Japan
Cost of Living in Japan
A quick read on net pay, neighborhoods you can actually afford, and what's left at the end of the month.
Living in Japan costs from roughly ¥157,800/month for one person (rent plus essentials) in its most affordable city, while the median local salary is about ¥580,000/month.
Calculate Your Finances in Japan
Enter your gross monthly salary to see net pay, tax breakdown, and compare cities
Free calculator with 2026 tax rates. No data stored.
What it costs to live in Japan
Across AffordWhere's Japan dataset, average 1-bedroom rent ranges from about ¥89,800 per month in Fukuoka to ¥232,500 in Tokyo — a 159% difference for the same apartment size. A single person's all-in monthly budget (rent plus tracked essentials) starts around ¥157,800 in Fukuoka and reaches about ¥322,000 in Tokyo. On the median gross salary of ¥580,000 per month, take-home pay in Japan is roughly ¥438,291 after an effective 24.4% in tax and contributions.
| City | Avg 1BR rent /mo | Est. monthly budget (solo) |
|---|---|---|
| Fukuoka | ¥89,800 | ¥157,800 |
| Nagoya | ¥95,833 | ¥179,233 |
| Osaka | ¥110,417 | ¥198,917 |
| Sapporo | ¥128,700 | ¥199,700 |
| Yokohama | ¥135,417 | ¥230,917 |
| Kobe | ¥157,000 | ¥232,800 |
| Tokyo | ¥232,500 | ¥322,000 |
Budget = average 1-bedroom rent across tracked neighborhoods plus tracked monthly essentials (groceries, transport, utilities, and more). Sources on our data sources page.
Common questions about Japan
Cities across Japan
Calculate your net salary in Japan
Japan Income Tax Calculator
Take-home pay at common salary levels, with the full breakdown: income tax, social contributions, health insurance. Rates come straight from the government.
Top Japan salary benchmarks
What does it actually cost to live in each city? Budget, comfortable, and premium tiers.
- Salary needed in TokyoActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
- Salary needed in OsakaActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
- Salary needed in YokohamaActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
- Salary needed in NagoyaActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
- Salary needed in FukuokaActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
- Salary needed in SapporoActual costs plus tax, worked back to a gross figure
Moving to Japan?
Pick your starting point. Each guide digs into cost of living, visas, and realistic salaries for that specific move.
Moving to Japan? Start with the numbers.
The gross salary on your offer letter isn't what lands in your account. Type yours in and you'll see:
- Net monthly income after every deduction
- A line-by-line tax breakdown — income tax and social contributions
- Your effective tax rate
- How cost of living compares city by city
- Neighborhoods you can actually afford
Figures use 2026 tax rates from official Japan government sources. Full attribution lives on our data sources page.