Originally Posted by
JamesBigglesworth
I have never understood this view. Salary is important for where you live, not someplace you don't. I earn a great salary in Prague. I live extremely well. But my salary in the US would be terrible. Why is that US salary relevant when I live in Prague and earn kroner?
What you're saying is true in some instances and only to an extent.
Cost of living is highly variable in Jpn. But if I were to live in a suburb of Tokyo, I would imagine it'd be roughly similar to Seattle (Tokyo = lower rent, lower dining, higher utility, higher grocery, etc). So you can't possibly have the same standard of life in Tokyo for <1/2 salary in Seattle. I've a friend in high-tech who moved back to the US from Tokyo a couple years ago, and he attests to this.
These days, Niseko Hilton is >80,000yen per night for a standard room during peak ski seasons. It's the reason why about the only leisure travelers who can afford to stay there during peak seasons these days are foreigners, even though the hotel is in Jpn.