Times Of TIU

Writer: Karen W.

Editor:Devonmartha K.

Translator: Bermet K.

Hello everyone. The rainy season has finally ended, but the summer heat and humidity have made life harder. I hope you found the article “How to live comfortably during the rainy season” useful. In order to make your life at TIU a little more comfortable, we would like to continue our series of articles on “living alone” and today we would like to talk about managing personal expenses.

People that live alone have monthly expenses to manage like rent and other living expenses (ex. food, utilities, entertainment, transportation, communication, entertainment expenses, etc.). However, college students enjoy spending money on entertainment instead of living expenses. To efficiently manage the budget you will need to know how fixed costs work and how much they cost per month. 

Utility costs prerequisite

As a prerequisite for utility bills, the total deregulation of retail electricity and city gas started on April 1, 2016 (Friday) and April 1, 2017 (Saturday), respectively, allowing consumers to choose their contracting partners and rate menus in electricity and gas according to their lifestyles. This law allows those who want to reduce their utility, water, and communication costs to contract with companies other than those with which their properties are linked, and to switch to those with lower rates.

Basic Utility Cost Structure

Let’s start with electricity bills. The final payment consists of three factors: basic price, usage, and other fees. 

The basic price is the basic fee for the contract service and is incurred even if you do not use the service.

The usage refers to the amount of service used and is higher the more you use on a pay-as-you-go basis. 

Other fees are fees for other services that come with the service or are simply charged by law. For example, in the case of telecommunication fees, if you used an additional Wi-Fi installation service, the fee for that will be charged monthly under the “other fees” category.

Next, gas expenses consist of introductory price, unit charge, and gas consumption. Unlike other bills, gas expenses do not change based on the amount you used. 

Water bills also include basic fees and used amounts in the final bill. 

Another vital thing to mention is that utility rates vary between rural and urban areas. In some cases, utility costs are cheaper in densely populated urban areas. 

Below we would like to present a table with average bill costs for electricity, gas, and water bills. They are divided into three categories: average amount, characteristics, and others.

References: 

○https://www.homes.co.jp/cont/rent/rent_00236/　LIFULL HOME’S The average cost of utilities for a single person living alone and how to save money. 

○https://www.saisoncard.co.jp/credictionary/lifestyle/article072.html SASON CARD What is the average cost of utilities for a single person living alone? Tips on saving electricity, gas, and water. 

In this article, we talked about the utility costs when living alone. Please keep an eye on our living-alone articles. Currently, there are also articles on moving out and on supermarkets. Make sure to check them out!