$150,000 in Austin ≈ ¥24,810,812 in Tokyo
Austin vs Tokyo: cost of living, compared
Equivalence is solved so household net cash matches across both cities, with taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and travel all included.
The bottom line
- →$150,000 in Austin leaves about the same net cash as ¥24,810,812 in Tokyo for this scenario, after real taxes and living costs.
- →Taxes take 22.7% of gross in Austin versus 34.4% in Tokyo.
- →The biggest non-cash swing: 5 fewer vacation days per year in Tokyo.
Where each paycheck goes
Every unit of gross, split four ways. Same net cash, very different shape.
Full Breakdown
| Category | Austin | Tokyo | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $150,000 | ¥24,810,812 ($151,581) | equivalent |
| Income + payroll tax | −$34,049 (22.7%) | −¥8,526,947 (34.4%) | A touch higher |
| Housing (rent) | −$26,124 | −¥2,892,000 | ~32% less |
| Healthcare (household) | −$3,844 | −¥86,000 | Universal |
| Food & groceries | −$7,920 | −¥840,000 | ~35% less |
| Transit | −$492 | −¥120,000 | ~49% more |
| Discretionary | −$4,960 | −¥390,000 | ~52% less |
| Travel home | −$300 | −¥120,000 | ~144% more |
| Net cash kept | $72,311 | ¥11,835,865 | equal in real terms |
Live in either city? Flag any number that looks off.
Computed at the city-median tech-worker salary, Austin (typical professional). Each figure is in the city's local currency, from the same engine as the calculator; sources are cited per row there.
What changes beyond the money
- Statutory vacation days~15 → ~10
- Total paid days off~26 → ~26
- Paid parental leave0 wks → 35 wks
- Healthcare systemEmployer / private → Universal
These numbers use one scenario's assumptions. Plug in your own salary, family size, and lifestyle.
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Moving from Austin to Tokyo
$150,000 in Austin is worth ¥24,810,812 in Tokyo on a household net-cash basis. That is the equivalence figure this tool solves for: the Tokyo gross salary whose take-home, after taxes and local costs, lands in the same place as your Austin take-home. Most people are surprised by how large the number is. Most of the gap is taxes.
The effective tax rate goes from 22.7% in Austin to 34.4% in Tokyo. That 11.7-point jump is what the equivalence solver is working against when it finds the matching gross salary.
Healthcare in Tokyo is universal. Austin households pay $3,844 in premiums and out-of-pocket costs per year, and that spending disappears in Tokyo. It won't show up in a take-home comparison, but it's real money.
Vacation entitlement is lower in Tokyo: 10 days per year vs 15 in Austin.
Living costs (housing, food, transit, discretionary) total $39,496 in Austin and ¥4,242,000 in Tokyo at these scenario defaults. The breakdown table shows each line item separately, with source citations and last-updated dates available on hover.
Who comes out ahead
Both leave you close to 48% of gross once rent and taxes are paid.
You also get universal healthcare and more paid leave on top of the money math in Tokyo. Run the family scenario to see it.
Tokyo gives you 35 more weeks of paid leave, none of which shows on an offer letter.
Common questions
How much do you need to earn in Tokyo to match a $150,000 salary in Austin?
About ¥24,810,812. cityparity solves for the Tokyo gross salary whose net cash (after taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, and the rest) equals what you keep in Austin. It's an equivalence, not a raw conversion.
Is healthcare free in Tokyo?
Tokyo has universal public healthcare, so you avoid US-style deductibles and surprise medical bills. But most working professionals still carry private top-up cover, which cityparity models at about ¥86,000 a year and counts in the comparison.
How much vacation and parental leave do you get in Tokyo?
Tokyo has about 26 paid days off a year (vacation plus public holidays) and 52 weeks of parental leave. cityparity surfaces these as deltas rather than dollars, because time off is part of the real comparison.
Run your own numbers in the interactive calculator →