Which Is Better, a Share House or a Studio Apartment? Comparing Rent, Size, and Initial Costs Using Four Actual Properties in Nakanobu

This Time, We Compare Properties in the Convenient Nakanobu Area

We selected Nakanobu this time because it combines convenient access to central Tokyo with ease of daily living, making it an easy neighborhood to use for comparison by people considering living alone in Tokyo.

At Nakanobu Station, you can use two train lines: the Toei Asakusa Line and the Tokyu Oimachi Line. The Asakusa Line provides convenient access toward Gotanda, Shimbashi, and Nihombashi, while the Oimachi Line takes you toward Oimachi, Jiyugaoka, and Futako-Tamagawa.

Near the station is “Nakanobu Skip Road,” an approximately 300-meter-long covered shopping arcade. Supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants, and traditional independent shops are concentrated there, creating an environment where shopping on the way home from work is easy.

While the area in front of the station is highly convenient, it has less of the noise found in major entertainment districts, and a short walk takes you into residential neighborhoods.

It is a well-balanced location for people who think, “I want to reduce my commuting time, but living in a crowded entertainment district even on my days off would be tiring.”

Studio Apartment Rent Market Around Nakanobu Station

Before comparing the actual properties, let us check the rent market around Nakanobu Station.

According to market figures calculated from property data listed on LIFULL HOME'S, the monthly rent around Nakanobu Station is 103,500 yen for a studio apartment, 110,600 yen for a 1K, and 121,800 yen for a 1DK.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

Because these market rents do not include management fees or common service fees, the actual monthly payment may be several thousand yen to approximately 15,000 yen higher.

By size, property data listed by Housecom shows an average of 80,000 yen for units under 20㎡ and 116,000 yen for units measuring 20 to 30㎡.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

The Four Actual Properties and Conditions Compared

The properties compared this time are one share house and three studio apartment rentals located within a 5-minute walk of Nakanobu Station and available at the time of recruitment in July 2026.

The studio apartments were all limited to buildings constructed within the past 10 years.

FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, on the other hand, was originally constructed in 1992. However, it underwent a large-scale renovation in 2025 and began operating as a share house in the same year.

In other words, this is not a simple comparison between “newer properties and newer properties.”

We are comparing newer studio apartments in which all water facilities are exclusively private with a share house created by extensively renovating an existing building and concentrating facilities in common areas.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

Share House | FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu

Characteristics of the Three Studio Apartment Rentals

- Studio Apartment A | Rent and Management Fee: 105,000 Yen, 13.68㎡

- Studio Apartment B | Rent and Management Fee: 118,000 Yen, 20.53㎡

- Studio Apartment C | Rent and Management Fee: 138,000 Yen, 25.01㎡

Comparing Monthly Rent | 77,000 Yen Versus 105,000 Yen or More

First, we will compare the amount paid to the property itself each month.

For the share house, this is only the private-room rent. For the studio apartments, it is the combined total of the rent and management fee.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

Looking only at rent, there is a monthly difference of 28,000 yen even between the share house and the least expensive studio apartment.

However, it is too early to conclude here that “the share house costs 77,000 yen and the studio apartment costs 105,000 yen.”

FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu has a 20,000-yen common service fee, while the studio apartments separately require utility costs, internet charges, and household-supply costs.

Comparison Including Utilities, Communication Costs, and Supplies

In the previous comparison, the combined cost of utilities and internet for a studio apartment was set at 14,000 yen per month.

However, that figure is somewhat low for the current cost burden of living alone.

Based on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ 2025 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, average monthly utility costs for single-person households are 13,333 yen.

Adding 4,000 yen per month for home internet and 1,500 yen per month for expenses equivalent to shared supplies such as toilet paper, hand soap, dishwashing detergent, sponges, and garbage bags brings the total to approximately 18,800 yen.

For clarity, the comparison table uses 19,000 yen per month.

The 20,000-yen common service fee at FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu includes electricity, gas, water, and internet, as well as supplies used in the common areas, such as toilet paper, hand soap, and dishwashing detergent, together with regular cleaning of the common areas.

In other words, the 20,000-yen common service fee is not the same as the “management fee for building management” charged at a standard rental property.

It combines the cost of living infrastructure and supplies that would be paid individually in a studio apartment with cleaning services for the common areas.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

When compared using amounts closer to actual living expenses, the difference between FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu and Studio Apartment A is approximately 27,000 yen per month.

The difference is approximately 40,000 yen compared with Studio Apartment B and approximately 60,000 yen compared with Studio Apartment C.

Comparing Initial Costs | Approximately 137,000 Yen for the Share House

In addition to the difference in monthly rent, let us also compare the cash required when moving.

At FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, the following expenses can be assumed based on the listed conditions at the time of comparison.

Of the 30,000-yen deposit, 20,000 yen is refundable when moving out under the stated conditions.

The three studio apartments require no security deposit or key money, but brokerage fees, guarantor-company fees, fire insurance, key-replacement fees, and other charges may still apply.

This time, the model calculation uses the following conditions.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

Even for properties with no security deposit or key money, the initial cost of a studio apartment is approximately 300,000 to 400,000 yen.

Furthermore, if you do not already own curtains, a bed, desk, lighting, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, and other items, you will also need to purchase furniture and appliances.

FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu has furniture and a refrigerator in each private room, while washing machines, dryers, and other appliances are available as shared facilities.

Comparing the Total Cost Over Two Years | A Difference of Approximately 780,000 to 1.64 Million Yen

We calculate the approximate cost of living in each property for two years by combining the payment at the start of the contract with the effective monthly burden.

