Teach English in Japan savings calculator
Last checked: 2026-11-06
Enter your own pay and costs to estimate what could be left each month. No official source says how much a teacher in Japan saves, so every number here is yours. The result is an estimate, and it runs only in your browser.
We do not fill in any pay. JET pay on this site is before tax, so it is not a take-home figure. Use the figure in your written offer or on your payslip.
How this estimate works
- Pay minus deductions gives your take-home pay. If you already know your take-home, enter it as pay and leave deductions blank.
- We take away rent and other monthly costs.
- We spread your one-off costs evenly over the months you work.
- What remains is the amount left each month. We multiply it by the months worked.
Other monthly costs can include a car, phone, food, utilities and any insurance not taken from your pay. Every 10,000 yen you spend each month costs you 120,000 yen over 12 months.
Worked example
All of these amounts are made-up examples to show the maths. They are not typical pay or costs.
| Step | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay | 300,000 - 60,000 | 240,000 yen |
| Rent and other costs | 50,000 + 80,000 | 130,000 yen |
| One-off costs per month | 240,000 / 12 | 20,000 yen |
| Left each month | 240,000 - 130,000 - 20,000 | 90,000 yen |
| Left after 12 months | 90,000 x 12 | 1,080,000 yen |
| Share of pay left | 1,080,000 / 3,600,000 | 30.0% |
| Time to reach a 1,000,000 yen goal | 1,000,000 / 90,000, rounded up | 12 months |
What to enter
- Rent: your contracting organisation or predecessor can give you the real figure on JET. The US office says the range varies widely by location. For other jobs, ask your employer.
- One-off costs: these can include money for the first weeks, housing at the start and a status renewal fee. Use the start-up cost calculator for a figure.
- Months worked: if you work less than a full year on JET, pay falls in proportion. Use the pay for your actual period.
What this leaves out
- Changing deductions. Resident tax usually starts in your first June in Japan and rises the year after, so your take-home may fall even as your pay rises. Do not set your budget from your early payslips. See resident tax in your first year.
- Tax on leaving. You may need to pay residence tax in one lump sum before you go.
- Income tax treatment. Tax treaties and first-year rules may change what you pay. Check your first payslip, and do not assume an exemption.
- Second incomes. JET Program USA says you may work only for your contracting organisation.
- Exchange rates and home tax. These change what your savings are worth at home. CLAIR says home-country tax is your own responsibility.
- Early departure. Your return flight is covered only if you meet the conditions. See the contract rules.
We give no typical savings figure, because we found no official one. This calculator is not financial or tax advice. For more detail, see how much you can save on JET and JET pay.