Reasonable Salary for Tokyo

42 comments

1. I think if you don’t mind living in the outskirts of the city, you can find some pretty affordable places. I found a 2DK in Adachi for 77,000 a month and start up costs were less than 220k.

2. Honestly you can easily live with that salary

3. I make roughly the same amount a month and pay 90,000 a month on rent. Living in a very nice area and very convenient commute to work. Small room though. It’s slightly difficult to save money (I save roughly 100,000 a month, sometimes less if I make big purchases), but eh, life is comfortable. In the US, the saying is 25% on rent, no more than 30%. Here I feel 33% is the baseline.

   Point is, it’s totally fine. A lot of folks get paid way less. Like near slavery wages.

4. 4.2 million per year is more than enough to live very comfortably in west Tokyo.

   Then again, it depends on your definition of “comfortably.” I’ve seen posts on here complaining about being unable to save with over six million per year because some people are honestly just terrible with money and spend 1,500 yen per meal every single day.

   As for taxes, a quick Google search will help you.

5. as long as you don’t have a family you should be okay

6. I think totally doable. I make a similar amount and lose maybe 70k per month between my taxes/social insurance (including residence tax).

   If you’re not overly fussy about room size, there are plenty of 1R/1K apartments even in central Tokyo that would be available. If you go a bit further out then 1LDK should be doable.

7. My first salary in Tokyo was 3mil a year, I lived by myself in a 2DK (in Adachi) and had a pet rabbit and cat. It’s doable.

8. It’s definitely a livable salary. Can’t comment if it’s a good/bad salary because it depends on a lot of factor.

   I used to live about 30-40min from Musashi-kosugi about 3 years ago, My rent was 60 000yen for a 36sqm appartment, and had same salary.

   I could save easily 100 000k per months. For taxes, an easy way is to think it will cost you roughly 20% of your salary at that level, between residence tax, income tax, etc. Not a perfect calculation but a good ballpark.

   If you want to live in hyped location like shinjuku, hiroo etc with over 60sqm places, yeah it will cost a lot in rent.

9. Yeah my first job was 4M/y, lived in ikebukuro, 15 minutes to the station walking. Led a very comfortable bachelor life back then 🙂

   That was 20y ago though.

10. I make around 270k a month and get along fine, I can save money and go out. I don’t really eat very extravagantly and have to be selective about what things I spend money on, but it’s easily possible.

11. It’s livable but would be hard to save a lot.

12. It’s a reasonable salary if you have reasonable expenses. If the rent is about 30% of your salary, you can cover daily cost of life and afford some entertainment. I lived in Osaka with 200k salary, after taxes, and rent I had less than 100k and I managed fine. But it was also during covid and I didn’t go out much.

13. If you are single if is enough to make ends meet bit it won’t be a comfortbale life with that salary

14. Yeah, it’s plenty. Especially if you’re frugal.

15. If you have a family to support, it won’t be fun. If you just graduated and you still have your student life in mind, it’ll be paradise

16. I take it you’re single? If so those are decent.

17. It’s livable but you will have to sacrifice on your apartment, namely distance from the station, size, and quality. When I was living on 3.5mil I was 20min from the nearest station in a mostly-wood 32sqm apartment. I hated it.

18. Is it income after deductions? If yes then it’s doable

19. Living on a monthly salary of ¥350,000 in Tokyo is possible, but it may require careful budgeting and lifestyle adjustments. Renting your own apartment for around ¥90,000 is feasible, although it’s important to consider additional living expenses such as utilities, groceries, transportation, and leisure activities, and your current financial situation, spending habits, and lifestyle choices.

    I know folks living in an 35-40 m2 in Tokyo, 3rd or 4th floor, with sunlight, air con included, and relatively new (10 years), paying between 50000-60000 yen/month. I’ve checked the contract for them, and I checked the real state background, and real state’s staff, and nothing wrong, no Red Flags, legally speaking.

20. Income tax rates in Japan are progressive, meaning they increase as your income rises. The exact amount of taxes you will pay depends on various factors, including your total income and available deductions.

    Residents’ tax, also known as inhabitant tax, is a local tax that varies depending on the municipality. The tax amount is based on your income, and each municipality sets its own rates. To determine the specific residents’ tax in your city, it would be best to consult the local government or tax authorities.

21. I survived on 250,000 for the first two years I was here. But I didn’t have to pay pension or health insurance. 350,000 is do-able but if you have to pay insurance and pension on top of the 90,000 rent, you might be wanting for a bit more cash for saving, etc.

22. Yeah, I’ve lived with 300, it’s a basic salary, and it wasn’t luxury party but it was enough to live with and be cool.

    Edit – sorry, I think it was 250. Not sure anymore. Anyway less than the salary you’re considering.

    I don’t remember feeling any discomfort, or having to be careful with money more than it felt normal to be. (Talking from a no person in charge perspective.)

    Also, although Tokyo is of course more expensive relatively to less central or urban areas, it’s honestly not so expensive.

    You don’t _need_ so much money in Tokyo. You can live cool with not so much compared to other capitals.

    It’s just that the more you have, the more “fun things that cost money” you can do, more restaurants, travels… And there are a ton to be done.

