Multi-country comparison
Compare take-home pay in Asia
Asian tax systems range from very low headline rates to full social-insurance models. This table compares take-home pay across the major economies on the site, ranked by retention. More markets are added as their calculators are factchecked.
United Arab Emirates$80,000AED 293,800100.0%2
Hong Kong$69,951HK$545,88287.4%3
Singapore$60,809$81,25376.0%4
Japan$56,902￥8,613,04871.1%Enter one salary in US dollars. It is converted into each country at the market exchange rate, so it is the same real salary everywhere, then run through that country's factchecked tax calculator. Take-home is shown in US dollars so the figures are directly comparable, with the local-currency amount underneath. Exchange rates are World Bank annual averages and move daily in practice.
How the comparison works
- Enter one gross annual salary. The same figure is sent to every country’s calculator.
- Each calculator applies that country’s own income-tax bands and employee social contributions for the latest tax year.
- The result is the take-home pay in local currency, and the retention rate, the percentage of gross you keep.
- Countries are ranked by retention, which is the only figure that compares fairly across different currencies.
Countries in this comparison
Frequently asked questions
Why compare the retention rate and not the cash amount?
Each country pays in its own currency, so the raw take-home figures are not directly comparable. The retention rate, the share of gross you keep, strips out the currency and shows where the tax burden is genuinely lighter or heavier.
Does a higher retention rate mean a better deal?
Not on its own. A lower retention often funds public healthcare, pensions and other services you would otherwise pay for separately. The rate measures what stays in your pay packet, not the value of what the tax buys.
Are these figures exact?
They are estimates from each country’s factchecked calculator, using the standard single-person case and the latest published rates. Personal circumstances, regional taxes and allowances can change your own result.
A guide for general comparison, not financial or tax advice. Figures use the standard single-person case and the latest published rates per country.