Italy
Latest Average Wage
+1.8% · 5 years
$53,864
Country Comparison
Italy vs Japan
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Italy
vs
Japan
$53,8642025
Latest Average Wage
Italy +7.3%
(vs Japan)
$50,1832025
+1.8%2025
5-Year Wage Change
Italy +4.0 pts
(vs Japan)
−2.2%2025
−3.9%2025
10-Year Wage Change
Japan +2.2 pts
(vs Italy)
−1.6%2025
64.12024
Overall Price Level
Italy +4.9 index points
(vs Japan)
59.22024
Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.
How Wages Have Changed
Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
Japan
Latest Average Wage
−2.2% · 5 years
$50,183
Wage Milestones
Italy
10 Years Ago
$56,043 (2015)
Historical Peak
$57,790 (2010)
Latest Wage
$53,864 (2025)
Japan
10 Years Ago
$51,027 (2015)
Historical Peak
$52,662 (1997)
Latest Wage
$50,183 (2025)
Compare Everyday Price Levels
See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.
United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points
Italy (ITA)Japan (JPN)
Overall
+4.9 index points
100
64.1vs59.2
Food
−25.3 index points
100
86.7vs112
Clothing
+24.3 index points
100
95.3vs71
Housing
+2.3 index points
100
50.8vs48.5
Health
+18.9 index points
100
52.8vs33.9
Transport
+15.5 index points
100
99.9vs84.4
Recreation
−4.0 index points
100
74.4vs78.4
Restaurants & Accommodation
+16.8 index points
100
89.4vs72.6
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
Italy's latest average wage is $53,864 for 2025, about 7.3% higher than Japan's $50,183 for 2025 — a relative difference calculated from the two reported values. That is roughly $3,682 a year on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, Italy shows the stronger movement at +1.2%, against −0.5% for Japan. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +1.8% against −2.2%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.
03
Largest Price Gap
Food shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 86.7 for Italy against 112 for Japan. Measured on the US=100 scale, the two readings for this category are 25.3 index points apart, Japan above Italy. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Housing: Italy reads 50.8 and Japan 48.5 for 2024, just 2.3 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Recreation at 4.0 index points apart. Closeness here describes the index readings only, not the baskets behind them.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
Italy's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is $53,864 for 2025, moderately higher than Japan's $50,183 for 2025. In relative terms the gap is 7.3% — calculated from the two reported values — equivalent to about $3,682 a year on the same purchasing-power basis. Both figures are expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices, so they can be set side by side without any further conversion. For scale, neither series has moved by that much within any single reported year, so the gap is structural rather than the product of one unusual observation. Over ten years Italy recorded −3.9% and Japan −1.6%, so the two series have been moving in the same long-term direction.
Wage Direction
This pairing shows two wage paths pulling apart rather than tracking each other. Italy is partway through a recovery: the latest year added +1.2%, though the level remains 6.8% below its peak. Japan continues to drift below its peak, with a one-year change of −0.5% and a five-year change of −2.2%. With Italy gaining in real terms at +1.8% over five years and Japan at −2.2%, the five-year measures move away from each other rather than closing in. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.
Price Profile
Italy's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 64.1, and Japan's reads 59.2, each measured against the United States reference of 100. Italy reads higher in 6 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Food: 86.7 for Italy against 112 for Japan, a gap of 25.3 index points. At the other end, Housing brings the two closest — 50.8 versus 48.5, a gap of just 2.3 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Italy reads above 100 in 0 of its 8 reported categories, and Japan in 1 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
