Japan
Latest Average Wage
−2.2% · 5 years
$50,183
Country Comparison
Japan vs Italy
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Japan
vs
Italy
$50,1832025
Latest Average Wage
Italy +7.3%
(vs Japan)
$53,8642025
−2.2%2025
5-Year Wage Change
Italy +4.0 pts
(vs Japan)
+1.8%2025
−1.6%2025
10-Year Wage Change
Japan +2.2 pts
(vs Italy)
−3.9%2025
59.22024
Overall Price Level
Italy +4.9 index points
(vs Japan)
64.12024
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
Italy
Latest Average Wage
+1.8% · 5 years
$53,864
Wage Milestones
Japan
10 Years Ago
$51,027 (2015)
Historical Peak
$52,662 (1997)
Latest Wage
$50,183 (2025)
Italy
10 Years Ago
$56,043 (2015)
Historical Peak
$57,790 (2010)
Latest Wage
$53,864 (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
Japan (JPN)Italy (ITA)
Overall
−4.9 index points
100
59.2vs64.1
Food
+25.3 index points
100
112vs86.7
Clothing
−24.3 index points
100
71vs95.3
Housing
−2.3 index points
100
48.5vs50.8
Health
−18.9 index points
100
33.9vs52.8
Transport
−15.5 index points
100
84.4vs99.9
Recreation
+4.0 index points
100
78.4vs74.4
Restaurants & Accommodation
−16.8 index points
100
72.6vs89.4
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 percentage worked out directly from the two reported figures. 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: 112 for Japan against 86.7 for Italy. That is a separation of 25.3 index points on the US=100 scale, with Japan on the higher side and Italy on the lower one. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Housing: Japan reads 48.5 and Italy 50.8 for 2024, just 2.3 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Recreation at 4.0 index points apart. Two readings this close mean the category sits at nearly the same point of the US=100 scale for both.
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 Japan recorded −1.6% and Italy −3.9%, 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. Japan continues to drift below its peak, with a one-year change of −0.5% and a five-year change of −2.2%. Italy is partway through a recovery: the latest year added +1.2%, though the level remains 6.8% below its peak. 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
Japan's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 59.2, and Italy's reads 64.1, 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: 112 for Japan against 86.7 for Italy, a gap of 25.3 index points. At the other end, Housing brings the two closest — 48.5 versus 50.8, a gap of just 2.3 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Japan reads above 100 in 1 of its 8 reported categories, and Italy in 0 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