Because the initial cost includes the first month’s payment, the monthly expenses for the remaining 23 months are added.

The table can be scrolled horizontally

Compared with FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, the difference is approximately 780,000 yen for Studio Apartment A, approximately 1.12 million yen for Studio Apartment B, and approximately 1.64 million yen for Studio Apartment C.

These are considerable differences, but this does not mean that “a share house provides the same lifestyle at a lower price.”

In a studio apartment, you can secure your own private kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and washing-machine space.

In a share house, you share those facilities in exchange for lower costs and access to spacious common areas that could not be included within a private room alone.

Differences in Size, Kitchens, Bathrooms, and Shared Facilities

- The Share House’s Private Room Is Larger Than the Least Expensive Studio Apartment

The table can be scrolled horizontally

The 13.68㎡ of a studio apartment includes the entrance, kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.

Because the 16.2㎡ private room at FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu does not include an in-room kitchen or bathroom, a greater proportion of the area can be used as living and storage space.

The fact that a unit has a certain exclusive floor area does not necessarily mean that there is a large amount of space available for placing a bed or desk. This should be checked during the viewing.

- Kitchen: Small and Private or Large and Shared

The kitchen in a studio apartment can be used whenever you wish.

You can leave dishes and seasonings in place and do not need to consider whether other residents are using the kitchen.

On the other hand, compact studio apartments may have only a single-burner stove and a small sink. It is not unusual for there to be almost no cooking space on which to place a cutting board.

At FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, the kitchen is shared, but residents can use four large kitchen areas.

Although there are rules concerning busy periods and cleaning up, the amount of cooking space and equipment is more substantial than in a 13–20㎡ studio apartment.

For people who rarely cook, having more living space may suit them better than using part of their private room for a small kitchen.

- Whether You Can Accept Sharing the Bathroom and Toilet

This is an area in which preferences are more clearly divided than they are by the difference in cost.

At FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, the bathroom, shower rooms, and toilets are shared.

Cleaning is carried out approximately three times per week, but you may need to use the facilities immediately after someone else, and they may become crowded at certain times of day.

If you are uncomfortable with sharing water facilities itself, choosing a studio apartment may create less daily stress, even if the monthly burden is higher.

Conversely, if you are comfortable having a washstand inside your private room and sharing only the bathing and toilet facilities, it becomes easier to benefit from the share house’s cost advantages.

- Share Houses Are Stronger in Terms of Lounges and Workspaces

A studio apartment generally offers no place to spend time other than your own room.

In a 13.68㎡ room, once a bed and desk are placed, eating, working, and relaxing will all take place in almost the same location.

At FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, residents can use an LDK measuring more than 57 tatami mats, a sofa area, booth seating, a workspace, and a fitness room.

Even though the private room measures 16.2㎡, the places used for working, eating, and relaxing can be separated.

For people who work from home, this is a benefit that cannot be measured by exclusive floor area alone.

- Cleaning: “Only Your Own Room” Versus “Everything by Yourself”

In a studio apartment, you clean not only the living area but also the kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and washstand yourself.

In a share house, you still clean your own private room, but the common areas receive regular cleaning.

At FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu, the common areas are cleaned by the manager approximately three times per week.

Of course, everyday responsibilities are still necessary, such as returning used dishes, lightly wiping areas you have dirtied, and following the garbage-disposal rules.

Even so, the burden of maintaining the bathroom and toilet entirely by yourself is reduced.

- Comfort Cannot Be Judged by the Age of the Building Alone

The three studio apartments were built within the past 10 years.

In contrast, the FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu building was constructed in 1992, but underwent a large-scale renovation in 2025.

While the studio apartments are newer in terms of construction year, the share house provides more extensive facilities throughout the building, including a lounge and workspace.

Do you want to live in a newer building, or would you prefer an existing building with renewed interiors and common facilities, together with more usable spaces?

This point also needs to be determined by viewing the actual condition of the property, rather than from figures alone.

Which Is More Suitable, a Share House or a Studio Apartment?

The Idea of Putting the Housing-Cost Savings Into NISA Investments

Summary | Comparing Properties in Nakanobu Clearly Shows the Differences in Housing Costs and Lifestyles

This time, using the convenient Nakanobu Station area as an example, we compared one share house with three studio apartment rentals built within the past 10 years.

The private-room rent at FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu is 77,000 yen.

The three studio apartments cost between 105,000 and 138,000 yen when rent and management fees are combined.

Considering that the market rent for a studio apartment around Nakanobu Station is approximately 103,500 yen, regardless of distance from the station, even Studio Apartment A, the least expensive option, is not significantly outside the market range.

Even so, when utilities, internet, and supplies are included, the effective monthly burden differs from FineMaison Shinagawa Nakanobu by approximately 27,000 to 60,000 yen.

What a studio apartment provides in exchange for this difference is a private kitchen, private bathroom, private toilet, and freedom concerning daily schedules and visitors.

What the share house provides is lower initial costs, a furnished private room, a spacious kitchen, a lounge, a workspace, and cleaning of common areas.

Rather than one being superior to the other, they differ in what you choose to pay for.

If you can share water facilities and want to use a property close to the station, with a relatively spacious private room and extensive shared facilities, at a lower cost, a share house is a rational choice.

If you are willing to pay an additional 20,000 to 60,000 yen per month to keep everything inside your front door exclusively private, there is value in choosing a studio apartment.

The important point is not to decide by looking only at the rent figure.

View the actual private room, kitchen, bathroom, storage, common areas, and cleaning condition, and choose the option in which you can live every day without stress.

Frequently Asked Questions