Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gifu and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,312 in Gifu, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Gifu despite lower rent and utilities.

63

Cost of Living Index in Gifu
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Gifu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Gifu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,312

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,312 in Gifu versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Gifu $1,312
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,111 in Gifu versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Gifu $2,111
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,910 in Gifu versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Gifu $2,910
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Gifu is roughly 6% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gifu 3% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.64 ¥1,207

$4.56 ¥30.47

67.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 ¥5,008

$30.21 ¥202

4.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥786

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.14%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥364

$3.28 ¥21.94

-29.88%

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

$1.18 ¥187

$0.57 ¥3.84

107.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥92.7

$0.36 ¥2.39

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.23 ¥8.23

71.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ¥374

$2.27 ¥15.18

4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ¥242

$1.84 ¥12.30

-16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ¥199

$1.96 ¥13.08

-35.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.61 ¥886

$1.03 ¥6.87

444.66%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥328

$1.67 ¥11.16

23.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ¥1,977

$16.96 ¥113

-26.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 ¥1,496

$3.19 ¥21.33

196.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.60 ¥5,151

$12.90 ¥86.3

152.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 ¥594

$2.24 ¥15.00

67.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 ¥373

$1.66 ¥11.13

42.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.41 ¥1,012

$2.02 ¥13.54

217.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ¥657

$1.66 ¥11.08

150.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 ¥599

$0.77 ¥5.17

392.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.49 ¥552

$0.93 ¥6.21

275.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.63 ¥4.19

96.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$0.60 ¥3.99

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ¥535

$3.80 ¥25.44

-11.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 ¥1,271

$10.87 ¥72.7

-26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥314

$0.82 ¥5.51

142.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.61 ¥10.76

-6.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.61 ¥4.11

157.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 ¥8,727

$29.40 ¥197

87.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.11 ¥14.11

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.20 ¥506

$0.43 ¥2.87

644.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.12 ¥4,127

$9.06 ¥60.6

188.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

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

$19.6K ¥3.1M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

3.13%

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

$16.8K ¥2.7M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-10.20%

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

$143 ¥22.6K

$57.8 ¥387

147.85%

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

$23.68 ¥3,741

$8.09 ¥54.1

192.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.56 ¥6,881

$10.48 ¥70.0

315.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,270

$65.7 ¥439

-20.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.83 ¥2,027

$8.95 ¥59.9

43.35%

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

$315 ¥49.8K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-77.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,158 ¥972.8K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-77.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.14 ¥7,764

$54.0 ¥361

-8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.60 ¥4,045

$37.09 ¥248

-30.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.39 ¥7,171

$74.3 ¥496

-38.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.5 ¥10.2K

$106 ¥706

-38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.2K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-53.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ¥55.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-40.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥132.9K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-31.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,428 ¥699.5K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-68.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-71.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

3.36

-32.14%

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

Last update for Gifu: 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

Gifu

$385 29.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 39% $150

Accommodation & Living

Gifu

$349 26.6%

Shanghai

$585 47% 67.7% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gifu

$211 16%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 63.7% $134

Eating Out

Gifu

$126 9.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 15.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Gifu

$83 6.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 46.7% $39

Getting Around

Gifu

$81 6.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 55.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Gifu

$78 5.9%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 7.2% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Gifu and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Gifu vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Gifu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind Gifu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

404,352

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

Gifu Shanghai 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Gifu
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

Gifu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,968 in Gifu and $1,865 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: $495 in Gifu versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 88% less than in Gifu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $315 in Gifu versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,312 in Gifu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Gifu. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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, Gifu 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Gifu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.