AI Research Scientist Salary: Osaka vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇯🇵 Osaka
Japan
¥10.5M JPY
$70K USD
$112K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-73%
Osaka vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$259K USD
$259K USD
$259K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Osaka | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | ¥10.5M JPY | $259K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $70K | $259K | -73% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $112K | $259K 🏆 | -57% |
| 25th Percentile | ¥8.4M JPY | $207K USD | — |
| Median | ¥10.5M JPY | $259K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | ¥13.1M JPY | $324K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | ¥11.3M JPY | $280K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Osaka offers a AI Research Scientist salary of $70K USD, while San Francisco offers $259K USD — a difference of -73% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Osaka's salary is worth $112K in US purchasing power terms, versus $259K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.