Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beppu and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beppu: $965 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Beppu
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Beppu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

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Beppu

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Beppu vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beppu $965
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,429 per month in Beppu vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beppu $1,429
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,893 per month in Beppu vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Beppu $1,893
Shanghai $2,755

Beppu is about 22% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Beppu and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Beppu 29% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥1,001

$4.56 ¥30.47

39.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.04 ¥3,798

$30.21 ¥202

-20.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥689

$5.25 ¥35.13

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$3.10 ¥490

$3.28 ¥21.94

-5.49%

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

$1.03 ¥163

$0.57 ¥3.84

80.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥113

$0.36 ¥2.39

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥508

$1.23 ¥8.23

161.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.27 ¥15.18

-5.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ¥221

$1.84 ¥12.30

-23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥251

$1.96 ¥13.08

-18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.51 ¥712

$1.03 ¥6.87

337.86%

Eggs

$1.45 ¥229

$1.67 ¥11.16

-13.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 ¥1,385

$16.96 ¥113

-48.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 ¥840

$3.19 ¥21.33

66.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.02 ¥1,582

$12.90 ¥86.3

-22.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$2.24 ¥15.00

66.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥297

$1.66 ¥11.13

13.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 ¥445

$2.02 ¥13.54

39.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 ¥509

$1.66 ¥11.08

93.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥341

$0.77 ¥5.17

180.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ¥356

$0.93 ¥6.21

141.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ¥162

$0.63 ¥4.19

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.60 ¥3.99

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.80 ¥25.44

-3.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 ¥988

$10.87 ¥72.7

-42.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 ¥226

$0.82 ¥5.51

74.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.61 ¥10.76

3.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 ¥404

$0.61 ¥4.11

319.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.96 ¥4,891

$29.40 ¥197

5.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ¥605

$2.11 ¥14.11

81.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ¥320

$0.43 ¥2.87

369.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.76 ¥2,805

$9.06 ¥60.6

96.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.33 ¥8.89

-18.05%

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

$11.4K ¥1.8M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-40.34%

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

$16.0K ¥2.5M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-14.47%

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

$145 ¥22.8K

$57.8 ¥387

150.04%

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

$12.45 ¥1,968

$8.09 ¥54.1

53.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.03 ¥4,429

$10.48 ¥70.0

167.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.32 ¥6,843

$65.7 ¥439

-34.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.16 ¥500

$17.82 ¥119

-82.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 ¥986

$8.95 ¥59.9

-30.28%

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

$193 ¥30.5K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-86.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-56.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ¥4,475

$54.0 ¥361

-47.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.68 ¥3,426

$37.09 ¥248

-41.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.0 ¥10.3K

$74.3 ¥496

-12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.19 ¥6,033

$106 ¥706

-63.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 ¥48.4K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-70.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 ¥36.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-60.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 ¥89.0K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-77.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥59.2K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-69.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 ¥666.1K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-69.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,595 ¥251.9K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-74.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 ¥213.9K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-20.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

3.36

-41.37%

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

Last update for Beppu: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Beppu

$243 25.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 3.5% $8.4

Accommodation & Living

Beppu

$228 23.7%

Shanghai

$585 47% 156% $356

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beppu

$185 19.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 58.7% $109

Eating Out

Beppu

$128 13.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 17.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Beppu

$69 7.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 76.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Beppu

$56 5.8%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 49.8% $28

Getting Around

Beppu

$55 5.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 34.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $306 in Beppu 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 26% 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 $24.00 in Beppu versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Beppu vs $235 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Beppu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

1 h behind Beppu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,321

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 →

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Between locations

Beppu Shanghai 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Beppu
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

Beppu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 29% more than Beppu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Beppu 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 Beppu, 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 $965 in Beppu and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Beppu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beppu, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Beppu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beppu – 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 Beppu. 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.