Los Angeles, CA vs Tokyo
A $89,105 salary — Los Angeles's median household income — nets $66,790 after federal, FICA and state/local tax in Los Angeles. The same salary earned in Tokyo would net ¥8,487,804 (~$53,315) — about $53,315 at today's exchange rate.
Moving from Los Angeles to Tokyo
Same salary, two tax systems. Single filer, employment income.
Both tables, the exchange-rate line and the FEIE estimate update as you type.
How to read this: we take the salary above ($89,105), convert it at the ECB rate, and tax it as a single filer's employment income in each place. That favors simplicity over realism — household vs. individual income and family tax treatment differ by country — so treat the gap as directional, not precise.
| Los Angeles, CA | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary | $89,105 |
| Federal tax | $10,773 |
| FICA | $6,817 |
| State & local tax | $4,725 |
| Take-home | $66,790 |
| Same salary, taxed in Tokyo | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross salary (local) | ¥14,185,516 |
| Income tax | ¥3,613,860 |
| Social contributions | ¥2,083,852 |
| Take-home | ¥8,487,804 (~$53,315) |
Combined national progressive income tax (5/10/20/23/33/40/45% on taxable income, plus the 2.1% reconstruction surtax on the national tax amount through 2037) and the flat 10% Tokyo local inhabitant tax (city+prefectural, verified at nta.go.jp/taxsummaries.pwc.com), converted into brackets that apply directly to GROSS salary so the tool can use them like every other country. The conversion incorporates Japan's employment income deduction (given salary, deduct per the NTA schedule effective 2025 onward: min JPY650,000 up to JPY1.9M; 30%xsalary+JPY80,000 to JPY3.6M; 20%xsalary+JPY440,000 to JPY6.6M; 10%xsalary+JPY1.1M to JPY8.5M; flat JPY1.95M cap above) and the total-income-tiered national basic deduction (JPY950,000 down to JPY580,000 as income rises per the 2025 reform, phasing to zero above JPY25M) plus a flat JPY430,000 local basic exemption. Modeled this way (rather than disclosing the deduction as unmodeled), cumulative tax at JPY6M/JPY8M/JPY10M gross salary comes within roughly 0.1-0.3% of a bracket-by-bracket calculation using the sourced formulas. NOT incorporated: (1) a further temporary FY2026-2027 special top-up to the basic deduction reported in Japan's Dec 2025 tax reform coverage (up to an extra ~JPY420,000 for salary income below ~JPY6.66M, phasing to zero by JPY8.5M) -- sources describing its exact mechanics were inconsistent, so it is left out; this means our model OVERSTATES tax for salaries roughly JPY2M-8.5M by a modest additional amount beyond what's already captured. (2) The minimum-guarantee employment-income-deduction increase to ~JPY690,000-740,000 for very low salaries (irrelevant above ~JPY2M, our effective zero-rate floor). (3) The JPY2,500 local tax adjustment credit and ~JPY5,000/yr local per-capita levy (both immaterial). (4) Local inhabitant tax is technically assessed on the PRIOR year's income; modeled here as current-year like every other country file. Net effect: this file understates tax very slightly below ~JPY2M and overstates it modestly in the JPY2M-8.5M band; it is well-calibrated at typical professional salaries (JPY6M-10M, within ~0.3%) and above.
Single filer, employment income — figures are estimates, not advice. US FICA is applied as a flat 7.65% with no Social Security wage-base cap, which overstates FICA above roughly $176k. See methodology.
Moving from Tokyo to Los Angeles
Flip it around: a Tokyo earner relocating to Los Angeles on the same $89,105 salary would keep $66,790 after US federal, FICA and state/local tax — but health cover in the US runs $7,200/year against ¥24,000/year in Tokyo, so employer-sponsored coverage becomes essential rather than optional.
The basics, priced side by side
| Category | Los Angeles (USD/yr) | Tokyo (local/yr) | Tokyo (USD/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing (1-bed rent) US side: metro median rent; world side: 1-bed city-centre | $34,908 | ¥1,566,000 | $9,837 |
| Groceries US side: sitewide household grocery baseline; Tokyo side: single-person estimate | $5,354 | ¥591,852 | $3,718 |
| Electricity Reflects local AC/heating norms | $3,804 | ¥88,044 | $553 |
| Getting around US side: car-based (gas, insurance, registration); world side: monthly transit pass | $5,125 | ¥147,480 | $926 |
| Health cover See the healthcare section — the systems differ, not just the prices | $7,200 | ¥24,000 | $151 |
| Broadband | $996 | ¥53,460 | $336 |
US tax basics for an expat
Under the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, the first $89,105 of foreign earnings is excludable from US federal tax; at this salary, estimated residual US federal tax is $0 — this ignores tax treaties and the stacking rule, and is an estimate, not advice.
