šÆšµ Japan vs šµš Philippines
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
Jan 5Ā° Ā· Jul 29Ā° Ā· Tokyo
ā
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
294 days / yr
ā
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 25 Ā· Good
ā
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$3.03
$2.84
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~33% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
ā
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Non-permanent resident status
None curated
Inflation
World Bank
3.2% / yr (2025)
1.7% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
2.5% (2025)
2.2% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~180 Mbps
~95 Mbps
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
low
high
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
Issues: Facebook Messenger
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 1 Ā· Exercise Normal Precautions
ā
Population
World Bank total population
123.4M (2025)
116.8M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per kmĀ²
342 / kmĀ² (2023)
385 / kmĀ² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
2.8% of population (2024)
0.1% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
85 yrs
66 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
JPY
PHP
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+9
ā
Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
55.0%
15%
Long-term gains
55.0%
15%
Long-term holding period
ā
ā
Staking income
55.0%
32%
Mining income
55.0%
35%
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick šµš Philippines if you want
lower day-to-day costs.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport ā build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Japan or Philippines cheaper?
Philippines is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $2.84 vs $3.03). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle ā see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
šÆšµ Japan
Foreign income not remitted to Japan untaxed Ā· first 5 years
Verified June 2026 Ā· NTA (tax agency)
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.