amy23

Rent in Osaka are high, same as the living cost, you should see if in your contract the school provides any help with accommodations or transportation it might help a bit if they do...best of luck

Erick12

Hi everyone. My partner has been offered a position in Osaka. It looks like a good opportunity, but we are concerned about the cost of living. His salary will be around 4300 GBP (620,536 yen aprox ) per month tax-free. We are a Fraco-mexican same-sex couple based in London and neither of us speaks Japanese, for that reason I think at least for the first few months I won't be able to work. I was wondering if this salary will be enough to live comfortably. I am also a bit concerned about the interaction with the Japanese culture in terms of race and sexual diversity.
Thank you in advance for your comments.

Erick

DigitalGhost

Do you know for sure that you can actually go there together? Japan doesn't legally recognise same sex marriage or any kind of common law union regardless of gender. If you're the mexican then you can visit visa free for 6 months but you wouldn't be permitted to work during that time.

Erick12

Hi, well this a Diplomatic position and we have been told that we can go there together. Apparently, they have done that before. Even though in Japan same-sex marriage/ civil partnership is not contemplated in the internal law. Our civil partnership signed in France (the equivalent of a marriage certificate) should be enough to get a spouse visa.

Thanks.

anzen12

You could definitely live on that level of income, but it will depend on where you want to live (Osaka is a huge city). If you don't mind a 45 minute commute into the city (where I assume your partner is working?) rents can drop dramatically.

If your browser has the extension to translate, this webisite https://suumo.jp/chintai/kansai/ will show you the different types of properties available. You could also post the question on r/osaka on Reddit where there is quite a collection of information for people moving to Osaka.