Cost of living vs wage

pandayanyan · (#1 (**permalink**))

So im not sure if this was already posted somewhere on here or not but what is the cost of living in Japan i know it differs from place to place depending but is it comperable to the states? (where i live it costs 450USD/mo for the cheapest piece of crap you can find up to around 700USD/mo for a decent 2 bed 1 bath) Also what is min wage in Japan or is there one? ANY Help would be nice!

Maku · (#2 (**permalink**))

Check the 'Teaching English in the JP' thread.

pandayanyan · (#3 (**permalink**))

k thanks i thought no one would post ha ha thanks for your help

Nyororin · (#4 (**permalink**))

I don`t know the official minimum wage, but the cheapest I ever spot around here it 650/hr.

But most people I know live on a salary, which is really the norm in Japan. Hourly pay is very part-time. If you have a full time job, there is no reason not to be a 正社員 and be paid a salary.
Salary varies a lot based on your line of work, age, qualifications, length of employment, etc. I`d say a common *starting* wage is 190,000/month before taxes.

Living costs in the city can be incredibly high. In the countryside, they can be quite low... However there is no work available in the countryside. Some people commute, but a 2 hour commute each way is not something you want to do each day if you can avoid it.

In Nagoya (Which is drastically cheaper than Tokyo, but still a very big city) the average one room is around 60,000/month, and for a nice 2 bedroom, it would be around 90,000/month. There are cheaper (but some are very old, decrepit, etc), and there are more expensive - very nice places run up to around 150,000/month. The bigger the apartment, the higher it goes.
It really depends on where in the city, how convenient it is to public transportation, etc. There really are no bad parts of town, so that has very little effect on the pricing.

As a side note - our friend (Japanese) in Tokyo makes 300,000/month before taxes and pays 180,000 for a 1 bedroom apartment inside the city. Apparently that was they cheapest he could find within 1 hour`s commute of his work. After taxes, rent, utilities and sparse food is paid for, he has like nothing left.
I really can`t understand at all why everyone wants to live in Tokyo. No matter how much you make, you end up living on a shoestring budget.

Maku · (#5 (**permalink**))

If its not there, look through somewhere in the mniddle of all my posts if you scan down them, and there should be a thread there that will suit your needs.

Uxintatei · (#6 (**permalink**))

Things are more expensive in Japan, a Big Mac costs $6 there
But the people also get paid a lot more compared to what they would if they lived in America
Especially in big cities
At least that's why my research has told me

Nyororin · (#7 (**permalink**))

I don`t know for sure how much people are paid in the US, but the average salary in Japan isn`t really all that high. People just tend to be better with managing their money.
Around $35,000/year is average for a decent job in your late 20s. I would say a large majority is paid less, and of course there is the minority who makes a lot more.

pandayanyan · (#8 (**permalink**))

ha 30,0000 usd would be awesome i only make 13kusd now a year so id be happy with that or more .. thanks for the info! so far been really helpful if any one has more to share feel free anything helps me out!

Nyororin · (#9 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by pandayanyan

ha 30,0000 usd would be awesome i only make 13kusd now a year so id be happy with that or more .. thanks for the info! so far been really helpful if any one has more to share feel free anything helps me out!

What kind of work do you do?
When I say 30,000 - I mean for a full time salaried position requiring a university degree and other qualifications, and generally about 5 years experience. Also, that is before taxes. After taxes, you only get like 24,000 or so.

pandayanyan · (#10 (**permalink**))

true true I am assistant manager at radioshack makes about 760 an hour with a wage increase soon to 920 an hour so around 13 - 15k USD a year i guess before taxes... by the time I get to Japan I will be in a whole nother field of work (hopefully teaching language) so Im not sure what that pays.