Multi-country comparison

Compare take-home pay in Asia

Asian tax systems range from very low headline rates to full social-insurance models. This table compares take-home pay across the major economies on the site, ranked by retention. More markets are added as their calculators are factchecked.

On this salary you keep the most in Hong Kong (100.0%) and the least in Singapore (77.5%), a gap of 22.5 points.

Take-home is shown in each country's own currency from its factchecked salary calculator. The retention rate, the share of gross you keep after income tax and social contributions, is directly comparable across all of them.

How the comparison works

  1. Enter one gross annual salary. The same figure is sent to every country’s calculator.
  2. Each calculator applies that country’s own income-tax bands and employee social contributions for the latest tax year.
  3. The result is the take-home pay in local currency, and the retention rate, the percentage of gross you keep.
  4. Countries are ranked by retention, which is the only figure that compares fairly across different currencies.

Countries in this comparison

Frequently asked questions

Why compare the retention rate and not the cash amount?

Each country pays in its own currency, so the raw take-home figures are not directly comparable. The retention rate, the share of gross you keep, strips out the currency and shows where the tax burden is genuinely lighter or heavier.

Does a higher retention rate mean a better deal?

Not on its own. A lower retention often funds public healthcare, pensions and other services you would otherwise pay for separately. The rate measures what stays in your pay packet, not the value of what the tax buys.

Are these figures exact?

They are estimates from each country’s factchecked calculator, using the standard single-person case and the latest published rates. Personal circumstances, regional taxes and allowances can change your own result.

Estimate only

A guide for general comparison, not financial or tax advice. Figures use the standard single-person case and the latest published rates per country.