Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asahikawa and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,159 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,159
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Asahikawa vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Asahikawa $1,832
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Asahikawa vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Asahikawa $2,506
Shanghai $2,755

Asahikawa is about 7% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Asahikawa and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Asahikawa 14% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 ¥853

$4.56 ¥30.43

18.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.56 ¥5,618

$30.21 ¥202

17.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 ¥873

$5.25 ¥35.08

5.33%

Cappuccino

$2.94 ¥465

$3.28 ¥21.91

-10.37%

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

$1.16 ¥184

$0.57 ¥3.84

103.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.36 ¥2.38

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 ¥451

$1.23 ¥8.22

132.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥544

$2.27 ¥15.16

51.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.84 ¥12.28

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.96 ¥13.06

-22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$1.03 ¥6.86

266.02%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥326

$1.67 ¥11.15

23.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 ¥1,749

$16.96 ¥113

-34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.98 ¥944

$3.19 ¥21.30

87.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$12.90 ¥86.1

44.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$2.24 ¥14.98

54.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥372

$1.66 ¥11.12

41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 ¥448

$2.02 ¥13.52

40.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 ¥747

$1.66 ¥11.07

184.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$0.77 ¥5.17

196.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥413

$0.93 ¥6.20

181.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ¥181

$0.63 ¥4.18

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥138

$0.60 ¥3.98

45.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ¥705

$3.80 ¥25.40

17.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ¥1,130

$10.87 ¥72.6

-34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥277

$0.82 ¥5.50

114.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥358

$1.61 ¥10.75

40.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.61 ¥4.11

111.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 ¥9,570

$29.40 ¥196

106.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ¥531

$2.11 ¥14.09

59.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 ¥433

$0.43 ¥2.86

537.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.41 ¥2,751

$9.06 ¥60.5

92.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.33 ¥8.88

-20.30%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

15.33%

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

$13.5K ¥2.1M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-27.87%

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

$117 ¥18.5K

$57.8 ¥386

102.51%

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

$25.69 ¥4,059

$8.09 ¥54.0

217.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.71 ¥4,378

$10.48 ¥69.9

164.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$65.7 ¥439

-24.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 ¥2,138

$8.95 ¥59.8

51.17%

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

$500 ¥79.0K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-64.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-56.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.15 ¥7,607

$54.0 ¥360

-10.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.48 ¥5,290

$37.09 ¥248

-9.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$74.3 ¥496

-10.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.5 ¥13.5K

$106 ¥705

-19.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-57.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.3K

$585 ¥3,904

-47.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 ¥174.4K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-55.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ¥101.1K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-48.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 ¥702.8K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-68.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,801 ¥284.5K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-71.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Asahikawa: 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

Asahikawa

$306 26.4%

Shanghai

$585 47% 91.3% $279

Groceries & Markets

Asahikawa

$295 25.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 20.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asahikawa

$170 14.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 55.2% $94

Eating Out

Asahikawa

$124 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 14.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Asahikawa

$105 9.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 16.2% $17

Getting Around

Asahikawa

$83 7.1%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 56.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Asahikawa

$77 6.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 8.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Asahikawa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Asahikawa versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Asahikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,306

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Asahikawa Shanghai 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Asahikawa
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

Asahikawa vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,159 in Asahikawa, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Asahikawa 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 Asahikawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 106% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $500 per month in Asahikawa and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – 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 Asahikawa. 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.