7-8M yen is perhaps a good estimate for a foreign software developer salary, but it is really more about the company that you'll be working with than the market

7-8M yen is perhaps a good estimate for a foreign software developer salary, but it is really more about the company that you'll be working with than the market. There is a huge pay gap between small PHP shops paying 4M per year on a yearly contract, and companies like Google or Indeed which sometimes pay over 20M for very senior engineers. Japan is still a buyer's market, and companies are constantly looking for engineers. It's all a matter of applying to high-paying company[1] and passing their interview. Granted, the competition for these companies is much higher, but the competition for software talent is also high. If you can get a 15M/y salary at one of the top paying companies, you can have quite a good life in Tokyo. There is a certain fantasy of unattainable Tokyo that is perpetuated by expatriate cost of living rankings like Mercer's[1]. An American expat relocated on company expense looking to match their standard of living with a spacious 100 square meter apartment in a classy neighborhood in central Tokyo (like Roppongi or Azabu) is will go north of 400k yen per month, which is not much cheaper than what it would be in SF, I guess. If you go ahead and make sure it is fitted to US standards - with space for dish washer and standalone clothes dryer, built-in oven, and a bedroom which can fit a king-size bed - you can very well end up with a 800k per month. But considering Tokyo's amazing public transportation system, you don't need to - and usually don't want to - live in central Tokyo. You can go to a station that's 10 minutes away by train from Shibuya or Shinjuku and pay half the price for a larger apartment or even a standalone house - or alternatively get tiny studio apartment for 60k per month. [1] https://japan-dev.com/blog/software-developer-salaries-in-japan-the-ultimate-guide https://japan-dev.com/blog/software-developer-salaries-in-ja...