Housing in Yokosuka

[Navymomx2]

Hi, My son is on the base there in Yokosuka. He has just started looking at housing off the base. Can anyone give me an estimate as to how much money he is looking at for this (in American dollars), including any extra fees, insurances, security deposits, etc. He is single and needing only a 1 bedroom. Also assuming they are even more expensive the closer they are to the base. New at all this so any info appreciated.

[navymom3]

Navymomx2 I am assuming he has gotten the ok to move off base. My son lives off base in a wonderful 2 bed apt in a high rise building. He does not share with anyone. However he does have to take the train to work in the morning. The first thing your son needs to do is go to the housing office. They have safe places on a list that he can look at. They will also tell him how much housing he can get. They also get so much so electric which I believe is 500us if I remember right. They also only get how much the rent is up to a max amount. Which is different for each rank. Mine was E4 when he moved off base. My son does not pay anything out of pocket for his rent or utilities. Also when they initially move off base the dep is also paid by the navy. And if they need furniture or appliances they can get loaner stuff until they get there own. My son said it wasnt the best but it was only temporary until he bought his own. The NEX has good deals on furniture and they can do payments also. It just has to be paid off before they change duty stations. I did have the housing book on my computer but it reset last week and I lost it. I will try to find it for you. It explains a bunch. They also have to take a class before they can live off base. Make sure he gets his scheduled. Let me know what other questions you might have. Hope this helps. 

[Navymomx2]

Thanks, He has been to the housing office. I am not really sure what all they have told him I was just curious how much on average these places charge for basic 1-2 bedroom apt.. I think some that he is looking at is where he also will have to take the train to work. Yeah if you can find the housing book that should also be helpful.

[navymom3]

I found this link. It has tons of info.

http://www.japanbases.com/housing/yokosuka/housingwelcomecenter.aspx

[navymom3]

This is the navy one. I know this is where I found the guide. 

https://www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/cnrj/installations/cfa_yokosuka/f...

[Anti M]

I lived offbase a long time.  It is still basically the same.  He will get OHA based on his paygrade, plus his COLA.  There is an adjustment for the dollar-yen ratio to help with utilities, which can be very high.  Parking is often an extra expense, there is no such thing as reliable street parking in Japan.  Furniture is usually minimal.  I had a lot of used furniture, and I was quite happy with a futon on the floor. In fact, when we moved back to the states and got a real bed, I fell off it the first night!

I always chose a place close enough I could walk or bike to base if I needed to; my schedule was hectic at times.  I had to be able to get back to base within 30 minutes, but that was tied to my job at my command.  Others prefer to live farther away from the base.  It isn't cheaper, because you have to commute.

Housing manual:

https://www.cnic.navy.mil/content/cnic/cnic_hq/regions/cnrj/install...

A tiny place can run over $2k a month.  The landlords know the housing allowance and charge right around what it is.  Tell him to be careful to choose a place a bit below his maximum OHA, the yen-dollar fluctuations happen faster than the upates to the allowance. I don't know how much that has changed, but he should be prudent in his choice of apartment.  Mine were all teeny tiny.

Here's some examples:

http://www.usui-home.com/navyus/

OHA calculator:

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/ohaCalc.cfm

[Navymomx2]

Thanks for all the housing info navymom3 and Anti M. This Christmas season has been extremely busy this year. Also my dad was in the hospital for several days right before Christmas. My oldest sailor was in for CHristmas and just started a new job. Havent had a chance to think for the past couple weeks. I am definitely  gonna use these housing links and all the info you have provided. I haven't talked to my youngest sailor(the one in Yokosuka) since Christmas eve. I am hoping to tlak to him soon see what he has looked at.

[Anti M]

I hope your dad is improving.  Never easy to be ill, winter is just twice as awful for that it seems.

Japan really celebrates New Years, I hope your sailor gets to experience some interesting things!  It may slow down his house hunting, they take off a whole week sometimes.