Tokai University's Shonan Campus is about a 15-minute walk from Tokaidaigakumae Station. Here are the 13 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.
Following a 2022 reorganization, Tokai University introduced a relocation for students in its Global Citizen College group — Political Science and Economics, Business Administration, International Studies, Tourism, and Information and Communication — who spend years one and two at the Shonan campus before moving to the Shinagawa campus in year three (Tourism and Information and Communication students stay at Shinagawa through year four as well). Other faculties, such as Engineering, Science, and Agriculture, appear to remain based at Shonan for all four years, so how your housing plan unfolds depends heavily on your faculty.
Around the Shonan campus, the real favorite is Tokai-Daigaku-mae Station, about a 16-minute walk away and, true to its name, home to a concentration of Tokai students. That said, the restaurants and shops right at the station are limited, so students often lean on neighboring Hadano Station (about a 20-minute commute) or Isehara Station, two stops away, for a fuller range of shopping.
Hadano (ranked 4th) and Isehara (ranked 9th) both appear in the ranking below, a reasonably close match, but Tokai-Daigaku-mae Station itself, where Tokai students cluster, doesn't appear on it. Use the rent level around Tokai-Daigaku-mae as your baseline, then check Hadano and Isehara from the ranking as well.
| # | Station | Time* | Studio | 1K/1DK | Lines | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomimizu | 30 minNo transfer | ¥59,000 | — | Odakyu Line | Odawara City |
| 2 | Shinmatsuda | 20 minNo transfer | ¥61,000 | — | Odakyu Line | Matsuda Town |
| 3 | Shibusawa | 12 minNo transfer | ¥63,000 | ¥64,000 | Odakyu Line | Hadano City |
| 4 | Hadano | 6 minNo transfer | ¥65,000 | — | Odakyu Line | Hadano City |
| 5 | Kaisei | 24 minNo transfer | ¥65,000 | ¥65,000 | Odakyu Line | Kaisei Town |
| 6 | Tsurumakionsen | 2 minNo transfer | ¥66,000 | ¥71,000 | Odakyu Line | Hadano City |
| 7 | Atsugi | 21 minNo transfer | ¥69,000 | ¥70,000 | JR Sagami Line / Odakyu Line | Ebina City |
| 8 | Aikoishida | 14 minNo transfer | ¥70,000 | ¥71,000 | Odakyu Line | Atsugi City |
| 9 | Isehara | 8 minNo transfer | ¥70,000 | ¥71,000 | Odakyu Line | Isehara City |
| 10 | Kayama | 27 minNo transfer | ¥70,000 | — | Odakyu Line | Odawara City |
| 11 | Zama | 29 minNo transfer | ¥74,000 | — | Odakyu Line | Zama City |
| 12 | Ebina | 24 minNo transfer | ¥77,000 | ¥78,000 | JR Sagami Line / Odakyu Line / +2 | Ebina City |
| 13 | Hon-Atsugi | 19 minNo transfer | ¥95,000 | ¥98,000 | Odakyu Line | Atsugi City |
Tomizu is a pastoral Odakyu local stop ~10 minutes from Odawara — one-line simplicity at modest cost.
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