3 million yen salary, ₹3 lakh tax: Indian software engineers in Japan break down the true cost of working abroad

A viral clip by content creator Dolesh provides insight into the financial realities faced by Indian software engineers working in Japan. While relocating abroad is often associated with higher salaries and better opportunities, the video highlights that earnings may not always translate into proportional savings due to taxes and living conditions.

“Kaun kaun Japan aana chahta hai batao [Tell me who wants to relocate to Japan],” the content creator Dolesh wrote while sharing the video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dolesh Agrawal (@200journeys)

What Is the Starting Salary?

In the video, Dolesh mentions meeting two software engineers from Bengaluru at an Indian restaurant in Japan. Curious about compensation trends, he asks them about entry-level salaries in the country’s tech sector. “What is the starting package for software engineers in Japan?” Dolesh asks. The engineers respond that freshers typically earn around 3 million yen annually, which converts to approximately ₹17 lakh.

Salary Growth After Experience

Dolesh then follows up: “And after two or three years of experience, what is the annual income?”

One of the engineers replies, “It will be around 4.5 to 5 million yen.”

Reacting to the figure, Dolesh says, “So almost double.”

The engineers clarify that the salary would translate to nearly ₹30 lakh annually in Indian currency.

The Tax Factor

However, the discussion also touches upon deductions. The engineers reveal that they pay close to ₹3 lakh annually in taxes, bringing attention to the higher tax brackets in Japan.

The video sparked reactions online. One user commented, "Everyone might like to see and hear this, but in reality, things are different. They know what their condition is there.”

Another wrote, “15 lakhs salary aur 3 lakhs taxes means waaat.”

A third user questioned, “Are they doing something for Passive income? I think that package is still too low with the tax charged.”

Who Is Dolesh?

Sharing details about his content journey, Dolesh wrote on YouTube, “Hi, this is Dolesh here from Mumbai & I make videos every now & then about Travel, Food, Events, Hotels, Life, Festivals & Culture.”