--- title: "Seattle vs Tokyo: Class A office comparison" description: "Side-by-side Class A office comparison for Seattle and Tokyo — rent, vacancy, talent, tax, lease norms, transit, and top submarkets." canonical: https://classa.info/compare/seattle-vs-tokyo pageType: comparison lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) and Tokyo ($113/sqft, 4.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Seattle on talent depth and Tokyo on rent and tax. ## TL;DR - Class A rent: Seattle $52/sqft vs Tokyo $113/sqft. - Vacancy: Seattle 26.4% vs Tokyo 4.6%. - Talent index: Seattle 92 vs Tokyo 84. - Corporate tax: Seattle 21% vs Tokyo 30.6%. - Premium flex/seat/month: Seattle $940 vs Tokyo $980. # Seattle vs Tokyo: Class A office comparison **Seattle ($52/sqft, 26.4% vacancy) and Tokyo ($113/sqft, 4.6% vacancy) compete on different axes: Seattle on talent depth and Tokyo on rent and tax.** ## TL;DR - [Class A](/glossary/class-a) rent: Seattle $52/sqft vs Tokyo $113/sqft. - Vacancy: Seattle 26.4% vs Tokyo 4.6%. - Talent index: Seattle 92 vs Tokyo 84. - Corporate tax: Seattle 21% vs Tokyo 30.6%. - [Premium flex](/topics/lease-vs-flex)/seat/month: Seattle $940 vs Tokyo $980. ## Market data side-by-side | Metric | Seattle | Tokyo| | Region | Americas | APAC| | Country | United States | Japan| | Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr) | $52 | $113| | Class A rent (local) | 52 USD | 50000 JPY| | Vacancy | 26.4% | 4.6%| | Trend | softening | rising| | Prime yield | 6.7% | 3%| | Premium flex / seat / month (USD) | $940 | $980| | Submarkets covered | 5 | 6| | Corporate tax | 21% | 30.6%| ## Lease norms | Metric | Seattle | Tokyo| | Typical term | 10 yrs | 5 yrs| | Typical rent-free | 16 mos | 4 mos| | Lease norms | Modified-gross structures with operating-expense pass-throughs. 10-12 year terms standard for trophy. Free rent of 12-18 months and TI of $100-$150/sqft typical on a 10-year deal. | Tokyo leases are typically 5-7 years with a 2-year tenant notice. Standard leases are 'fixed-term' (teiki shakuya) or 'ordinary' (futsu shakuya) — fixed-term is increasingly common for Grade A. Rent is base + common-area maintenance billed separately. Restoration to original (genjo kaifuku) is contractual and significant. Personal seal (jitsuin) requirements apply.| | Tax note | 21% federal corporate income tax. No Washington State corporate income tax. Washington B&O tax applies to gross receipts (rates vary by activity). Seattle JumpStart payroll expense tax applies to tenants with $7M+ payroll. | Effective corporate tax rate 30.6% (national + local). Tokyo Metropolitan corporate inhabitant tax adds a meaningful local component.| ## Talent | Metric | Seattle | Tokyo| | Talent index (0–100) | 92 | 84| | Talent note | Deepest cloud, AI, and SaaS engineering talent pool in North America. UW and a deep network of T-1 engineering programs feed. Cost-of-living advantage versus Bay Area is structural. | The largest single-language white-collar talent pool in the world. Average all-in compensation for senior knowledge workers indexes 84 vs. New York's 100, though English-fluent bilingual talent commands a premium.| ## Transit & commute **Seattle:** Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. **Tokyo:** JR Yamanote loop plus 13 metro lines connect every Class A address. Shinkansen termini at Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Ueno support inter-city corporate networks. ## Top submarkets — Seattle - [**Downtown CBD**](/cities/seattle/downtown-cbd) — [trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) · $65/sqft/yr - [**South Lake Union**](/cities/seattle/south-lake-union) — trophy tier · $60/sqft/yr - [**Bellevue**](/cities/seattle/bellevue) — trophy tier · $58/sqft/yr ## Top submarkets — Tokyo - [**Azabudai & Roppongi**](/cities/tokyo/azabudai-roppongi) — trophy tier · ¥60,000/[tsubo](/topics/apac-lease-conventions)">tsubo/mo · ≈ $136 PSF/yr USD - [**Marunouchi & Otemachi**](/cities/tokyo/marunouchi-otemachi) — trophy tier · ¥55,000/tsubo/mo · ≈ $124 PSF/yr USD - [**Toranomon**](/cities/tokyo/toranomon) — trophy tier · ¥50,000/tsubo/mo · ≈ $113 PSF/yr USD ## Decision criteria ### Pick by cost Seattle is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis. ### Pick by talent depth Seattle has the deeper talent index (92/100 vs 84/100). ### Pick by tax Seattle has the lower headline corporate tax (21% vs 30.6%). Local incentives can change the effective rate materially. ### Pick by lease optionality Seattle typical term is 10 years with 16 months free; Tokyo runs 5 years with 4 months free. ### Pick by transit Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. Tokyo: JR Yamanote loop plus 13 metro lines connect every Class A address. Shinkansen termini at Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Ueno support inter-city corporate networks. ## Run a 4-city comparison Score Seattle, Tokyo and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD. [**Run a 4-city comparison →**](/tools/city-comparator) ## Frequently asked questions ****Is Class A office cheaper in Seattle or Tokyo?**** : Seattle is cheaper on a USD basis: $52/sqft vs $113/sqft. ****Which has better talent depth, Seattle or Tokyo?**** : Seattle indexes higher on talent depth (92 vs 84). ****Which has more sublease availability, Seattle or Tokyo?**** : Seattle carries higher vacancy (26.4% vs 4.6%) and therefore typically more [sublease](/topics/sublease-strategy)">sublease overhang. ****What lease term should I expect in Seattle vs Tokyo?**** : Seattle typical term is 10 years with 16 months rent-free; Tokyo typical term is 5 years with 4 months rent-free. ****How does transit and commuter access compare?**** : Seattle: Sound Transit Link light rail (1 Line) extended in 2024 to Lynnwood; East Link to Bellevue / Redmond opening 2025-26. Streetcar serves South Lake Union. King County Metro bus network anchors local commute. Tokyo: JR Yamanote loop plus 13 metro lines connect every Class A address. Shinkansen termini at Tokyo, Shinagawa, and Ueno support inter-city corporate networks. ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Miriam Hollander**](/about/authors/miriam-hollander) — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/compare/seattle-vs-tokyo), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.