Iwakuni MCAS » Utilities & Finances
Information is at bottom – Please Scroll Down
Utilities & Finances
COLA (Cost Of Living Allowance):
While stationed at Iwakuni, you will receive COLA. A “COLA Survey” is conducted occasionally by higher headquarters, and the results are used to adjust the COLA rate. Here is a link to the official COLA website where you can see the current rate.
OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance):
If you live off-base, you will also receive OHA which consists of two parts OHA Rental Ceiling amount and the Utility/Recurring maintenance/miscellaneous Allowance (the amount provided to cover your utilities). In addition, you will receive a one-time Move-In-Housing Allowance (MIHA) to help offset the expense of moving into off-base housing.
Banking and Currency:
There are two banks on base; Navy Federal Credit Union and Community Bank. There is no Marine Federal at Iwakuni. There are ATMs available for your convenience, and credit/debit cards are accepted at most locations.
You can exchange Dollars and Yen on base at Community Bank, the MCX Cash Cage, the Club Iwakuni Cash Cage, or the Northside 7-Day Store. In addition, you can withdraw Yen from the ATM at CrossRoads and the one by the MCX 7-Day Store. Yen is only dispensed from the ATM’s in 5000 Yen bills (which is roughly equivalent to $50, depending on the exchange rate).
Prices on base are listed in USD (US Dollars).
When shopping off base, it is generally easier to pay in Yen than with credit cards. Be aware that your credit card company may charge a small currency conversion surcharge if you use your card off base.
Bills:
On Base – is like living on base in the US. You only have to pay for internet, telephone, and whatever debts you bring with you or miscellaneous bills you incur. Expect to spend about $45-75/month for internet acces, $35 for basic telephone service plus long distance charges. Any other bills you have will be purely on an individual basis, such as vehicle payments, insurance, cell phones, etc.
Off Base – you will pay the same bills as what you would expect to pay off base in the States, including rent (which begins around $1000/month) and utiliites (which average $200-$500).
The Family Housing Office will have the utilities turned on in time for your move. There are several ways to pay for your utilities: at the utility company, at 7-11 (similar to stateside 7-11’s), or by deduction from your Japanese bank account, which the housing office will also assist you with obtaining.
For a 3 or 4 bedroom house, the up front cost can be as much as 4 months rent (for example: one month’s rent for an agent fee, 2 month’s rent for damage deposit, and the first month’s rent). The agent fee is reimbursable with a copy of receipt and the damage deposit will be refunded upon completion of contract minus any damages.
It is common to also add various expenses into your lease, such as: heaters, installation of satellite dish (required if you want AFN channels), additional air conditioning units, move-out cleaning fee, etc. You just have to make sure you don’t go over your OHA ceiling and that you consider the cost of your other bills in addition to what you add so you can be sure you have enough to cover everything. For example, if your rent is $900/month and your OHA ceiling is $1400/month. That gives up to $500/month to add in little extras depending on what you need.
If you go over this amount, you will have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
Electricity:
On Base - everything is set up for American 110 volt electrical plugs. As with base housing in the US, you will not incur a bill for electricity. In addition, during the summer months, there are often “Green Out” periods, during which the base is near its allotted electrical useage as determined by their agreement with the Japanese electric company which supplies the base. You will be asked to conserve electricity during Green Outs. This is done by turning off lights and air conditioners in rooms where they are not being used, and by powering down electrical equipment (such as computers, coffee pots, televisions, washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc) during the peak hours of the day. The base is charged more for electricity during the middle of the day, so not using devices that consume large amounts of power during those hours is the most effective conservation tactic.
Off Base – the Japanese homes use 100v, which may or may not cause a problem with certain American products built for 110 volt. For example, your hair dryer will work fine, it will just run a little slower and not have quite as much heat output, but you will probably not notice the difference. Your microwave will probably work ok, but may run be a little slow-ish. Your computer will probably not notice the difference, because the power supply inside most computers is made to accommodate the difference. If something needs the 110v to run properly, the Housing Office will supply you with transformers you can use. Also, most Japanese outlets are only “2-prong” without a grounding socket, so you will need to use an adapter to plug in any 3-prong things.
Appliances:
On Base – The only appliances you will need are your small kitchen appliances (microwave, coffee pot, toaster, etc). The housing units here come with refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers and clothes washers and dryers, so check with the Housing Office before you pack out to verify what you should/should not bring.
Off Base – most Japanese homes are much smaller than American homes. There are some exceptions where the Japanese rental homes are super-large with basically two homes connected together, but those are the exception for a lucky few people who get into them. Most do not have hookups for American washers and dryers, but you can purchase a Japanese washer and dryer to use, or arrange to include a set when you fill out your contract. You may also opt to switch out the Japanese stove/refrigerator for American ones during the contract arrangement, as well as include any move-out cleaning fees and other miscellaneous items in the lease.
Heating and Air Conditioning:
On Base - midrises and townhouses have central air and heating. The base controls the power cycling for both heating and air conditioning to save money. For example, during the winter the heat may be on for a few hours then off for a few hours. As a result, sometimes it can get a little cold for a couple of hours.
Off Base – The homes are typically not well insulated and it can get quite hot in the summer and cold in the winter. The electric bills can be quite substantial if you leave your heat or air conditioning on 24/7, so be careful not to go over the amount that the government provides you for utilities. The base provides space heaters and dehumidifiers for you to use.
Television:
On Base - the same as in the US, television access is provided at no cost, by AFN (Armed Forces Network) and the S-6 Department. There are about 10 American channels, and another 30 from other countries, mostly Japanese. Check out the
My AFN website for show times and listings.
Off Base – AFN is available off-base at no cost; all you need is a decoder box that you can obtain through the Housing Office and a satellite dish to receive the channels. You will get 9 or so channels: AFN Prime Atlantic, AFN sports, AFN Prime Pacific, AFN Movie, AFN kids, AFN Spectrum, Pentagon Channel, AFN Xtra and AFN news. If your home doesn’t have the satelite set up already, you might have to pay to have it installed at a cost of around $100, which you can opt to have written into your lease agreement and pay along with your monthly rent if you prefer not to pay the lump sum up front.
Internet:
Please refer to my Internet Access section for this information.
Cell Phones:
Softbank is the most popular service provider for Americans. They are the only service provider with a kiosk on base and they offer unlimited calls between all Softbank phones so they are generally best deal if you will be calling mostly other Softbank users. The other two cellular providers which are located off base, are DoCoMo by NTT and AU by KDDI.
Please be aware that the Japanese have different etiquette regarding cell phone use in public places than we are accustomed to in the US. For example, cell phone use on public transportation is usually prohibited in some way due to the potential risk electronic devices may pose to people using pacemakers, as well as the nuisance of additional noise levels during congested travel times.
