Software Engineer Salary: Boston vs Tokyo
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$155K USD
$155K USD
$155K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+157%
Boston vs Tokyo
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Japan
¥9.0M JPY
$60K USD
$96K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Tokyo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $155K USD | ¥9.0M JPY | — |
| USD Equivalent | $155K | $60K | +157% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $155K 🏆 | $96K | +62% |
| 25th Percentile | $124K USD | ¥7.2M JPY | — |
| Median | $155K USD | ¥9.0M JPY | — |
| 75th Percentile | $194K USD | ¥11.3M JPY | — |
| Annual Mean | $167K USD | ¥9.7M JPY | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Software Engineer salary of $155K USD, while Tokyo offers $60K USD — a difference of +157% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $155K in US purchasing power terms, versus $96K 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.