Japan Life Hub: Net Salary Calculator & Housing Guide
New tools for Japan Life Hub — accurate 2025 tax calculator with Year 1 vs Year 2 comparison, and comprehensive apartment rental guide in 4 languages.
Just shipped two new features for Japan Life Hub — a Net Salary Calculator with 2025 tax rates and a comprehensive Housing Guide. Both available in English, Japanese, Russian, and Hindi.
This article covers:
- Why Year 1 vs Year 2 salary matters
- 2025 Japanese tax rates and deductions
- Apartment rental costs breakdown
- Key terminology for foreigners
- Lessons learned building multilingual tools
The Year 1 Salary Trap
When I moved to Japan, my first paycheck was surprisingly high. Then Year 2 hit.
The catch: Japan's resident tax (住民税 juuminzei) is calculated on previous year's income and collected the following year. Your first year in Japan? Zero resident tax. Year 2? Roughly 10% of your gross salary disappears.
Nobody told me this. I built the calculator I wish I had.
Net Salary Calculator
The calculator shows both Year 1 and Year 2 take-home pay side by side.
2025 Tax Rates
Spent a day researching current rates from official sources. Here's what's deducted from your salary:
Social Insurance (Employee Share):
| Item | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Health Insurance | 4.955% | Tokyo rate, March 2025 |
| Long-term Care | 0.795% | Ages 40-64 only |
| Pension | 9.15% | Capped at ¥650k/month |
| Employment Insurance | 0.55% | April 2025 update |
Income Tax: Progressive 5-45% across 7 brackets, plus 2.1% reconstruction surcharge until 2037.
Resident Tax: ~10% (6% prefectural + 4% municipal), delayed one year.
Calculator Features
- Employment type toggle: Employee vs Self-employed (different deductions)
- Age selector: Long-term care insurance kicks in at 40
- Dependents & spouse: Affects deductions for employees
- Visual breakdown bar: See where your money goes
- Salary presets: Junior ¥3M, Mid ¥5M, Senior ¥7M, Manager ¥10M
- Share button: Copy summary to clipboard
The "What You Get Back" section explains what you're paying for — 70% healthcare coverage, pension from 65, unemployment benefits. Japanese social insurance is actually good value.
Housing Guide
Finding an apartment in Japan as a foreigner is confusing. Unique fees, guarantor requirements, Japanese-only listings.
The guide covers the entire process in 8 sections.
Key Terminology
Japanese rental vocabulary that confused me:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 敷金 | shikikin | Deposit, 1-2 months, refundable |
| 礼金 | reikin | "Key money" gift to landlord, 0-2 months, gone forever |
| 管理費 | kanrihi | Monthly maintenance fee, ¥3,000-15,000 |
| 更新料 | koushinryo | Renewal fee, ~1 month every 2 years |
| 保証会社 | hoshougaisha | Guarantor company, 30-100% of 1 month |
Good news: less than 50% of renters now pay key money. Look for 礼金なし (reikin nashi) listings.
Initial Costs Example
For ¥80,000/month rent:
| Cost | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|
| First month rent | ¥80,000 | No |
| Deposit | ¥80,000 | Yes |
| Key money | ¥80,000 | No |
| Agency fee | ¥88,000 | No |
| Guarantor | ¥40,000-80,000 | No |
| Insurance | ¥15,000 | No |
| Lock change | ¥15,000 | No |
| Total | ¥398,000-438,000 |
That's 5-6x monthly rent upfront. Budget accordingly.
Where to Search
The Housing Guide covers all major platforms — from Japanese-only sites like SUUMO with the largest listings, to English-friendly options like Real Estate Japan and GaijinPot, plus government UR Housing with no key money or guarantor requirements.
Pro tip: UR Housing has no reikin, no guarantor requirement, no renewal fees. Limited availability but worth checking.
Timing Matters
Avoid March-April. Everyone moves — new graduates, company transfers. Prices spike, competition fierce.
Best time: May-February. More negotiation room, landlords eager to fill vacant units.
What's Next
Japan Life Hub now has:
- Initial Costs Calculator
- Net Salary Calculator
- Moving to Japan Guide
- Housing Guide
Coming soon: Monthly Budget Planner, City Comparison Tool, First Year Timeline.
The goal is one place for everything you need to know about living in Japan — practical tools, not generic advice.
Try It
Built with Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS. All calculations run client-side, no data collected.
If you're moving to Japan or know someone who is — share the link.
