In 2026, a "good" salary for a single professional in Tokyo starts around ¥6,000,000 to ¥7,000,000 ($40k–$47k USD) per year. This allows for a decent apartment in a nice ward like Setagaya, frequent dining out, and savings. A supportive peer "lifestyle" breakdown: for a family of four, a "comfortable" household income is closer to ¥10,000,000 to ¥12,000,000. While the yen has fluctuated, Tokyo remains surprisingly affordable for basics compared to NYC or London, but "luxury" items and international school fees are very high. If you are an expat in a specialized field like IT or Finance, salaries often exceed ¥15,000,000, which is considered an "upper-class" income in Japan, providing a very high quality of life with significant disposable income for travel and premium housing.