Studio or one-bedroom in Tokyo: compare the extra cost

If you’re choosing a Tokyo apartment for two, look at where each of you will sleep and work as well as the price. A separate bedroom can help when one person wants to sleep while the other works. Check the floor plan to see whether the doors and layout actually make that possible.

Check that both of you are allowed to stay for your full dates, then look at the supplied beds. Permission for two people to stay can still mean sharing one bed or renting bedding for the floor. That can change which layout works for you before you compare the extra rent.

Check the supplied beds before paying for more space

Permission for both of you to stay doesn't guarantee that the supplied beds suit you. Union Monthly's FAQ, checked in September 2026, treats occupancy and bedding separately. It says to check the bed sizes and numbers even when a room permits two guests. It offers rental bedding but does not add bed frames; guests who need more beds must choose a room that already has them.

This matters when comparing a studio with a one-bedroom. If you're happy sharing the supplied bed, either layout may work. If you need separate beds, a spare room alone won't solve that: find out whether it has a bed or would need bedding on the floor. Mark where that bedding would go on the plan and include any rental cost in the quote. Space used for sleeping may be the same space you were counting on for work or dining.

Include utilities in the comparison

Check whether each rent quote includes electricity, gas and water. If you’ll pay any of those bills separately, include an estimate before deciding how much extra a larger apartment would cost.

Here’s an example with made-up prices. Apartment A costs ¥220,000 a month, with utilities included and no extra usage charge. Apartment B costs ¥210,000 plus the utilities you use. If B’s utility bill is ¥15,000, its total is ¥225,000—¥5,000 more than A, despite the lower rent. A ¥10,000 utility bill makes the two totals equal. Below that, B costs less; above it, A costs less. If you’ll both be home with the air conditioner on all day, estimate the bills before deciding how much extra you’d pay for a larger room.

Compare the rent and floor area

Divide each apartment’s rent by the floor area in the listing. Use rent for the same length of time, and add a separate comparison of required fees if they aren’t included.

For an illustrative example, a 22m² studio at ¥180,000 per month costs about ¥8,182 per square metre. A 40m² one-bedroom at ¥300,000 costs ¥7,500 per square metre. The larger place is cheaper per metre, but it still requires ¥120,000 more each month.

Over three months, that rent difference is ¥360,000. Ask what you gain for it: a room where one person can take calls, more storage, a larger kitchen or simply room to move around. Even if the larger place costs less per square metre, you still need to be comfortable paying the extra ¥360,000.

The calculation doesn't isolate the price of a bedroom

Two apartments with the same rent per square metre may differ in building condition, distance from the station, floor, daylight, furniture and services. Matching prices per square metre don’t tell you how useful a separate bedroom would be.

If a one-bedroom costs more per square metre, the separate bedroom may be only one reason. Compare apartments near the same station with similar furniture and services, then ask what else differs. Prices across a whole ward include apartments with very different sizes, locations and furniture.

Prices advertised for unfurnished apartments on long leases will not tell you what a furnished apartment costs for your stay. Ask for full quotes for the apartments and dates you’re considering.

Read the plan around a normal day

Trace where each person will sleep, work and move around. Can one person reach the bathroom or kitchen without passing through the other's sleeping space? Is the bedroom door solid, sliding or effectively open to the living area? Are there two usable work surfaces if you both work at home?

Ask for desk dimensions and a recent video if photos don't make this clear. A dining table may work well for one laptop but become awkward with two monitors and lunch. Also check sockets, seating and where luggage will go after unpacking.

Storage and laundry deserve attention on a longer stay. A larger floor area isn't automatically more comfortable if the only spare space becomes a drying area or suitcase store.

Compare the location as precisely as the layout

Use your actual commute and regular destinations. Suginami, Nakano and Bunkyō each contain different station areas; none can guarantee a lower price or quieter bedroom for every address.

Map the walk to the train and a supermarket. Check whether the bedroom faces a road, railway or nearby business. If you can visit, go at a time when you’d normally be at home and listen with the windows closed.

A shorter commute may be worth more than additional floor space if both of you travel daily. If you mostly work at home, the room arrangement may matter more.

If children are travelling too

Before comparing prices, check how many people can stay, which beds are supplied and whether any rules depend on the children’s ages. Ask about stairs, balcony access, the kitchen and which rooms can be closed off. Children may count toward the maximum number of guests.

A second small room may be more useful than a larger open-plan room, but check how it is furnished. The floor plan and bed arrangement matter more than translating every Japanese room code into an English bedroom count.

Put the final comparison in yen

For each suitable apartment, add the rent for your dates, cleaning, utilities and required services. List the refundable deposit separately as cash needed upfront.

If you need separate beds, settle that before paying more for a separate room. In the published example above, the company won't install another bed, so the practical choice is a room already furnished with the beds you need or an agreed bedding arrangement you can live with. Compare the full prices of those workable options; an extra room on the plan is useful only if you can use it as intended.