Average Salaries in Japan

What jobs really pay, in Tokyo and the rest of the country.

These are approximate average annual salaries, compiled from the National Tax Agency, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's wage survey, and recruitment data such as doda. Real pay varies a lot by employer, company size, experience and exact location, so treat them as ballpark figures, not promises.

Flip the switches to see gross (what an offer letter quotes) or after tax (what actually reaches your bank), per year or per month. After-tax figures assume a regular company employee. Click any figure for the full breakdown in the calculator.

Gross, per year

Tech & creative

JobOutside TokyoTokyo
Software engineerModern tech / foreign firms and senior or AI roles often reach ¥10M+ ¥4,500,000 ¥6,000,000
IT consultant / systems integrator ¥4,500,000 ¥5,600,000
Web / UI designer ¥4,700,000 ¥5,600,000
Digital marketer ¥4,500,000 ¥5,500,000

Business, finance & office

JobOutside TokyoTokyo
Finance / banking professionalInvestment banking in Tokyo runs far higher ¥6,000,000 ¥9,000,000
Management consultant ¥5,500,000 ¥7,500,000
Sales (general) ¥4,300,000 ¥5,300,000
Accountant (in-house) ¥4,500,000 ¥5,600,000
Office / administrative ¥3,200,000 ¥3,900,000

Education

JobOutside TokyoTokyo
English teacher (eikaiwa / ALT)JET runs ¥4.0–4.3M nationwide; international schools ¥4.8M+ ¥2,800,000 ¥3,300,000
University lecturer ¥5,500,000 ¥6,500,000

Healthcare & care

JobOutside TokyoTokyo
DoctorOften pays more outside the big cities, not less ¥10,000,000 ¥10,500,000
Nurse ¥4,900,000 ¥5,600,000
Care worker (kaigo) ¥3,400,000 ¥3,900,000

Service, hospitality & trades

JobOutside TokyoTokyo
Hotel / hospitality staff ¥2,900,000 ¥3,400,000
Chef / restaurant cook ¥3,000,000 ¥3,500,000
Convenience store / retail clerkTracks the minimum wage; night shifts pay a 25% premium ¥2,400,000 ¥2,800,000
Construction / site manager ¥4,400,000 ¥5,300,000

After-tax figures assume a regular company employee (social insurance, income tax and resident tax, not the first year in Japan) and are computed with the same logic as the calculator. Sources: National Tax Agency and MHLW wage statistics, doda salary rankings, and published role data. Figures are approximate and updated for 2026.

Estimate your own take-home pay