Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aichi and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Aichi: $1,058 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Aichi
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Aichi Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Aichi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,058

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aichi and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aichi and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Aichi vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Aichi $1,058
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,689 per month in Aichi vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Aichi $1,689
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,320 per month in Aichi vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Aichi $2,320
Shanghai $2,755

Aichi is about 15% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aichi and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Aichi 22% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 ¥1,021

$4.56 ¥30.47

41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.25 ¥5,569

$30.21 ¥202

16.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 ¥801

$5.25 ¥35.13

-3.43%

Cappuccino

$3.48 ¥550

$3.28 ¥21.94

6.10%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 ¥153

$0.57 ¥3.84

70.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.36 ¥2.39

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 ¥386

$1.23 ¥8.23

99.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ¥445

$2.27 ¥15.18

24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.84 ¥12.30

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥270

$1.96 ¥13.08

-12.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 ¥546

$1.03 ¥6.87

235.92%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$1.67 ¥11.16

19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 ¥1,657

$16.96 ¥113

-38.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 ¥952

$3.19 ¥21.33

89.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 ¥2,267

$12.90 ¥86.3

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.24 ¥15.00

11.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ¥301

$1.66 ¥11.13

14.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$2.02 ¥13.54

-8.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 ¥401

$1.66 ¥11.08

53.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$0.77 ¥5.17

149.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$0.93 ¥6.21

73.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥195

$0.63 ¥4.19

95.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.60 ¥3.99

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.80 ¥25.44

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 ¥971

$10.87 ¥72.7

-43.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥274

$0.82 ¥5.51

110.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.61 ¥10.76

24.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$0.61 ¥4.11

114.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 ¥7,999

$29.40 ¥197

72.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ¥476

$2.11 ¥14.11

43.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 ¥430

$0.43 ¥2.87

532.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.08 ¥3,173

$9.06 ¥60.6

121.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

10.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.1K ¥2.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-3.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.5 ¥15.2K

$57.8 ¥387

66.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$18.62 ¥2,941

$8.09 ¥54.1

130.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.10 ¥5,071

$10.48 ¥70.0

206.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 ¥4,949

$65.7 ¥439

-52.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.15 ¥971

$17.82 ¥119

-65.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,003

$8.95 ¥59.9

41.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$628 ¥99.2K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-55.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-47.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.93 ¥5,992

$54.0 ¥361

-29.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.08 ¥5,383

$37.09 ¥248

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.4 ¥9,535

$74.3 ¥496

-18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 ¥14.8K

$106 ¥706

-11.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ¥63.7K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-61.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 ¥46.8K

$585 ¥3,910

-49.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$959 ¥151.5K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-61.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$637 ¥100.7K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-48.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 ¥293.9K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-86.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 ¥151.5K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-84.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,563 ¥246.9K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-8.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

3.36

-21.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aichi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aichi

$296 28%

Shanghai

$585 47% 97.4% $289

Groceries & Markets

Aichi

$250 23.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 6.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aichi

$147 13.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 48.1% $71

Eating Out

Aichi

$133 12.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 20.6% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Aichi

$102 9.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 19.8% $20

Getting Around

Aichi

$72 6.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 50.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Aichi

$57 5.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 47.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Aichi versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Aichi versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Aichi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Aichi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

384,654

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aichi Shanghai 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Aichi
Shanghai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aichi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 18% more than Aichi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,587 per month in Aichi and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aichi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,058 in Aichi and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 18%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Aichi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aichi, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Aichi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aichi costs $1,058 versus $1,244 in Shanghai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aichi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.