Yen is weak but living style in Japan is better. Tokyo is about 40 to 60 percent cheaper than New York right now, mostly because the yen is weak. Your dollar just goes much further there. Food is the first big gap. A quick ramen bowl in Tokyo is $7 to $8 and a McDonald's combo around $5, a mid-range dinner for two is about $47 and a beer is $1.80. In New York that same cheap meal is $20 to $25, McDonald's is $12, dinner for two is $120, beer $3.21. Groceries are also cheaper - eggs are $2.24 a dozen vs $5.33 in NY, bread $1.44 vs $4, chicken $3.47 per lb vs $4.66. Apparel is 20 to 30 percent cheaper in Tokyo because most of it is made in Asia. A $100 outfit in Tokyo would be $130 to $140 in New York. Communication is 2 to 3 times cheaper in Tokyo. A 10GB phone plan is $22.82 vs $71 in New York, fiber internet is $30.57 vs $77.77. Travel is cheaper too. Subway one-way is $1.32 vs $3 in NY, monthly pass $75 vs $140, a new Corolla is $15k vs $25k. Taxis are the only thing slightly cheaper in NY per mile. Living is the biggest difference. A 1-bed in central Tokyo averages $1,175 plus $158 utilities, in central Manhattan it's $3,350 plus $252. That's 2.8x more in NY. Buying is similar - $600k gets you a small 2-bed house an hour from Tokyo with 1.2% mortgage, in Manhattan it barely gets a studio with a 7.2% mortgage. Overall per month, a backpacker spends about $1,770 in Tokyo vs $3,550 in NY, a digital nomad $2,485 vs $4,035, a small family $4,880 vs $9,700. Lifestyle wise, in Tokyo you can eat out every day, ride spotless trains, live in a small but high-tech apartment. In New York you cook more to save, you pay huge rent for location, apartments are bigger if you go to Queens or NJ, but salaries are higher - around $5,500 take-home vs $3,200 in Tokyo. Bottom line: earn in dollars and live in Tokyo, you live like a king. Earn in yen and live in New York, it's brutal.