🇯🇵 Japan vs 🇿🇦 South Africa
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 5° · Jul 29° · Tokyo
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Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
294 days / yr
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Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 25 · Good
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Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$3.03
$3.36
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~33% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
—
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Non-permanent resident status
None curated
Inflation
World Bank
3.2% / yr (2025)
3.2% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
2.5% (2025)
32.4% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~180 Mbps
~50 Mbps
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
low
high
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
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Population
World Bank total population
123.4M (2025)
64.7M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
342 / km² (2023)
52 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
2.8% of population (2024)
4.1% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
85 yrs
62 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
JPY
ZAR
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+9
—
Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
55.0%
18%
Long-term gains
55.0%
18%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
55.0%
45%
Mining income
55.0%
45%
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 🇯🇵 Japan if you want
lower day-to-day costs.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Japan or South Africa cheaper?
Japan is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $3.03 vs $3.36). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose Japan over South Africa?
On the data we track, Japan comes out ahead for lower day-to-day costs. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇯🇵 Japan
Foreign income not remitted to Japan untaxed · first 5 years
Verified June 2026 · 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.