Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hachioji and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,413 in Hachioji, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Hachioji
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Hachioji Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Hachioji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,413

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,413 in Hachioji versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Hachioji $1,413
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,105 in Hachioji versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Hachioji $2,105
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,796 in Hachioji versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Hachioji $2,796
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Hachioji is roughly 14% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hachioji is 5% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.48 ¥865

$4.56 ¥30.47

20.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.97 ¥5,052

$30.21 ¥202

5.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ¥737

$5.25 ¥35.13

-11.24%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥484

$3.28 ¥21.94

-6.71%

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

$0.83 ¥131

$0.57 ¥3.84

45.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$0.36 ¥2.39

86.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.23 ¥8.23

119.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ¥507

$2.27 ¥15.18

41.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥198

$1.84 ¥12.30

-32.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.96 ¥13.08

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 ¥688

$1.03 ¥6.87

322.33%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$1.67 ¥11.16

25.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,641

$16.96 ¥113

-38.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 ¥1,010

$3.19 ¥21.33

100.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.65 ¥2,630

$12.90 ¥86.3

29.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$2.24 ¥15.00

66.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.66 ¥11.13

34.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ¥462

$2.02 ¥13.54

44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 ¥641

$1.66 ¥11.08

143.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$0.77 ¥5.17

215.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 ¥387

$0.93 ¥6.21

163.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.63 ¥4.19

104.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.60 ¥3.99

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥608

$3.80 ¥25.44

1.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$10.87 ¥72.7

-39.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 ¥390

$0.82 ¥5.51

201.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥343

$1.61 ¥10.76

34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ¥149

$0.61 ¥4.11

54.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ¥8,598

$29.40 ¥197

85.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ¥488

$2.11 ¥14.11

46.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.72 ¥588

$0.43 ¥2.87

765.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.49 ¥2,921

$9.06 ¥60.6

104.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ¥171

$1.33 ¥8.89

-18.80%

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

$21.2K ¥3.3M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

11.24%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-20.00%

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

$136 ¥21.6K

$57.8 ¥387

136.07%

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

$20.79 ¥3,284

$8.09 ¥54.1

156.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.35 ¥5,743

$10.48 ¥70.0

246.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,249

$65.7 ¥439

-20.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.96 ¥3,944

$17.82 ¥119

40.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.07 ¥2,064

$8.95 ¥59.9

46.03%

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

$589 ¥93.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-58.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ¥1.8M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-60.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.22 ¥7,776

$54.0 ¥361

-8.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 ¥4,935

$37.09 ¥248

-15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.4 ¥9,864

$74.3 ¥496

-15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ¥14.2K

$106 ¥706

-14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 ¥148.3K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 ¥86.7K

$585 ¥3,910

-6.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 ¥244.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 ¥148.0K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-23.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,294 ¥678.4K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-69.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,751 ¥276.6K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-72.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,806 ¥443.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

64.00%

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 Hachioji: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hachioji

$549 38.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 6.6% $36

Groceries & Markets

Hachioji

$288 20.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hachioji

$194 13.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 60.6% $117

Eating Out

Hachioji

$121 8.5%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 12% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Hachioji

$105 7.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 16.3% $17

Getting Around

Hachioji

$80 5.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 54.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Hachioji

$78 5.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 6.7% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $939 in Hachioji and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hachioji pays 64% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Hachioji vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hachioji

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h behind Hachioji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

555,517

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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Hachioji Shanghai 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hachioji
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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

Hachioji vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Hachioji. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Hachioji, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $939 in Hachioji versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Hachioji. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Hachioji. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,413 in Hachioji, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Hachioji. 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, Hachioji 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 14% less than in Hachioji. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.