Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukuoka and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Fukuoka and in Shanghai: $1,259 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Fukuoka
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Fukuoka Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Fukuoka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,259

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,259 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Fukuoka $1,259
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,001 per month in Fukuoka vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,001
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Fukuoka vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Fukuoka $2,743
Shanghai $2,755

Fukuoka costs about 1% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fukuoka and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Fukuoka 7% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.20 ¥1,138

$4.56 ¥30.47

57.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.93 ¥6,783

$30.21 ¥202

42.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 ¥922

$5.25 ¥35.13

11.24%

Cappuccino

$3.77 ¥596

$3.28 ¥21.94

14.94%

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

$1.03 ¥163

$0.57 ¥3.84

80.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥111

$0.36 ¥2.39

94.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.79 ¥599

$1.23 ¥8.23

208.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$2.27 ¥15.18

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.84 ¥12.30

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥302

$1.96 ¥13.08

-2.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,050

$1.03 ¥6.87

544.66%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥362

$1.67 ¥11.16

37.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.31 ¥2,893

$16.96 ¥113

7.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 ¥853

$3.19 ¥21.33

69.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 ¥3,002

$12.90 ¥86.3

47.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ¥560

$2.24 ¥15.00

58.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ¥287

$1.66 ¥11.13

9.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 ¥453

$2.02 ¥13.54

42.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 ¥531

$1.66 ¥11.08

102.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$0.77 ¥5.17

179.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ¥409

$0.93 ¥6.21

178.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ¥161

$0.63 ¥4.19

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥147

$0.60 ¥3.99

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.80 ¥25.44

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ¥1,025

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥270

$0.82 ¥5.51

108.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$1.61 ¥10.76

12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.61 ¥4.11

140.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.37 ¥6,537

$29.40 ¥197

40.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥618

$2.11 ¥14.11

85.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 ¥331

$0.43 ¥2.87

386.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.67 ¥2,792

$9.06 ¥60.6

95.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.33 ¥8.89

-16.54%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.17%

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

$17.6K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-5.84%

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

$207 ¥32.8K

$57.8 ¥387

258.69%

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

$25.04 ¥3,955

$8.09 ¥54.1

209.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 ¥5,159

$10.48 ¥70.0

211.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ¥8,506

$65.7 ¥439

-18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 ¥1,724

$8.95 ¥59.9

21.90%

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

$126 ¥19.8K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-91.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-55.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.44 ¥7,811

$54.0 ¥361

-8.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.89 ¥4,090

$37.09 ¥248

-30.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ¥10.6K

$74.3 ¥496

-9.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.07 ¥7,594

$106 ¥706

-54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 ¥76.8K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-53.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥47.8K

$585 ¥3,910

-48.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 ¥194.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-50.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 ¥115.4K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-40.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,329 ¥1.0M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-54.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,696 ¥425.9K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-56.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 ¥261.8K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-3.13%

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 Fukuoka: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fukuoka

$318 25.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 26.2% $83

Accommodation & Living

Fukuoka

$303 24%

Shanghai

$585 47% 93.2% $282

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukuoka

$265 21.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.2% $189

Eating Out

Fukuoka

$151 12%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 29.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Fukuoka

$86 6.8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 42.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Fukuoka

$76 6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10.5% $7.9

Getting Around

Fukuoka

$62 4.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 41.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $486 in Fukuoka 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 3% higher in Shanghai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Fukuoka versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukuoka

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

17:00 5:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

1 h behind Fukuoka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,612,392

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

Fukuoka Shanghai 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fukuoka
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

Fukuoka vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,259 in Fukuoka, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,889 per month in Fukuoka 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 Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $126 per month in Fukuoka and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Fukuoka, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Fukuoka at $1,259. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fukuoka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Fukuoka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Shanghai to $1,259 in Fukuoka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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