$280,000 in Los Angeles ≈ ¥31,095,399 in Tokyo
Moving to Tokyo from Los Angeles with a family
Equivalence is solved so household net cash matches across both cities, with taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, food, and travel all included.
The bottom line
- →$280,000 in Los Angeles leaves about the same net cash as ¥31,095,399 in Tokyo for this scenario, after real taxes and living costs.
- →Taxes take 28.1% of gross in Los Angeles versus 31.7% in Tokyo.
- →The biggest non-cash swing: 10 more 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 | Los Angeles | Tokyo | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $280,000 | ¥31,095,399 ($195,188) | Equivalent |
| Income + payroll tax | −$78,661 (28.1%) | −¥9,857,976 (31.7%) | A touch higher |
| Housing (rent) | −$56,642 3 bed rents run $3,089 to $5,706 across the metro | −¥4,152,723 3 bed listings typically ¥262,400 to ¥396,800 | ~54% less |
| Healthcare (household) | −$14,828 | −¥192,000 + ¥1,531,448 statutory health & care, household total (already in tax above) | Universal |
| Childcare | −$21,960 | −¥252,000 | ~93% less |
| Food & groceries | −$17,760 | −¥1,980,000 | ~30% less |
| Transit | −$2,820 | −¥282,000 | ~37% less |
| Discretionary spending | −$6,240 | −¥390,000 | ~61% less |
| Travel home | −$2,200 | −¥960,000 | ~174% more |
| Government child benefit | +$4,400 | +¥240,000 | Offsets childcare |
| Net cash kept | $83,289 | ¥13,268,700 | Equal in real terms |
Live in either city? Flag any number that looks off.
Computed at the city-median tech-worker salary, Los Angeles (a family with two kids). 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~0 → ~10
- Total paid days off, typical year~11 → ~24.3
- Paid parental leave8 wks → 27 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 Los Angeles to Tokyo for a family
For a family of four, this comparison produces a different answer than a single-person look at the same cities. Childcare costs, parental leave policy, and the second earner's tax treatment all push the number. With a partner at 60% of the primary salary and two kids in daycare, a $280,000 household in Los Angeles needs ¥31,095,399 in Tokyo to keep the same net cash.
Childcare costs are similar across both cities: $21,960 in Los Angeles vs ¥252,000 in Tokyo.
Parental leave: Tokyo provides 27 weeks paid vs 8 in Los Angeles. A new child in the first year of the move is exactly the scenario where that gap shows up as real money (and real stress avoided).
With kids in the house, healthcare is the line that quietly compounds. Tokyo runs a universal system, so a rough year doesn't turn into a billing event. The Los Angeles side carries $14,828 a year in premiums and out-of-pocket costs, exposure that simply doesn't follow you across.
K-12 schools score higher on PISA 2022 in Japan (533 (math 536, reading 516, science 547)) than in USA (489 (math 465, reading 504, science 499)), a 44-point gap on the OECD's standardized 15-year-old assessment. PISA is one signal; local school choice and curriculum philosophy matter at least as much.
Tokyo also adds 10 more vacation days per year (10 vs 0). With kids, that is school breaks actually covered without burning PTO.
The second-earner question is worth running separately. In high-childcare-cost cities, full-time daycare can eat most of a partner's after-tax income. In Tokyo, subsidized childcare changes that math entirely: both salaries actually make it to the household. Use the "Partner works in" toggle in the calculator to see what that shift does to your specific numbers.
Who comes out ahead
You keep 43% of gross there versus 30%. Housing drives most of that gap.
You also get universal healthcare and cheaper childcare on top of the money math in Tokyo. Run the family scenario to see it.
Tokyo gives you 13 more paid days off in a typical year and 19 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 $280,000 salary in Los Angeles?
About ¥31,095,399. cityparity solves for the Tokyo gross salary whose net cash (after taxes, housing, childcare, healthcare, and the rest) equals what you keep in Los Angeles. It's an equivalence, not a raw conversion.
How much is childcare in Tokyo compared with Los Angeles?
Childcare is one of the biggest swings for a family moving from Los Angeles to Tokyo. cityparity nets each city's daycare cost against any government child allowance, so the figure reflects what you'd actually pay out of pocket.
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 ¥192,000 a year and counts in the comparison.
How much vacation and parental leave do you get in Tokyo?
Tokyo has 26 statutory paid days off a year (vacation plus public holidays) and 110 weeks of parental leave. The substitute-day rule covers only one of the two weekend days, so holidays that land on a weekend are lost and a typical year works out at about 24 days. cityparity compares cities on the typical figure and keeps the statutory one as the underlying fact.
Actually looking to move?
The steps this move actually takes, in the order they happen.
Sort the work permit. Your employer usually files this one, and the processing time sets your move date. Everything below waits on it.How permits work
Land the offer. ¥31,095,399 is your walk-away floor. Our negotiation guide turns it into an anchor, the scripts to hold it, and the trades to make when the base is capped.Get the scripts
Get moving quotes. Once the contract is signed, price the move itself. ReloAdvisor collects quotes for shipping and short-term housing on the Tokyo end.Get quotes
Move the money. The deposit on a Tokyo flat is usually due before you have a local account. Wise converts USD to JPY at the mid-market rate.Compare rates
Cover the health insurance. Most arrivals hit a gap between leaving one health system and joining the next. Allianz Care quotes interim cover for it.Get a quote
Plan the tax filing. A US passport keeps the IRS in your life in Tokyo, on top of whatever Japan wants. Taxes for Expats files the US side for Americans abroad: the exclusion, the foreign tax credit, and the catch-up program if you are already behind.Get a quote
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Take these numbers into the offer conversation
Get the break-even salary, rent and one-income scenarios, moving budget, and recruiter ask range for Los Angeles → Tokyo. Change the salary before checkout and every input inside the report.
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