Tokyo vs Austin: where does a systems engineer save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $4,862/mo after taxes and living costs.
Tokyo Japan | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $85,958 | $125,233 |
| Take-home / mo | $5,626 | $7,772 |
| Income tax | ~21% | ~26% |
| Living costs / mo | $3,780 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $1,846 | $4,862 |
| Savings rate | 33% | 63% |
| Verdict | Comfortable | Excellent |
Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home − a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.
How we calculated this
• Salary: BLS/OECD median for a systems engineer, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. Japan ~21%, US ~26%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.