on average eating it would cost $273 and $154 for frugal eating.
$39x7 days = 273
$22x7 days = 154
Trip Total
Economy Trip
$900 Plane
$154 Food
Sub: 1054.00
Ultra Frugal Trip
$900 Plane
$273 Food
Sub: 1173.00
3. Hotels
A significant portion of your dough will go towards the roof over you head, or not, depending on how adventurous you are and how desperate you are to save a buck.
It is important to note that hotels in the city centers will be significantly more expensive than hotels in the outer areas. To understand this take a look at the his map:
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Roppongi, Ginza, are all expensive downtown areas, while Ikebukuro, Asakusa, Otsuka, Nippori are not, and therefore costs are all around less.
For prices as low as $30.00 a night you can try Capsule Hotels, or Youth Hostel’s. However this isn’t for everyone.
For a cheap hotel but not Motel 6 in the slums cheap you can find prices around $80.00 a night.
Trip Total
$80x7 days = $560
$30x7days = $210
Economy Trip
$900 Plane
$154 Food
$560 Hotels
Sub: 1614.00
Ultra Frugal Trip
$900 Plane
$273 Food
$210 Hotels
Sub: 1383.00
4. Transport
Sneaking in sideways like an exorbitant cell phone bill are the costs for transportation for your Tokyo travels. You’ll chiefly be using subways and commuter trains as they almost invariably get you within walking distance of where you want to be. There are of course buses and Taxis however they are less than useful.
To get from on end of Tokyo to another (Say, Shinjuku to Ginza) using the JR line will cost around 160 yen each way. Subways cost more, possibly 190 to 210 yen for the same trip.
With these prices in mind, if your day demands much travel to various locations in the city, you can easily get up to 1,000 yen for trains and subways (about $10 USD)
If you find yourself paying over this amount then you might want to consider a special daily ‘unlimited ticket’ For 1,000 yen ($10 USD) you can have one day of unlimited subway usage (Toei and Tokyo Metro), and for 1580, you can have unlimited JR Trains and the above subways, making this a sweet deal if you have a very active day.
You can count on spending $10 a day for Trains and subways, coming to $70 for a one week trip. If this is too demanding on your wallet then you can always walk, although not very practical as you can get lost real quick.
Note: You will need $10 to get from Narita Airport to the city, and of course another $10 when you leave. So an extra $20 will be included in the transportation costs.
Trip Total
Economy Trip
$900 Plane
$154 Food
$560 Hotels
$90 Transport
Sub: 1684.00
Ultra Frugal Trip
$900 Plane
$273 Food
$210 Hotels
$90 Transport
Sub: 1473.00
5. Shopping
Let’s face it, you’re gonna want to take back some goodies (even if you’re trying to save money) whether it be Japanese comics, hello kitties, marble chop sticks, paper fans, katanas, wooden sandals, you get the idea. Included in the budget is $200 for the Economy plan and $100 for the Ultra Frugal plan, which even still is a good amount of money for souvenirs.
Trip Total
Economy Trip
$900 Plane
$154 Food
$560 Hotels
$90 Transport
$200 Shopping
Sub: 1884.00
Ultra Frugal Trip
$900 Plane
$273 Food
$210 Hotels
$90 Transport
$100 Shopping
Sub: 1573.00
Conclusion
Grand total:
Economy Plan: $1884
Ultra Frugal Plan: $1573
As you can see there is little difference by taking the ultra frugal route! Our advice is, don’t bother! It’s worth the extra cost to have better food and more comfortable lodging.
Two Weeks
Is one week not enough? Honestly, a two week trip will leave you more satisfied. How much more will it cost? Just add in extra for lodging, food and transport and it comes to:
Two week Economy Trip
$900 Plane
$308 Food
$1120 Hotels
$180 Transport
$200 Shopping
Grand Total: 2708.00
Two week Ultra Frugal Trip
$900 Plane
$543 Food
$420 Hotels
$180 Transport
$100 Shopping
Grand Total: 2143.00
As you can see the Frugal plan really starts to shine the longer you stay. And the Economy plan begins to get pricy.
In the end its all up to you and what you’re willing to experience. That aside, the point is you can see Tokyo for under $2000, no problem.
