Meiji University's Izumi Campus is about a 5-minute walk from Meidaimae Station. Here are the 15 cheapest stations within roughly 30 minutes* of it, sorted by studio rent. Balancing rent and commute time is the key to a comfortable first apartment in Tokyo — start your search from this list.
Meiji's six humanities and social-science faculties — Law, Commerce, Political Science and Economics, Letters, Business Administration, and Information and Communication — spend their first two years at the Izumi campus before moving to Surugadai from year three. The nearest station, Meidaimae, is about a 5-minute walk from campus and the classic choice, with nearby Shimotakaido, Eifukucho, Takaido, Higashimatsubara, and Nishieifuku also popular. Because Meidaimae reaches Ochanomizu with just one transfer, many students stay put even after moving up to third year.
The ranking below is dominated by Keio Line stations — Chitosekarasuyama, Chofu, Kitami — and tracks well with where students actually live. Chitosekarasuyama and Sakurajosui in particular are worth a look as places you could realistically call home for all four years.
Chitose-Karasuyama pairs a bustling local shopping street with a ~20-minute Keio Line ride to Shinjuku — long popular as Setagaya's affordable corner.
Kitami is the local stop next to upscale Seijogakuen-mae — riverside greenery and Shinjuku in ~20 minutes at a friendlier price.
Fujimigaoka is a quiet Inokashira Line neighborhood with one-train access to both Kichijoji and Shibuya, priced below its express-stop neighbors.
Shin-Egota offers direct Oedo Line rides toward Shinjuku from a calm Nakano neighborhood near Tetsugakudo Park.
Soshigaya-Okura's Ultraman-themed shopping streets honor its Tsuburaya Productions roots — Setagaya living one stop from Seijo at a discount.
Daitabashi is minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line yet keeps a low-key, Okinawa-town charm — the cheapest pocket this close to Shinjuku.
Sakurajosui is a Keio express stop and Nihon University student town, ~15 minutes to Shinjuku with student-friendly prices.
Sasazuka is ~4 minutes from Shinjuku yet keeps its friendly shopping-street life — big-city access at a neighborhood price.
In Japan there are often only a few weeks between acceptance and the start of term. A furnished apartment cuts both the setup work and the upfront costs, so you can start student life right away. See the Housing Guide (furnished / share house / standard rental) →
See the results-to-move-in timeline →
Compare rents line by line on the line index, or explore the area map.
*Travel times are estimates based on local trains (plus ~6 min per transfer). Express services are often faster.
*Rents are market estimates based on SUUMO listings and vary by season and property. Station data: ©ekidata.jp