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| Apartment Expenses Rent Rental fees for current ALT apartments are between Y47,000 and Y77,000 a month. Apartments downtown will typically be more expensive, as will larger apartments for couples. Most ALTs pay around Y55,000-65,000. Utilities All utilities are your responsibility. Most of your bills can be directly debited from your bank account. Please talk with your supervisor about setting it up with a local bank after you arrive. Alternatively, you can pay many bills at the convenience store. Of course, that means remembering to pay them! The following table provides some estimates from veteran Sendai ALTs. Average Monthly Bills Service Summer(yen) Winter (yen) Gas* (cooking/hot water) 3-8000 4-10000 Electricity (cooking/lights) 2-3000 3-5000 Water (shower/washing) 2-3000 2-4000 Kerosene (heater) - 2-4000 *Gas prices vary between companies (propane gas vs. natural gas) Neighbourhood Association Fees Many areas of Sendai have a neighbourhood association, who put out the recycle boxes, weed public areas, etc. There is a small annual fee for their services. Some ALTs will pay this once a year, others will have it added to their monthly rent, depending on which company manages your apartment building. Household Insurance All ALTs must pay household insurance for their apartments. This covers things such as fire, flooding, earthquake damage, etc. This is added to your monthly apartment rental bill, and costs about Y800 per month. |