Aerospace Engineer Salary: Tokyo vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Japan
¥7.9M JPY
$53K USD
$84K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-67%
Tokyo vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$163K USD
$163K USD
$163K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Tokyo | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | ¥7.9M JPY | $163K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $53K | $163K | -67% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $84K | $163K 🏆 | -48% |
| 25th Percentile | ¥6.3M JPY | $130K USD | — |
| Median | ¥7.9M JPY | $163K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | ¥9.9M JPY | $204K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | ¥8.6M JPY | $176K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Tokyo offers a Aerospace Engineer salary of $53K USD, while San Francisco offers $163K USD — a difference of -67% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Tokyo's salary is worth $84K in US purchasing power terms, versus $163K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.