Mexico
Latest Average Wage
+8.9% · 5 years
$24,463
Country Comparison
Mexico vs Japan
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Mexico
vs
Japan
$24,4632025
Latest Average Wage
Japan +105.1%
(vs Mexico)
$50,1832025
+8.9%2025
5-Year Wage Change
Mexico +11.1 pts
(vs Japan)
−2.2%2025
+9.7%2025
10-Year Wage Change
Mexico +11.3 pts
(vs Japan)
−1.6%2025
50.92024
Overall Price Level
Japan +8.3 index points
(vs Mexico)
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
Mexico
10 Years Ago
$22,304 (2015)
Historical Peak
$27,014 (1994)
Latest Wage
$24,463 (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
Mexico (MEX)Japan (JPN)
Overall
−8.3 index points
100
50.9vs59.2
Food
−23.7 index points
100
88.3vs112
Clothing
+1.0 index points
100
72vs71
Housing
−5.8 index points
100
42.7vs48.5
Health
+12.1 index points
100
46vs33.9
Transport
−3.8 index points
100
80.6vs84.4
Recreation
−15.1 index points
100
63.3vs78.4
Restaurants & Accommodation
−7.5 index points
100
65.1vs72.6
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
Japan's latest average wage is $50,183 for 2025, about 105.1% higher than Mexico's $24,463 for 2025 — a percentage worked out directly from the two reported figures. That is roughly $25,720 a year on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, Mexico shows the stronger movement at +1.3%, against −0.5% for Japan. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +8.9% 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: 88.3 for Mexico against 112 for Japan. That is a separation of 23.7 index points on the US=100 scale, with Japan on the higher side and Mexico on the lower one. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Clothing: Mexico reads 72 and Japan 71 for 2024, just 1.0 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Transport at 3.8 index points apart. Closeness here describes the index readings only, not the baskets behind them.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
Few pairings separate this cleanly — Japan's latest average wage of $50,183 for 2025 stands well above Mexico's $24,463 for 2025. The higher figure exceeds the lower one by 105.1% in relative terms — a percentage calculated from the two reported values — or roughly $25,720 a year. 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 Mexico recorded +9.7% against Japan's −1.6%, so the current levels were reached on visibly different long-term paths.
Wage Direction
The two wage series are moving in opposite directions — and the gap between them is narrowing as a result. Mexico is partway through a recovery: the latest year added +1.3%, though the level remains 9.4% 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%. Because Mexico — the lower of the two latest wage levels — is the side currently gaining in real terms (+8.9% over five years against −2.2%), the distance between the two is shrinking on these measures rather than growing. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.
Price Profile
Mexico's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 50.9, and Japan's reads 59.2, each measured against the United States reference of 100. Japan reads higher in 6 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Food: 88.3 for Mexico against 112 for Japan, a gap of 23.7 index points. At the other end, Clothing brings the two closest — 72 versus 71, a gap of just 1.0 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Mexico 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.
