Is ¥4.4M a decent salary for a software engineer in Japan?
M(28), I’m a software engineer in Japan with **2.5 YOE** — about 1 year outside Japan and 1.5 years here.
Currently making around **¥4.4M gross/year including rent subsidy**. My take-home is around **¥300k/month**, and with \~10 hours of overtime, I usually get around **¥320k/month**.
I live in **Tokyo**, and my monthly expenses are roughly:
* Rent: \~¥80k
* Everything else (food, utilities, transportation, eating out, travel, etc.): \~¥90k
* I usually manage to save around **¥150k/month**
* I don’t currently have any major financial responsibilities or need to support family back home.
I’m currently working more on **AWS/infrastructure/cloud**. My Japanese language level is N3 and studying for N2.
The reason I’m asking is that I’ve been getting quite a few recruiter/interview requests on LinkedIn, and many positions are offering around **¥5–6M**. **Of course, getting through the interview process and actually landing one of those offers is a different story 😂.**
The dilemma is that my current job is actually pretty good:
* Great work-life balance
* Very supportive seniors/team (100% Japanese)
* Valuable cloud/infra experience
* I’m genuinely happy with my life and have time to enjoy things outside work too
I’ve heard that staying around 3 years with one company can also look better on a Japanese resume, so I’m wondering whether I should stay another year, improve my skills + pass N2, and then aim for **¥6–8M**, or switch now for the money.
I’m single, and honestly, **¥4.4M already lets me live fairly comfortably and save a decent amount**. But knowing I could potentially earn more is making me a little greedy 😂
**What would you do in my situation? Is ¥4.4M reasonable for 2.5 YOE, or am I leaving too much money on the table?**