🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇯🇵 Tokyo
Seoul outperforms Tokyo on tax rates, incorporation speed, and cost efficiency. Tokyo edges out on VC deal count but faces a steeper language barrier. Both cities suit frugal tech founders targeting Northeast Asia.
Founder Suitability — 6-Axis Radar
🇰🇷 Seoul
South Korea
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Japan
Higher score = better for early-stage founders on that axis.
Head-to-Head Metrics
Days to Incorporate
4 days
🇰🇷 Seoul
✓ Bettervs
7 days
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Corporate Tax Rate
22%
🇰🇷 Seoul
✓ Bettervs
30%
🇯🇵 Tokyo
Avg Developer Salary— Lower = cheaper hiring for founders
$42,000 / yr
🇰🇷 Seoul
✓ Bettervs
$48,000 / yr
🇯🇵 Tokyo
VC Deals (2023)
~280 deals
🇰🇷 Seoul
vs
~400 deals
🇯🇵 Tokyo
✓ BetterEnglish Business Env— EF EPI 2023 (native = 100)
60 / 100
🇰🇷 Seoul
✓ Bettervs
54 / 100
🇯🇵 Tokyo
CBD Office Rent
$28 / m²/mo
🇰🇷 Seoul
✓ Bettervs
$50 / m²/mo
🇯🇵 Tokyo
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Data Sources
World Bank Doing Business 2020KPMG Tax Survey 2024Stack Overflow Dev Survey 2024JLL Office Market 2023Crunchbase 2023EF EPI 2023