Firstly let's take a look at 2009's monthly expenditure bar chart:
2009 Monthly Expenditures (click for a larger image)
Food:
Annual Total: 443,727 Yen ($5,014.12 CAD)
Monthly Average: 36,977 Yen/month ($417.84 CAD/month)
At first glance we see that the my food expenditures have been some what varied through out the year. The cheapest being in January for reasons I am not sure about. The monthly average I spent on food was 36,977 Yen and for January where I spent 21,272 yen for food. I highly doubt that I ate 35% less food in January, but it might have been a result of being treated to a few lunches, being on a ski trip and attending plenty of post new year's parties. The fluctuations in monthly food prices is likely a result of me not having time to cook and eating out due to a busy work schedule.
Goods:
Annual Total: 189,725 Yen ($2,143 CAD)
Monthly Average: 15,810 Yen/month ($178.66 CAD/month)
As seen in the graph, there I've made only a few large purchases in August and September, those purchases being a TV capture card + 2x 1 TB hard drives, a few memory cards and the new Asus EEE PC netbook that I now use while on small trips. There was one other item I bought in February which was a $100 project bench for my room. Other then that, most physical good purchases were just small items.
Transport:
Annual Total: 127,714 Yen ($1,443.17 CAD)
Monthly Average: 10,642 Yen/Month ($120.26 CAD/Month)
Transportation costs for this year was quite low. I generally travel by scooter to pick up groceries. I use the trains on the weekends when I have a few events to attend in Tokyo, otherwise I would usually spend the weekend at home doing some reading or relaxing.
Service:
Annual Total: 130,190 Yen ($1,471.15 CAD)
Monthly Average: 10,849 Yen/Month ($122.60 CAD/Month)
In the service category, there were only 2 main expenditures my cell phone monthly fees, my gym subscription and internet service. I find it rather interesting that I spent more money in the services category compared to the total amount of goods I bought.
Room:
Annual Total: 262,162 Yen ($2,962.43 CAD)
Monthly Average: 21,846 Yen/Month ($246.87 CAD/Month)
Nothing too much to say here other than that my room related costs were pretty fixed. I am saving a bundle by living at the company dorm. These monthly costs include water, electricity and rent.
Travel:
Annual Total: 302,437 Yen ($3,417.54 CAD)
Monthly Average: 25,203 Yen/Month ($284.80 CAD/Month)
As noticeable by the bar graph, I go traveling somewhere at a rate of about once every 2 months. This year, most of my adventures has been through domestic travel to the country side. My travels included a trip to Okinawa, 2 trips to Nagano, 1 trip to Sendai and a trip to Yamanashi. For the mount of traveling I've done this year, the numbers look quite reasonable.
Deductions:
Annual Total: 2,852,197 Yen ($11,241.69 CAD)
Monthly Average: 237,683 Yen ($936.81 CAD)
Taxes this year were kicked up a notch for me as salary deductions from municipal income taxes occur 1 year after the start of work. The few blips seen on the bar charts represent taxes paid due to summer and winter bonuses in Japan. There is an additional blip in October as a result of paying a lump sum into a pension plan which I didn't have to pay at first when I came to Japan, but something I had to pay after I started working.
Now for a quick comparison between my 2008 and 2009 expenditures.
2008 vs 2009 Annual Total Expenditure Table
I've removed the pay cheque deductions to take a look at my living expenses directly. According to the data, it seems that purchases are down all across the board except for the food category. I've just been eating out a little more which has driven my food expenses up a little more. For 2009, there were less large purchases which has driven the amount of money spent on goods down. The largest purchase for me last year was a ~$1000 computer and a few misc things after moving which accounts for the $1,500 difference. The service group remains largely unchanged. The rooming costs have decreased. 2008 included 4 months in Sendai where I paid higher rent than I do currently in the company dormitory. Entertainment costs remain largely unchanged. Travel expenses this year are down by about $2,000 which is directly related to a return trip to Canada for a wedding in Toronto plus a stop in Vancouver.
The total difference between 2008 and 2009 expenditures is a total less of $3,797.49, or a 15.32% reduction in spending. This is a number that would probably have most economists in tears. On average, I spent about $1,749 in living expenses, I think that this figure is a quite reasonable number for living in Japan. If I were not living in the company dorm, monthly expenses would probably be up by about $500/month due to rent to about $2,250 for living about 1 hour outside of Tokyo. Living around the Tokyo area isn't all that expensive that most people might make it to be, but if you want to live somewhere pretty posh, then that might be a different story, but that goes the same way for anywhere else.
So, there's 2009 for you and it was a relatively cheap year.
The total difference between 2008 and 2009 expenditures is a total less of $3,797.49, or a 15.32% reduction in spending. This is a number that would probably have most economists in tears. On average, I spent about $1,749 in living expenses, I think that this figure is a quite reasonable number for living in Japan. If I were not living in the company dorm, monthly expenses would probably be up by about $500/month due to rent to about $2,250 for living about 1 hour outside of Tokyo. Living around the Tokyo area isn't all that expensive that most people might make it to be, but if you want to live somewhere pretty posh, then that might be a different story, but that goes the same way for anywhere else.
So, there's 2009 for you and it was a relatively cheap year.
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