How I spent less than S$2,600 for a 30-day Japan trip

I challenged myself to live in Japan for 30 days — something my younger self would never expect me to achieve.

Osaka Castle during the 2024 Cherry Blossom Illumination. (Photo: Lim Yian Lu)

I vaguely remember when I was young, I’d admire my classmates or schoolmates who could visit Japan during the school holidays. Back then, Japan was a dream destination, the kind you could only dream of going.

I didn't come from a wealthy family, so the best we could afford was neighbouring countries like Malaysia (Johor Bahru and Genting Highlands), Indonesia (Batam) and Thailand (Bangkok). The air ticket to Japan was too expensive, not to mention the cost of living (accommodation, food, etc.).

Even if Singapore’s economy has improved tremendously over the years, the idea that “Japan is expensive” is still stuck in most people’s minds. Mine too, until I started working and could pay for my travels.

When I started planning my trips, I realised that with good budgeting, you can make that dream trip to Japan. And so I did, visiting the land of the rising sun almost every year.

The challenge

Recently, I challenged myself to live in Japan for 30 days — something my younger self would never expect me to achieve. Specifically, I went to Osaka, a city I prefer more to Tokyo owing to its relatively slower pace, friendliness and connectivity to other popular Japanese cities.

Apart from using this trip to try out my digital nomad life, I also wanted to see how different (the standard of living, cost of living, etc.) it could be to live in another city. Having grown up and lived in Singapore for the whole of my life, this was the first time I left home for so long.

As it turned out, the cost of my 30 days in Japan amounted to under S$2,600. Admittedly, my original budget was S$2,500 and I had to re-adjust it to S$3,000 because I shopped/ate more than I expected. 😅

Below, I’ll list my expenses during my 30-day trip to Japan, accompanied by a friend.