Meiji University's Surugadai Campus is about a 3-minute walk from Ochanomizu 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.
At Meiji University, 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. Because Meidaimae Station connects to Ochanomizu with just one transfer, many students settle near Meidaimae as first-years and simply stay there for all four years. The Surugadai area (Ochanomizu Station) sits in central Tokyo, so rents run high, and stations that reach Ochanomizu without a transfer — Nakano, Sasazuka, Koenji — have become the go-to choice for staying affordable and well connected.
The ranking below favors stations toward Adachi and Katsushika, but the real student favorites lie in the opposite direction, around Nakano, Sasazuka, and Koenji. New students are better off starting their search from our Izumi campus page instead.
Iriya (Hibiya Line) is one stop from Ueno in classic shitamachi — morning-glory markets, old shops, new cafés, and surprisingly gentle rents.
Arakawa-Shakomae is a Toden Arakawa Line tram stop beside the tram depot, in a relaxed old-town neighborhood between Oji and Machiya.
Sakaecho is a tram stop beside Asukayama Park, walkable to Oji's JR and subway lines — a quietly excellent pocket of Kita-ku.
Takano is a Nippori-Toneri Liner stop ~15 minutes direct to Nippori — Yamanote access at some of Tokyo's lowest rents.
Kohoku is a quiet Nippori-Toneri Liner stop with a ~15-minute direct ride to Nippori and some of Tokyo's lowest rents.
Rokucho is a newly planned TX town ~15 minutes from Akihabara — Tsukuba Express speed at Adachi prices.
Shin-Kiba is a three-line waterfront hub ~8 minutes from Tokyo Station, beside the green expanse of Yumenoshima Park.
Arakawa-7chome is a tram stop in the heart of Arakawa's shitamachi; Machiya Station (Chiyoda Line and Keisei) is walkable, keeping both rents and living costs low.
Adachi-Odai sits on a narrow strip of land between the Arakawa and Sumida rivers, with a direct Nippori-Toneri Liner ride to Nippori. Riverside openness at a modest rent.
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