Waseda University's Waseda Campus is about a 5-minute walk from Waseda 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.
Waseda's humanities and social-science faculties (Political Science and Economics, Law, Education, Commerce, Social Sciences, and International Liberal Studies) all stay at the Waseda campus for all four years — unlike Meiji or Keio, there's no mid-course campus move. The classic choices are Waseda and Nishi-Waseda stations, both a short walk from campus, surrounded by a lively student quarter built around seven shopping streets. Takadanobaba, one stop away, is also popular for its nightlife and convenience.
The ranking below is sorted by rent, and walkable classics like Waseda Station itself rank too high in rent to appear near the top. If rent matters more than proximity, several Seibu-Shinjuku Line stations that connect directly to Takadanobaba — Kami-Igusa, Shimo-Igusa, Igusa — rank well on the list below and follow the same direction as students' real housing choices.
Iriya (Hibiya Line) is one stop from Ueno in classic shitamachi — morning-glory markets, old shops, new cafés, and surprisingly gentle rents.
Shimo-Igusa is a quiet Seibu Shinjuku Line local stop, ~15 minutes to Takadanobaba, with Asagaya and Ogikubo in cycling range.
Iogi is a quiet Seibu Shinjuku Line local stop in Suginami, under 20 minutes to Takadanobaba — an affordable pocket of a pricey ward.
Tokiwadai's radial, tree-lined streets earned it the nickname 'Itabashi's Den-en-chofu' — planned-town beauty ~8 minutes from Ikebukuro.
Oyama is defined by its 560m Happy Road arcade and a ~5-minute ride to Ikebukuro — arguably Tokyo's best cost-performance for singles.
Ekoda is a classic student town (Musashi Univ., Nihon Univ. College of Art) with cheap eats and lively shopping streets, ~10 minutes to Ikebukuro.
Shimo-Itabashi is two local stops — or a bike ride — from Ikebukuro, one of the cheapest ways to live within reach of the hub.
Hikawadai pairs cherry-lined riverside calm with direct subway rides to Ikebukuro (~8 min), Shinjuku, and Shibuya.
Shin-Egota offers direct Oedo Line rides toward Shinjuku from a calm Nakano neighborhood near Tetsugakudo Park.
Daitabashi is minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line yet keeps a low-key, Okinawa-town charm — the cheapest pocket this close to Shinjuku.
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) →
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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