City comparison

Seoul vs Tokyo salary

Planning a move between Seoul and Tokyo? This 2026 page compares mid-level software engineer pay using our static country model plus city salary and cost-of-living multipliers—not live offers or city-level payroll data. On buying power, Seoul leads by about $17,864 in our heuristic.

Figures use Toolminator's static salary model (ranges for comparison, not job listings). Methodology & limitations.

CityCountryCity-adjusted mid grossUSD approx.Effective CoL×Buying power (US-equiv.)
SeoulSouth Korea₩79,800,000$60,0980.86$69,800
TokyoJapan¥8,625,000$54,5431.05$51,936

Nominal mid-level pay is about 10% higher in Seoul than Tokyo in our city-adjusted model ($5,555 USD gap).

After our static cost-of-living heuristic, Seoul leads on buying power by roughly 34% ($17,864 US-equivalent).

City multipliers adjust country-level bands—they are planning anchors, not verified city payroll filings.

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