Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fukushima and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,165 in Fukushima versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Fukushima $1,165
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,826 in Fukushima versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Fukushima $1,826
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,487 in Fukushima versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Fukushima $2,487
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Fukushima costs roughly 7% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fukushima 14% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 ¥930

$4.45 ¥29.78

32.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥4,727

$30.29 ¥203

-1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ¥703

$5.09 ¥34.01

-12.57%

Cappuccino

$2.55 ¥404

$3.43 ¥22.96

-25.66%

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

$0.94 ¥148

$0.62 ¥4.15

51.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$0.39 ¥2.58

71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ¥412

$1.23 ¥8.25

112.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.21 ¥14.81

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.85 ¥12.37

-20.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.95 ¥13.02

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$1.00 ¥6.67

308.00%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$1.71 ¥11.43

21.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ¥1,639

$17.47 ¥117

-40.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 ¥1,057

$3.24 ¥21.66

106.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.64 ¥2,629

$12.99 ¥86.8

28.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 ¥596

$2.24 ¥14.98

68.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$1.68 ¥11.25

34.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥443

$1.95 ¥13.03

43.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥642

$1.73 ¥11.60

135.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$0.76 ¥5.10

226.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ¥406

$0.92 ¥6.15

179.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥205

$0.66 ¥4.41

95.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥132

$0.60 ¥4.00

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$3.69 ¥24.65

5.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 ¥1,077

$10.92 ¥73.0

-37.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ¥291

$0.87 ¥5.85

111.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥337

$1.63 ¥10.87

30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.62 ¥4.13

140.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.19 ¥7,613

$30.38 ¥203

58.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.06 ¥13.79

54.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 ¥425

$0.46 ¥3.08

484.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 ¥3,342

$8.84 ¥59.1

139.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ¥161

$1.33 ¥8.86

-23.31%

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

$20.2K ¥3.2M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

4.67%

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

$15.6K ¥2.5M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-14.55%

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

$126 ¥19.9K

$57.1 ¥382

120.96%

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

$21.15 ¥3,342

$8.07 ¥53.9

162.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.04 ¥4,746

$10.70 ¥71.5

180.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,154

$64.6 ¥432

-20.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$11.70 ¥1,849

$9.05 ¥60.5

29.28%

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

$453 ¥71.6K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-68.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ¥1.8M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-59.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.93 ¥7,414

$53.5 ¥358

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.00 ¥5,688

$37.05 ¥248

-2.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 ¥10.2K

$77.0 ¥515

-16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥13.3K

$104 ¥694

-18.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ¥84.5K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-47.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.5K

$594 ¥3,971

-43.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ¥160.9K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-60.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 ¥111.4K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-41.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,897 ¥615.6K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-71.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,857 ¥293.4K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-70.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥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 Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fukushima

$333 28.5%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 78.5% $261

Groceries & Markets

Fukushima

$288 24.7%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 17.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fukushima

$177 15.2%

Shanghai

$76 6% 57.2% $102

Eating Out

Fukushima

$117 10%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 8.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Fukushima

$104 9%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 17% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Fukushima

$75 6.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 10.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Fukushima

$71 6.1%

Shanghai

$37 3% 47.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Fukushima and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Fukushima vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $238, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h behind Fukushima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

282,693

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 21, 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 21, 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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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

Fukushima vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,748 in Fukushima and $1,884 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $535 in Fukushima versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Fukushima – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,165 in Fukushima versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Fukushima and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.