The median multiple does not take into account the quality of housing. So, again, irrelevant. Housing in Vancouver is much larger than housing in Tokyo. Furthermore it's much easier to migrate to Vancouver permanently compared to Tokyo. Any affordability as a result of gatekeeping is an illusion.
What metric do you prefer? Or, what metric should a Vancouverite use to judge whether they'd struggle less to afford housing in Tokyo, given an opportunity to move there?
And, reciprocally, what would you tell a Tokyoite who is considering a move to Vancouver? The ones I met all were shocked by the cost of rent, and really struggled, especially the ones working service jobs -- like hotel staff or restaurant server -- who could get by much more comfortably in Tokyo with those jobs. They could only afford crowded shared rooms in Vancouver, and ate into their savings to do so. But even the tech workers from Japan found Vancouver less appealing.
