I’m a software engineer from Asia with ~3 years of experience. I previously studied (M.S. in Computer Science) and worked in the US for ~2 years, then returned to my home country and currently have a relatively low salary by local standards.
Recently, a Japanese outsourcing company contacted me about a software engineering role in Japan. They offered me choices between Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. I chose Tokyo because I have a friend that lives there.
They would sponsor Japanese language training, visa, and relocation. The offered salary is around ¥4 million/year gross. I understand this is not considered a high software engineering salary in Japan, especially in Tokyo, and I know outsourcing companies generally pay less than major tech companies. However, compared to my current situation, it would still be a meaningful increase and could be a good opportunity to live abroad again.
For people currently living in Japan / Tokyo:
- What kind of lifestyle is realistic on ¥4M/year for a single person?
- Roughly how much would monthly take-home pay be after taxes/insurance?
- Is it possible to save money on that salary while living reasonably?
- Is it worth opting for Osaka / Nagoya instead, just to save a couple more bucks?
I’m not expecting luxury; mostly trying to understand whether this would be a financially reasonable move and a good stepping stone for future opportunities in Japan.
by throwingaway3795124