How much can you save teaching English in Japan on JET?
Last checked: 2026-11-06
No official source says how much a JET participant saves, so the honest answer is that it depends on your take-home pay and rent. We can show what is known. Pay starts at about 4,020,000 yen a year before tax, or about 335,000 yen a month. Every 10,000 yen you spend each month costs you 120,000 yen a year.
This page covers JET only. We have no verified pay figures for private employers, so we leave them out. For licensed teachers, see official MEXT teacher pay.
Step 1: start from the verified pay
The monthly and total figures are our own calculations from the 2027 pay table. They are before tax, insurance and pension.
| Year | Per year | Per month (our sum) | Total so far (our sum) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | About 4,020,000 yen | 335,000 yen | 4,020,000 yen |
| 2 | About 4,140,000 yen | 345,000 yen | 8,160,000 yen |
| 3 | About 4,260,000 yen | 355,000 yen | 12,420,000 yen |
| 4 | About 4,320,000 yen | 360,000 yen | 16,740,000 yen |
| 5 | About 4,320,000 yen | 360,000 yen | 21,060,000 yen |
Figures apply to the 2027 application year. Years 4 and 5 are only for participants the contracting organisation considers particularly outstanding.
Step 2: test a savings rate
This table is not a forecast. The percentages are what-if numbers we chose. They show the share of gross pay left after all tax, insurance, rent and living costs. We do not know what share is typical.
| Share of gross pay left | After 1 year | After 3 years | After 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 percent | 402,000 yen | 1,242,000 yen | 2,106,000 yen |
| 20 percent | 804,000 yen | 2,484,000 yen | 4,212,000 yen |
| 30 percent | 1,206,000 yen | 3,726,000 yen | 6,318,000 yen |
Working it the other way: to set aside 1,000,000 yen in year 1, you need to keep about 83,300 yen a month. That is about 25 percent of 335,000 yen.
Step 3: use your own numbers
Once you have your placement details, fill this in. Your contracting organisation or predecessor can give you the real rent.
- Take-home pay: use your payslip. Deductions vary, and no official take-home figure exists.
- Take away rent. The range varies widely by location, the US office says.
- Take away car, phone, food, utilities and insurance not taken from pay.
- Take away about one-twelfth of your one-off costs from the list below.
- What remains is your monthly saving. Multiply by 12.
Step 4: plan for one-off costs
| Cost | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Money for the first weeks | JET Program USA suggests having at least $2,500 to $3,000. First pay usually comes at the end of the first month. |
| Housing start-up | The 2027 guidelines say you may need to pay the equal of 2 to 6 months' rent right after arrival. See JET housing costs. |
| Second-year tax | Resident tax starts in your first June in Japan, then rises the year after. See the dated example. |
| Leaving Japan | You may need to pay residence tax in one lump sum. Your return flight is covered only if you meet the conditions. You may be able to claim part of your pension back. |
| Status renewal | A fee may apply. Ask who pays. See fees. |
See start-up costs for the full list, and the contract rules for what leaving early costs you.
What limits your savings
- No second income. JET Program USA says you may work only for your contracting organisation.
- A short first year. If you work less than a full year, pay falls in proportion.
- Rising tax. A pay rise does not always mean more take-home, because resident tax also starts and grows.
- Exchange rates and home tax. These change what your savings are worth at home. CLAIR says home-country tax is your own responsibility.
How we checked: on November 6, 2026 we read the 2027 guidelines and JET Program USA's contract page directly, and both list the same pay. We do not give living costs, because we found no official figure for a JET placement. This page is not financial advice.