In terms of lifestyle a lot of people mention being able to get on comfortably with alot less than in their home country.
By comparison – my last job in Canada would have cleared over double what I’d make in Japan based on current exchange rates. My wife and I can live modestly off one salary comfortably off two.
Would a higher salary back home ensure a comfortable lifestyle for you similar to what you enjoy here based on exchange rates?
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Here for the public transportation and Asian guys.
I’m jumping in front of a train before I live in Canada again
I don’t want to live in the US. I just want to make more money here. lol.
We were hella comfortable in my home country with only one salary.
Here on one salary we’ve struggled .
We’ve calculated we’ll be near impoverished after our house is finished being built.
My husband was promoted and given the yen equivalent of a 400 dollar raise last month with triple the work and responsibility.
When promoted in the U.S . it was a 25,000 dollar raise in salary.
Everyone’s experience/ circumstances/needs/opinions on this seem to be different, from what I read on reddit.
This is just my experience.
The cost of living is great here but a lot of what makes returning to the US extremely unlikely is that there is no way to get the level of safety we have here in Japan. I never have to worry about my wife and son out and about here. In the US, it was always a worry about their safety. We lived in a really good neighborhood but still had drug users in the park, gang problems and murders along with some borderline racist remarks about my wife.
Hmm, being from Vancouver, it’s a bit more nuanced tbh. Most of the problems plaguing the lower mainland are beyond just getting a higher salary. Overworked and understaffed healthcare workers, long waits to get a family doctor, a frustrating revolving door for repeat offending criminals, an out of control opioid crisis, waitlist for daycares, schools etc. Heck, there’s a waitlist for almost everything nowadays except Tims. ICBC (no further explanation needed! lol ).
I had a nice visit back home in the US for about 10 days. Nice to visit, dreadful to be living there.
A higher salary is meaningless if you get shot by some junkie who bought a military grade assault rifle at Wal-mart
in japan, netting 200k (jpy) per month is considered a good deal for many people
at the current rate, that would be around 1400 usd – a paltry sum by western standards
even russians are surprised by such income levels
I work remotely for a US company. My salary is literally 10x what any company in Japan would pay me. And I don’t have to work for a Japanese company.
besides higher income, in Holland anyone that lives in Holland from their 17 till 67 (2% a year) gets the basic pension of 1400 euro (220k yen) a month when they retire. people who work get to build pension on top of that.
japan’s basic pension is 65k yen ….
it’s no surprise you can see so many older people struggling here
I guess it’s like Japanese people moving to Southeast Asia. The salary is low, but you can live a life that suits you.
For a long list of reasons I have no desire to move back to where I grew up. That’s good because even though my day job pays more than double the average household income of that country, I couldn’t afford to buy a house there.
I think quality of life is really hard to compare. Some ways obviously better, others worse, and hard to evaluate the balance.
The place where the difference is unambiguous is the ability to save for the future for stuff like retirement, kids, etc. In those terms, Japan is now a pretty weak place to be in the developed world.
When it was 110 to the dollar, I knew I was taking a haircut being here, but it seemed like a fair trade. At 147, moving here quickly becomes a one-way ticket, because you simply can’t afford to save enough to afford a future in a wealthier country.
Day to day, I’m quite happy here. But over the long term, I feel like I’m falling behind in a way that I need to address soon (presumably by leaving), because otherwise it’ll be practically impossible to achieve goals like sending kids to world-class schools, traveling the world, retiring where I want, etc.
I’m from the UK and it’s probably a better lifestyle there once you get to a certain level of earnings, because you can afford more space and your property (traditionally) increases in value.
I think they mean ‘safety’ when they talk about a comfortable life in Japan. Those who say that it’s more affordable to live comfortably in Japan than in their home country are from the USA. It costs a lot to live in a safe and clean area in the USA.
Even in a poor and dangerous area in Japan, we don’t have to worry about vandalism, robbery, or getting shot.
When they earn much more money in the USA, they often have to spend most of it to live in an area as safe as in Japan.
UK is sage, no guns etc so I don’t feel much differently in that respect. Also, the UK has the sharpest declining suicide rate in teens, which is interesting, and not to be sniffed at
Higher salary doesn’t matter when you can’t afford reasonable housing, and cost of living with that salary. Comparing income with exchange rates is also pointless, because let’s be honest here, it’s impossible for most people to physically work in the US/Canada but living in Japan at the same time, unless you have sweet remote work deal.
But one thing for certain, if apocalypse come, I’d rather be in Japan, queueing up to get my share of water and ration like everyone.
If I can make even half what I’m making in Japan back home, I can live like a king, no make it a fricking emperor. Alas, I don’t think that would be possible anytime soon. Realistically, I’ll have to quarter my salary if I move back.
I am happy when I’m in Texas with my sister’s family or with my parents and old friends in my hometown in the Philippines. I’m miserable and always battling anxiety and depression here in Japan. Alas, for financial reasons I can’t leave Japan yet.
I could make more money elsewhere, but between rent and lost income + medical expenses for stab wounds, assault and bombings I’m better off here.
I’m from a state in the USA where lynchings have been attempted in recent memory and public figures have voiced neutral stances toward Nazis. I’m white and those people aren’t targeting me, but even so, you couldn’t pay me enough to choose to be their neighbor.
