Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Akita and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Akita and in Shanghai: $1,213 and $1,256 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Akita
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Akita Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Akita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Akita 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 Akita and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Akita vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Akita $1,213
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Akita vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Akita $1,904
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Akita vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Akita $2,596
Shanghai $2,743

Akita is about 3% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Akita and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Akita 11% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.21 ¥981

$4.45 ¥29.78

39.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.98 ¥5,052

$30.29 ¥203

5.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥775

$5.09 ¥34.01

-3.73%

Cappuccino

$3.54 ¥559

$3.43 ¥22.96

3.21%

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

$0.99 ¥156

$0.62 ¥4.15

59.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.39 ¥2.58

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 ¥306

$1.23 ¥8.25

56.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.21 ¥14.81

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.85 ¥12.37

-17.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥252

$1.95 ¥13.02

-18.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 ¥650

$1.00 ¥6.67

311.00%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥323

$1.71 ¥11.43

19.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ¥1,610

$17.47 ¥117

-41.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ¥1,031

$3.24 ¥21.66

101.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 ¥2,565

$12.99 ¥86.8

24.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 ¥573

$2.24 ¥14.98

62.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ¥355

$1.68 ¥11.25

33.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$1.95 ¥13.03

45.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 ¥663

$1.73 ¥11.60

142.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$0.76 ¥5.10

219.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ¥392

$0.92 ¥6.15

169.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.66 ¥4.41

95.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥127

$0.60 ¥4.00

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 ¥634

$3.69 ¥24.65

8.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 ¥1,039

$10.92 ¥73.0

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥296

$0.87 ¥5.85

116.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ¥327

$1.63 ¥10.87

26.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥239

$0.62 ¥4.13

143.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.0 ¥8,525

$30.38 ¥203

77.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 ¥503

$2.06 ¥13.79

54.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥440

$0.46 ¥3.08

506.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$8.84 ¥59.1

109.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥207

$1.33 ¥8.86

-1.50%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

12.62%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-16.93%

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

$135 ¥21.3K

$57.1 ¥382

135.67%

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

$24.50 ¥3,871

$8.07 ¥53.9

203.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,971

$10.70 ¥71.5

194.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 ¥8,332

$64.6 ¥432

-18.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$11.84 ¥1,870

$9.05 ¥60.5

30.83%

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

$507 ¥80.1K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-64.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-55.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.47 ¥6,552

$53.5 ¥358

-22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.21 ¥7,301

$37.05 ¥248

24.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ¥13.4K

$77.0 ¥515

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ¥13.9K

$104 ¥694

-15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ¥53.1K

$594 ¥3,971

-43.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.1K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-57.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ¥114.1K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-40.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,173 ¥659.3K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-69.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 ¥281.5K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-71.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,613 ¥254.9K

$1,699 ¥11.4K

-5.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.36

-34.23%

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

Last update for Akita: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Akita

$336 27.7%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 76.7% $258

Groceries & Markets

Akita

$285 23.5%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 16.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Akita

$191 15.7%

Shanghai

$76 6% 60.2% $115

Eating Out

Akita

$130 10.7%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 17.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Akita

$117 9.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 4.3% $5

Getting Around

Akita

$77 6.4%

Shanghai

$37 3% 51.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Akita

$76 6.3%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 8.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Akita versus $1,023 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 5% 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 $32.00 in Akita versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $238 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Akita

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Akita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,672

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Akita Shanghai 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Akita
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

Akita vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 4% more than Akita, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,819 per month in Akita and $1,884 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 78% less in Akita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Akita and $1,441 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Akita, where all-in costs run around $1,213, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Akita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Akita – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Akita. 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.