These are Tokyo's own lifestyle notes — the same panel shown on its city page; metro-side equivalents are planned.
Living in Tokyo: what to expect
Climate & air conditioning
Tokyo's July highs average around 29C with the kind of humidity (regularly 70-80%) that makes it feel worse than the number suggests, while winters are mild and rarely drop far below freezing -- but unlike Lisbon, London or Berlin, air conditioning is essentially universal here (roughly 91% of Japanese households per the Cabinet Office's 2024 Consumer Confidence Survey), the same reverse-cycle units doubling as the main heater in winter, with a kotatsu (heated low table) as the cozy, very Japanese backup on top.
- Summer high c:
- 29
- Winter low c:
- 3
- AC prevalence homes:
- ~91% nationally (Cabinet Office 消費動向調査/Consumer Confidence Survey, 2024), with NSW-style urban prefectures including Tokyo running above the national average
- Climate type:
- Humid subtropical (Koppen Cfa)
- Heating note:
- reverse-cycle AC units double as the primary heater in most homes; kotatsu (heated low table) remains a common supplemental winter-warmth fixture
Healthcare
Coverage through mandatory employer-sponsored shakai hoken kicks in from day one of employment and comes out of every paycheck automatically rather than arriving as a bill, covering 70% of most costs with the Koitokei system capping total monthly out-of-pocket spending on an income-tiered scale so a major illness can't spiral into US-style medical debt; English-speaking clinics are genuinely easy to find in international-facing pockets like Hiroo, Roppongi and Azabu, far less so once you're outside that expat-adjacent geography.
- Life expectancy at birth:
- 84 years, Japan national average -- World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024
- System:
- Shakai hoken (mandatory employer-sponsored health insurance, e.g. Kyokai Kenpo)
- Copay rate:
- 30% patient copay for most care
- High cost cap:
- Koitokei (high-cost medical care system) caps monthly out-of-pocket spending on an income-tiered sliding scale
- English speaking clinics:
- concentrated in international-facing neighborhoods like Hiroo, Roppongi and Azabu
Getting around
The rail network -- JR East, Tokyo Metro's nine lines, the Toei subway and a web of private commuter railways -- is genuinely the best in the world for density and reliability, and 90.2% of Japanese employers pay a commuting allowance (the single most common company allowance nationwide, ahead even of position/family allowances) that typically matches the teikiken (commuter pass) cost exactly, per the government's own labor-conditions survey; owning a car inside the city is close to pointless and actively bureaucratic, since the 1962 Garage Act requires a shako shomeisho (garage certificate) from the local police station proving you have a legal parking spot within 2km of home before you can even register the vehicle.
- Commuter allowance prevalence:
- 90.2% of Japanese companies pay a commuting allowance (MHLW 就労条件総合調査/General Survey on Working Conditions, Nov 2024 data, published in the Reiwa 7/2025 report), the single most commonly offered company allowance, typically matching the teikiken cost exactly
- Car parking cert requirement:
- Garage Act of 1962 requires a shako shomeisho (garage certificate) from local police before a car can be registered, proving a parking spot within 2km of home
- Rail network:
- JR East, Tokyo Metro (9 lines) and Toei subway plus private commuter railways form what is widely regarded as the world's most extensive urban rail network
Taxes & paperwork
Nenmatsu chosei, the year-end payroll adjustment every employer runs, means most salaried workers in Japan never file an individual tax return at all -- a genuine simplification versus the US -- but it hides a trap: juminzei (residence tax) is assessed on the PRIOR calendar year's income and billed the following year regardless of what you're earning now, so someone who takes a pay cut, changes jobs, or leaves Japan mid-year can face a real bill for money they already spent; paper forms and the hanko personal seal also remain a persistent, distinctly Japanese fixture of daily bureaucracy even as digital administration slowly expands.
- Nenmatsu chosei:
- year-end payroll adjustment means most salaried employees never file an individual annual tax return
- Residence tax arrears:
- juminzei (residence tax) is billed on the PRIOR year's income, arriving as a real surprise for anyone who changed jobs or left Japan mid-year
- Hanko persistence:
- the personal seal (hanko) and paper-based processes remain common even as digital administration expands
Housing norms
Moving in costs far more upfront than a US security deposit alone: reikin (key money, a non-refundable 'thank you' to the landlord, commonly one month's rent), shikikin (a refundable deposit, one to two months), an agency fee and a hoshou gaisha (guarantor company) fee -- now standard even for Japanese renters -- routinely add up to four to six months' rent before move-in; a Ministry of Justice survey found roughly 41% of foreign residents who searched for housing in Japan reported being turned down specifically for being foreign, a reality worth knowing rather than being blindsided by, and units are sized and marketed by the 1K/1LDK room-count convention rather than square footage.