    But bottom line, with 350 you have enough to live, and have a “reasonably fun” life outside of the basic needs.

    If the job suits you and you don’t have too high standards on what life you wanna live, like buying every new iPhone or going party every single day of the week, you’ll be cool.

    For the taxes I’m not aware of something Tokyo specific, it’s the brackets system, which I believe is national. A quick google search will return it if you don’t know.

23. That’s plenty of money. I live in East Tokyo, 20ish mins from Shinjuku and I rarely spend more than 180000 JPY a month, and that’s including rent for a 37m apartment and eating out several times a week.

24. Definitely doable if you’re young, single and don’t have substantial debt. You can even afford an apartment in central Tokyo if you don’t mind somewhere small.

    I used to make around that much and was able to pretty consistently save 50,000-60,000 yen a month despite eating out twice a day everyday and living in a 1R in the 23 wards.

25. I’m starting to think that my 210K (after taxes) salary isn’t enough. Where are you guys working and how are you making so much money?

26. That’s an above average salary for fresh graduates so definitely doable (as in many people live on much less than that). Take-home pay is usually about 80% (i.e. 20% goes to taxes/health insurance etc.) depending on if you company deducts for extra stuff. Might be -+ a few % based on your situation. So expect about 280k?

    If your rent is 90k, and let’s say utilities are 20k and that’s probably on the high end, you’re left with 170k a month. Anecdotally I usually spend around 30k on groceries for myself for a month – I usually eat lunch out at work. Using my anecdote, and let’s assume you don’t eat out at all for a second, 40k on groceries a month should be a good estimate.

    That leaves 130k for leisure and savings each month, assuming you don’t need to pay for commute (usually companies cover this). At that point up to you if you want to spend that on living more comfortably (eating out, more expensive groceries, buying stuff, renting a more expensive place, etc. etc.) or save it and live fairly frugally. Keep in mind also that the 40k for groceries is not really too frugal it’s just avoiding the most expensive stuff (most imported products etc.).

    edit: Assuming you also get a bonus this would add to your savings also

27. Reasonable.

28. Definitely doable. Comfortable depends on your definition of “comfort”, if you want to eat out every day etc. Musashino is also a great city to live in, especially Kichijoji.

29. Reading these comments is very eye opening…wow.

30. What kind of job gives a salary of ¥350000? Kinda curious.

31. > Context: No bonuses or rent allowance, salary only

    Ok, I can’t read.

    > Do you think it’s reasonable to live on a monthly salary of ¥350000 in Tokyo?

    Does the amount factor in the bonus (i.e. 3.5 mil/14)?

    If so, I would say it’s barely above survival level: you’re probably going to get around 220,000 yen/month which is enough to pay rent, utilities and save a little money, but you won’t be able to do much more than that.

    If it’s 3.5 mil + bonus (twice a year), then that pushes your gross salary above 4 mil which is definitely an improvement. You won’t be rich by any means, but you will be able to save more money if you are frugal.

32. I used to live in Fuchu and the prices were reasonable. I was very close to work so only took the train when I wanted to get further into the city, and I cooked at home a lot during the week. Phone plans are so much cheaper than in my home country (Canada) and my house had wifi included in the price. If that’s your salary after deductions and you’re single/don’t have kids or a vehicle, should be fine! YMMV though because of course it depends on you, your lifestyle, and what you want to do i.e. is saving a goal, do you have loans back home, etc.

33. I don’t know OP is already in Japan or not.
    Generally, we get 80% of salary after tax.
    So 350k x 0.8= 280k u will get.
    For house, if u r single, it is also not bad living in share house like Oak house .All utilities included and will cost about 70k.If u want to live alone in apartment within Tokyo, it is pricey even for small room.
    Regarding with salary, it is really nice.
    But I have concern with no bonus and no allowance at all.
    As much as I know, japan companies usually give employees allowance like transportation fee and half or some % for house rent and twice a year bonus for sure.

    So,if possible,u should negotiate with yr company first for allowance I said above.

34. Some people live on like 220,000 per month so yes it’s very doable.

35. most fresh grads make a lot less than that so yes.

36. That salary is fine. Neither “scraping by” or “luxurious” but should suffice for a typical single life and saving some money.

37. For one person, it’s fine. I earn a little less than that, and I pay more than that in rent and still have an ok amount left after. Out west, the rent tends to be cheaper so you should be able to find something much cheaper. Residence tax depends on the area you live in, so you can look it up before you decide.

38. Depends what you want. If you want an expat lifestyle you’d need a lot more. If you’re happy to sleep in a 1ldk pretty far and eat sukiya then sure, it’s enough

39. That’s a pretty good pay actually. Find nice cosy little cheap apartment and all’s well !

40. I stated on 5mil as a single in Tokyo and it was very generous, your salary sounds livable as a single starting out. But be very aware and careful thinking about the career steps you’ll be taking in the next 5-10 years. You can 3-5x your salary if you make the right moves.

41. If you are single and don’t have any debt you will be just fine.

    Also don’t buy a car.

42. Your take home will be about ¥290,000, which is plenty. You can live very well and save nothing, live very frugally and save a lot or somewhere in between.