Data Scientist Salary: Seattle vs Tokyo
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Seattle
United States
$201K USD
$201K USD
$201K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+190%
Seattle vs Tokyo
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Japan
¥10.3M JPY
$69K USD
$110K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Seattle | Tokyo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $201K USD | ¥10.3M JPY | — |
| USD Equivalent | $201K | $69K | +190% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $201K 🏆 | $110K | +83% |
| 25th Percentile | $161K USD | ¥8.3M JPY | — |
| Median | $201K USD | ¥10.3M JPY | — |
| 75th Percentile | $252K USD | ¥12.9M JPY | — |
| Annual Mean | $217K USD | ¥11.2M JPY | — |
What Does This Mean?
Seattle offers a Data Scientist salary of $201K USD, while Tokyo offers $69K USD — a difference of +190% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Seattle's salary is worth $201K in US purchasing power terms, versus $110K for Tokyo. This means Seattle 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.