Local Salaries · Japan
What is a good salary in 🇯🇵 Japan (Tokyo)?
The median is about $2,387/month; top-10% earners clear $5,078/month.
The local wage ladder
| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $1,363 | $16,356 | 203,984 JPY/mo |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD). | $1,207 | $14,484 | 180,637 JPY/mo |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $2,387 | $28,644 | 357,234 JPY/mo |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $3,551 | $42,612 | 531,436 JPY/mo |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $5,078 | $60,936 | 759,963 JPY/mo |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $9,397 | $112,764 | 1,406,336 JPY/mo |
Modeled from World Bank GNI $38,340 (2025) and Gini 32.3. Check where you stand in the interactive benchmarker.
Countries with similar median pay
- 🇰🇷 South Korea — median $2,316/mo
- 🇨🇿 Czechia — median $2,315/mo
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia — median $2,258/mo
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand — median $2,668/mo
See also: what everyday life costs in Japan · a fair US → Japan salary
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good salary in Japan?
- The median wage is about $2,387/month ($28,644/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $3,551/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $5,078/month.
- What is a top 10% salary in Japan?
- Roughly $5,078/month ($60,936/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $9,397/month.
- What is the minimum wage in Japan?
- About $1,207/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD).
- How are these Japan salary figures calculated?
- A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($38,340, 2025) and the Gini index (32.3). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.