In recent years, it’s not unusual for people to use monthly apartments as an alternative to staying in a hotel. But how much difference is there cost-wise between living in a hotel and a monthly apartment?

We compared the costs of living in a hotel in Tokyo vs. a monthly apartment as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Cost of Living in a Hotel = Nightly Accommodation Fee × Number of Nights

The cost of living in a hotel put simply is the nightly accommodation fee multiplied by the number of nights that you’ll be staying there. For example, if your hotel costs 8,000 yen/night, you’ll be paying 240,000 yen/month just to have a place to sleep.

Then you also have to consider the expenses for things such as food and getting your laundry done (hotel services or laundromats).

Hotels generally don’t offer self-catering facilities, so you’ll be eating out for the most part. You’ll be paying a minimum of about 2,000 yen per day for food, which adds up to 60,000 yen a month.

Washing clothes at a laundromat costs 500 yen/load. If you do your laundry once every three days, your monthly laundry expense can reach 5,000 yen. The price of hotel laundry services depends on the type and number of items but will usually be more costlier than visiting a laundromat.

However, you won’t have to worry about utility costs or consumables like toilet paper and shampoo.

The nightly hotel fee (240,000 yen) + food expenses (60,000 yen) + laundry costs (5,000 yen) will come to a grand total of 305,000 yen. Give or take a few thousand yen, but living in a hotel should set you back about 300,000 yen per month.

Cost of Living in a Monthly Apartment = Rent + Living Expenses

On the other hand, you’ll have to take living expenses into account if you choose to live in a monthly apartment. Even if the daily rent of a monthly apartment is 8,000 yen/day, you’ll usually receive a discount for staying over a month.

Let’s take an Atinn Ginza apartment as an example. The daily rent for tenants staying less than a month is 8,458 yen/day, while the rate drops to 7,120 yen/day for those staying longer than a month. If you decided to live here for the latter, your monthly rent would be 7,120 yen × 30 days = 213,600 yen.

Self-catering accommodation gives you the option of cutting down on food expenses. The average is about 22,000 yen a person.

Utility costs are included in the rent of our apartments, so there’s no extra charge as long as you use everything within reason.

Add them all up and your monthly rent + food expenses will cost you around 235,600 yen. Again, give or take a few thousand yen, but your monthly expenses when living in a monthly apartment should be about 200,000 yen.

Living in a Hotel = No Housework

When you compare the costs of living in a hotel vs. a monthly apartment, a hotel is easily the more expensive option. However, it does have its advantages.

The biggest benefit of living in a hotel is that you don’t have to do any housework. No cooking, no cleaning, no laundry. You’ll be able to concentrate on other things, as well as have some extra time for yourself.

It’s Harder to Have Friends Over at a Hotel

Hotels have check-in and check-out times. Although this itself might not be a problem for longer stays, some accommodations require you to stop by the front desk every time you decide to go out.

If the hotel’s front desk isn’t open 24 hours, it might be a hassle to have friends over late at night or in the early morning. You may have trouble even just leaving the hotel at your own will. So depending on your daily routine, living in a hotel might not be the best option for you.

Monthly Apartments = Do as You Wish, Do Your Own Housework

Living in a monthly apartment, you’ll have the utmost flexibility as to when and what you wish to do, just like a normal apartment for rent. You’ll be able to come and go as you please, so feeling comfortable living here doesn’t depend on a person’s lifestyle.

But of course you have to prepare your own food and do your own housework, so that may be something to think about if you’re busier than most.

In Conclusion

• Living in a hotel costs about 300,000 yen/month
• Living in a monthly apartment costs about 200,000 yen/month
• Hotel = No housework but low flexibility
• Monthly apartment = High flexibility but do your own housework

There’s about a 100,000 yen difference per month when comparing the costs of living in a hotel and a monthly apartment.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Be sure to consider more than just the price to choose the option that’s best for you.