Cost of living & salary equivalence
Cost of living in Japan
Japan's static cost-of-living index is 0.89× the US baseline (89% of US living costs in our model). Mid-level roles average ~$97,292 in US-equivalent buying power—rank #19 of 20 countries in our catalog. Compare mid-level gross pay, USD equivalents, and CoL-adjusted buying power across 50 roles—then open any job for junior and senior breakdowns.
Model revision Content revision: 2026-05 · Methodology
Figures use Toolminator's static salary model (ranges for comparison, not job listings). Methodology & limitations.
CoL index
0.89×
vs US baseline · #11 most expensive of 20
Avg buying power
$97,292
Mid-level roles · US-equivalent
Global rank
#19
of 20 countries on buying power
Mid-level salaries & buying power
Buying power = gross USD ÷ CoL index. US equivalent is the gross USD salary in the United States with the same purchasing power (US index = 1.0).
| Role | Gross (mid) | Gross USD | Buying power | US equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician | ¥33,262,797 | $207,646 | $233,310 | $233,310 | View |
| Machine Learning Engineer | ¥24,637,509 | $153,802 | $172,811 | $172,811 | View |
| Cloud Architect | ¥24,623,109 | $153,712 | $172,710 | $172,710 | View |
| Dentist | ¥23,283,958 | $145,352 | $163,317 | $163,317 | View |
| Investment Banker | ¥21,923,207 | $136,858 | $153,773 | $153,773 | View |
| Product Manager | ¥21,383,227 | $133,487 | $149,985 | $149,985 | View |
| Data Scientist | ¥20,965,642 | $130,880 | $147,056 | $147,056 | View |
| DevOps Engineer | ¥20,274,467 | $126,565 | $142,208 | $142,208 | View |
| Lawyer | ¥19,439,297 | $121,352 | $136,351 | $136,351 | View |
| Full Stack Developer | ¥18,690,524 | $116,677 | $131,098 | $131,098 | View |
| Backend Developer | ¥18,661,725 | $116,497 | $130,896 | $130,896 | View |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | ¥18,546,529 | $115,778 | $130,088 | $130,088 | View |
| Pharmacist | ¥18,431,333 | $115,059 | $129,280 | $129,280 | View |
| Mobile Developer | ¥17,552,965 | $109,576 | $123,119 | $123,119 | View |
| Frontend Developer | ¥16,631,399 | $103,823 | $116,655 | $116,655 | View |
| Project Manager | ¥15,421,843 | $96,272 | $108,171 | $108,171 | View |
| UX Designer | ¥15,274,968 | $95,355 | $107,140 | $107,140 | View |
| Electrical Engineer | ¥14,534,834 | $90,735 | $101,949 | $101,949 | View |
| Construction Manager | ¥14,226,685 | $88,811 | $99,788 | $99,788 | View |
| Account Executive | ¥13,679,505 | $85,395 | $95,949 | $95,949 | View |
| Financial Analyst | ¥13,512,471 | $84,353 | $94,779 | $94,779 | View |
| QA Engineer | ¥13,405,915 | $83,688 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| Scrum Master | ¥13,405,915 | $83,688 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| HR Manager | ¥13,405,915 | $83,688 | $94,031 | $94,031 | View |
| Data Analyst | ¥13,305,119 | $83,058 | $93,324 | $93,324 | View |
| Business Analyst | ¥13,247,521 | $82,699 | $92,920 | $92,920 | View |
| Mechanical Engineer | ¥13,247,521 | $82,699 | $92,920 | $92,920 | View |
| Physical Therapist | ¥13,178,404 | $82,267 | $92,435 | $92,435 | View |
| Registered Nurse | ¥12,988,331 | $81,081 | $91,102 | $91,102 | View |
| Civil Engineer | ¥12,924,973 | $80,685 | $90,657 | $90,657 | View |
| Nurse | ¥12,130,122 | $75,723 | $85,082 | $85,082 | View |
| Accountant | ¥11,231,594 | $70,114 | $78,780 | $78,780 | View |
| Digital Marketer | ¥10,160,273 | $63,426 | $71,265 | $71,265 | View |
| Recruiter | ¥10,056,596 | $62,779 | $70,538 | $70,538 | View |
| Electrician | ¥9,463,338 | $59,076 | $66,378 | $66,378 | View |
| SEO Specialist | ¥9,399,980 | $58,680 | $65,933 | $65,933 | View |
| Sales Representative | ¥9,302,064 | $58,069 | $65,246 | $65,246 | View |
| Plumber | ¥9,071,672 | $56,631 | $63,630 | $63,630 | View |
| Truck Driver | ¥8,518,732 | $53,179 | $59,752 | $59,752 | View |
| Graphic Designer | ¥8,213,463 | $51,273 | $57,610 | $57,610 | View |
| Paralegal | ¥8,017,630 | $50,051 | $56,237 | $56,237 | View |
| Teacher | ¥7,934,113 | $49,529 | $55,651 | $55,651 | View |
| Restaurant Manager | ¥7,767,080 | $48,487 | $54,480 | $54,480 | View |
| Elementary Teacher | ¥7,579,886 | $47,318 | $53,166 | $53,166 | View |
| Content Writer | ¥7,516,528 | $46,923 | $52,722 | $52,722 | View |
| Software Engineer | ¥7,500,000 | $46,819 | $52,606 | $52,606 | View |
| Chef | ¥7,038,466 | $43,938 | $49,369 | $49,369 | View |
| Medical Assistant | ¥6,410,648 | $40,019 | $44,965 | $44,965 | View |
| Customer Support Specialist | ¥6,358,810 | $39,695 | $44,601 | $44,601 | View |
| Warehouse Worker | ¥5,805,870 | $36,244 | $40,724 | $40,724 | View |
Higher buying power
Countries where mid-level roles score higher on our CoL-adjusted heuristic.
Lower buying power
Markets with lower average CoL-adjusted mid-level pay in our model.
Asia peers
All countries
- United StatesCoL 1.00× US
- CanadaCoL 0.92× US
- United KingdomCoL 0.95× US
- GermanyCoL 0.88× US
- FranceCoL 0.86× US
- NetherlandsCoL 0.90× US
- SwedenCoL 0.91× US
- NorwayCoL 1.05× US
- SwitzerlandCoL 1.28× US
- IrelandCoL 0.93× US
- SpainCoL 0.72× US
- ItalyCoL 0.78× US
- PolandCoL 0.52× US
- AustraliaCoL 0.94× US
- SingaporeCoL 1.02× US
- JapanCoL 0.89× US
- IndiaCoL 0.28× US
- BrazilCoL 0.38× US
- MexicoCoL 0.42× US
- TürkiyeCoL 0.35× US
Salary hub — Japan
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