&gt; Tokyo might not have the SV&#x27;s startup &quot;scene&quot; but apart from funding, it has pretty much all infrastructure a software startup needs, just like any large city in a developed country does: fast, reliable internet connection, a functioning legal system, and enough qualified labor.<p>I was trying to pre-empt &quot;San Francisco is just as expensive as Tokyo&quot;. Yes it is, but it has a lot of startup-specific infrastructure that may (or may not) be worth the excess cost. (Likewise NYC&#x2F;London&#x2F;Berlin). If you just want the things you list, you can go somewhere much cheaper than Tokyo (e.g. central US, northern&#x2F;western Europe - as you say, any large city in a developed country will do).