Data Scientist Salary: Boston vs Tokyo
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$178K USD
$178K USD
$178K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+157%
Boston vs Tokyo
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Japan
¥10.3M JPY
$69K USD
$110K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Tokyo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $178K USD | ¥10.3M JPY | — |
| USD Equivalent | $178K | $69K | +157% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $178K 🏆 | $110K | +62% |
| 25th Percentile | $143K USD | ¥8.3M JPY | — |
| Median | $178K USD | ¥10.3M JPY | — |
| 75th Percentile | $223K USD | ¥12.9M JPY | — |
| Annual Mean | $193K USD | ¥11.2M JPY | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Data Scientist salary of $178K USD, while Tokyo offers $69K USD — a difference of +157% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $178K in US purchasing power terms, versus $110K for Tokyo. This means Boston 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.