Very Expensive Living Fee in Oxford

I'm currently staying in a college accommodation where I have my own bed room but all others like a kitchen, bath rooms, etc are shared with many other residents. The view from my room is actually pretty nice. All the utilities and as well as Internet access are included, and the location is pretty good as I can commute to the lab that I work at in 15 minutes on foot. I'm pleased with all those facts, but the thing is, the accommodation fee is quite expensive; it costs me 648 GBP per month!

When I was staying in a countryside of the U.S., I had quite a big room, my own bath room, and a kitchen shared by four suite mates. It was a new complex and even included a gym, two swimming pools, washing machines and dryers in each room. This was actually one of the most expensive places to live around the school, but it costed only 490 USD (= 300 GBP), which is less than half the price compared to where I stay now in Oxford!

In the last summer, I stayed in Tokyo as I worked internship there. I think many people would imagine that living in Tokyo is very expensive; however, even there, it is actually not too bad depending on the situation. In Japan, we do not have a tradition to share a house with other students, so each usually rent an ensuite room and live by oneself. In that case, the price can be pretty expensive. However, in a place like Tokyo, where many international students live, we can also easily find a shared house. The place I stayed in last summer was right at the center of Tokyo but costed only 49,000 JPY (= 360 GBP), which again is still a lot cheaper than the place I stay now!

I've just started to look up a place to stay next summer after the current contract expires. I hope I can find a good deal for the next three more years. Without doubts, 648 GBP per month is too much!