- Foreign ownership:
- no nationality-based restriction and no residency requirement -- Japan is among the most open property markets in the world, and a non-resident foreigner can buy freehold land and buildings outright in their own name. The practical constraint is financing: most Japanese banks want residency and Japanese-language documentation before lending
- Reikin:
- key money -- a non-refundable 'gratitude' payment to the landlord, typically 0-2 months' rent (commonly 1)
- Shikikin:
- refundable security deposit, typically 1-2 months' rent, minus cleaning/restoration deductions
- Guarantor company:
- hoshou gaisha (guarantor companies) are now the standard requirement instead of a personal guarantor, for an added fee
- Foreigner refusal rate:
- roughly 41% of foreign residents surveyed reported being refused rental housing because they were foreign (Japan Ministry of Justice survey, cited via Nippon.com)
- Size convention:
- 1K = one room plus separate kitchen; 1LDK = one bedroom plus combined living/dining/kitchen, both usually 20-40 sqm in central Tokyo
Safety
Numbeo's crowd-sourced index put Tokyo's safety score at roughly 76 out of 100 as of July 2026, among the highest of any major world city, with violent crime, mugging and home burglary all rated low by residents; the most consistently reported concern isn't street crime at all but chikan (groping) on packed rush-hour trains, a problem serious enough that most lines run women-only cars during peak hours.
- Numbeo safety index:
- 75.83
- Numbeo crime index:
- 24.17
- Data as of:
- 2026-07
- Main risk:
- chikan (groping) on crowded commuter trains, which led to women-only train cars; petty theft and pickpocketing are rare
Language
Japan ranked 96th of 123 countries in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index with a score of 446 against a global average of 488 -- its lowest-ever ranking, and eleven straight years of decline -- so daily life without at least survival Japanese is genuinely harder here than in Lisbon or Berlin; English gets by fine inside international tech and finance offices and the Roppongi/Hiroo expat bubble, but city-hall paperwork, hospital intake forms and most neighborhood restaurants outside tourist zones run in Japanese only, and JLPT-level study is the realistic path to actually functioning day to day.
- Official language:
- Japanese
- Ef epi rank2025:
- 96th of 123 non-English-speaking countries (EF English Proficiency Index 2025), score 446 vs a global average of 488 -- 'Very Low' proficiency band
- English usability:
- workable in tech/finance offices and the Roppongi/Hiroo expat bubble; not reliable for daily bureaucracy, healthcare intake forms, or most restaurants outside tourist areas
Internet & connectivity
Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported fiber-optic household coverage at 99.84% as of March 2023, with a formal target of 99.9% by March 2028 -- essentially complete build-out even in a country famous for aging rural infrastructure -- and Tokyo residents get genuinely fast, cheap fiber as a result, with au Hikari's bundled apartment plan running about JPY4,455/month.
- Fiber household coverage pct:
- 99.84% (MIC/総務省, March 2023), targeting 99.9% by March 2028
- Broadband monthly jpy:
- 4455
Visas & residency
The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is the default corporate-sponsored route for most Americans working in Tokyo, from engineering to marketing to translation, while the points-based Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa rewards income, academic background and career history with a genuinely fast track -- permanent residency in as little as one to three years instead of the standard ten -- making it worth the paperwork for anyone who qualifies.
- See country record:
- jp.json
- Key routes for tokyo:
- Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (the standard corporate-sponsored route for white-collar roles), Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) points-based visa
- Citizenship track:
- HSP holders can reach permanent residency in as little as 1-3 years; the standard track requires 10 years, or as few as 5 years' continuous residence for naturalization if other conditions are met
Everyday life
IC cards like Suica and Pasmo are so embedded that they tap for trains, buses, vending machines and most konbini purchases in one motion, though plenty of small, older shops and neighborhood restaurants still expect cash; the konbini itself -- 7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart on nearly every block -- functions as real infrastructure for paying utility bills, withdrawing cash, shipping and receiving packages and printing documents, not just buying a rice ball at 2am; and garbage separation is taken seriously enough that every ward publishes its own burnable/non-burnable/recyclable rules and mandates specific (often ward-branded) bag types, with neighbors and building managers who will absolutely notice if you get it wrong.
- Payment norms:
- IC cards (Suica/Pasmo) are ubiquitous for transit, konbini and vending machines; cash remains common at smaller, older shops and some restaurants
- Konbini infrastructure:
- 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart function as genuine infrastructure -- bill payment, ATMs, package pickup/dropoff, photocopying, ticket sales, not just snacks
- Garbage separation:
- ward-specific rules split waste into burnable, non-burnable and recyclable categories, enforced via mandated, sometimes ward-branded, clear or translucent bags
Converted at ECB reference rates of 2026-08-11. Every Tokyo figure is cited on the Tokyo page.