Japan’s reluctance to pay me what I deserve keeps me from committing to Japan, but that doesn’t automatically mean I want to go back to where I was born.
My last job before I moved to Japan paid 4x as much based on the current exchange rate and I feel like I lived pretty high on the hog since I had no financial obligations. I’m an ALT right now and I’m obviously making pretty much nothing, so I knew I’d have to live cheaply and for the moment I’m almost comfortable. If I wanted to get married or start a family I would absolutely need to get a new job since there’s no way I’ll ever get a raise no matter how hard I try.
Then move back if it’s so much better. Leaves more space for us.
I am lucky to be making “salary back home” but in Japan due to being a business owner etc. But even if I was making some what less, 30 % or so, the benefits of living in Japan would outweigh the financial hit. Better service, safer, often more convenient, higher quality food, good healthcare, friendlier people, many goods I want being somewhat cheaper over here … there is much more at play than just purely financial considerations.
Hmm. I’ve been lucky to create a business that can be operated remotely. So I live in Japan but have an overseas-level business earning. So the spending power is strong.
That said I don’t notice that big a difference. There’s less to do back home so I end up saving more, bizarrely. Japan has a lot of activity and even though where I live isn’t that exciting, I can/often have meetings in Tokyo or Osaka for my business or networking and everytime I go there it seems to cost heaps once you go out to nicer places. These cities are not that cheap
I miss huge backyard and spaces at where I live 🙁
This is not an easy question to answer.
You will always make better money at home. And, comparatively, you’ll also likely make more disposable income.
Japan is very affordable to live in. Get a sharehouse, eat seafood/vegetables, and shop on Amazon for clothes. You’ll still have plenty of money to either save or spend on weekends.
But, this same logic applies to other countries. And they provide more disposable income. You can “Live with your means.” Anywhere in the world. You just have to budget and be smart.
The difference is that you can do this in Japan while being a 15 minute 240 yen train ride from a major bustling city. Japan’s infrastructure is dated but insanely efficient. Food that would expensive in North America (sushi, fish, etc…) is cheap as dirt in Japan. There’s no wal-marts so malls are still lively and fun. The cities are safe and relatively clean. Snacks are super cheap. The entire country is just beautiful to be honest.
So that’s what it boils down to. No, you won’t make more money in Japan. But if you genuinely enjoy teaching and being a productive member of the Japanese culture and society, you’ll adapt and never want to leave.
If your objective is leaving your home country and making more money. Go to China. My friend picked China and makes more money, received university offers on just a bachealor degree, and gets about 3x as many paid holidays. The downside is, well, China. But honestly just stay outta politics and your fine.
I left my hometown because I see no future of the city in terms of economy and opportunities. Now thing has changed for worse than I can say I made the right call
Putting aside I would not find a job that is high enough for pay for my expertise, the fact that a monthly amount 150k yen can only get you a 1K in Hong Kong is laughably depressing. And that is not add to the fact that buying a house is impossible without being borned into rich. I would happily pay extra for food and transport here because I have choice, but paying most of salary for some rich property company is something I can’t tolerate
Of course, with the political situation now I am afraid to even go back. And Japan offers me a lifestyle that is more suited for my personality so I don’t think any amount of money can get me back to a worsening city
In my case I’m from Argentina so with my current salary when I was working remotely I was basically rich. Now I’m not but I think the safety is worth it, also it’s fun to live somewhere else. That being said I still live pretty comfortably with my salary here too.
There’s a qualitative difference in my life back home (Manchester) which no amount of money could replace. So I’m happy with my modest Japanese wage
my country is in war so… But I wouldn’t go back anyway. Thought I have 2 apartments in ownership there… It was hurting me in my first year here…
The exchange rate and general relatively low salaries for tech jobs in Japan is the sole reason why I don’t work for a Japanese company. Downside is, being compliant with taxes etc. is a lot harder. But even then, I rather take the much higher pay then working for a Japanese company while living in Japan.
I can’t drive, so my home country (US) is not an option.
Depending where I lived in England I could potentially afford the same lifestyle with the same salary. When I lived in Manchester the cost of living there was about the same as here. Not sure how it is now, but even if Manchester’s more expensive I’m sure there would be some affordable places still.
Although a location 40 mins from London, given I currently live 40 mins from Tokyo, I expect I’d need double my current salary to afford a similar lifestyle. Quite possibly even more than double.
Not to mention I wouldn’t be able to earn my current salary in England unless I worked like double the hours I currently do. So yeah, even in the affordable areas, where there aren’t as many jobs, I’d have a worse life there than here.
I could get double my salary in the us but i make enough for a comfy life as is.
Beyond a certain level theres far more important things than money to living.
Also real estate here is a lot more affordable so that does make up for the income difference a fair bit
A big one for me is public transportation. Granted, I’m close to Tokyo so there’s quite a lot compared to back home where everything I needed would require a car!
A friend of mine moved to Japan very recently (lived in New York) and tried to explain to me why he needed a car, for the freedom of movement and privacy or something. I get it, but it’s not necessary if you’re close to Tokyo.
Any other place, ya you need car – but other than long drives with car karaoke and listening to good music, I don’t miss driving at all.
Man….I really wish they’d also include India in the list of working holiday visa countries. I’d so wanna be a digital nomad there….