Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Himeji and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Himeji and in Shanghai: $1,283 and $1,256 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,283 per month in Himeji vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Himeji $1,283
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $2,047 per month in Himeji vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Himeji $2,047
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,811 per month in Himeji vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Himeji $2,811
Shanghai $2,743

Himeji costs about 2% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Himeji and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Himeji 5% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 ¥1,336

$4.45 ¥29.78

90.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.07 ¥4,909

$30.29 ¥203

2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥807

$5.09 ¥34.01

0.39%

Cappuccino

$2.35 ¥371

$3.43 ¥22.96

-31.49%

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

$1.24 ¥196

$0.62 ¥4.15

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥129

$0.39 ¥2.58

110.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$1.23 ¥8.25

160.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ¥483

$2.21 ¥14.81

38.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.85 ¥12.37

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.95 ¥13.02

-24.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 ¥650

$1.00 ¥6.67

312.00%

Eggs

$2.18 ¥344

$1.71 ¥11.43

27.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.50 ¥2,449

$17.47 ¥117

-11.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,072

$3.24 ¥21.66

109.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 ¥2,667

$12.99 ¥86.8

29.95%

Apples (1kg)

$8.37 ¥1,323

$2.24 ¥14.98

273.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.97 ¥470

$1.68 ¥11.25

76.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 ¥799

$1.95 ¥13.03

159.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.86 ¥1,241

$1.73 ¥11.60

354.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ¥617

$0.76 ¥5.10

413.16%

Onion (1kg)

$4.70 ¥743

$0.92 ¥6.15

410.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ¥177

$0.66 ¥4.41

69.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥141

$0.60 ¥4.00

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.69 ¥24.65

4.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,539

$10.92 ¥73.0

-10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥412

$0.87 ¥5.85

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥332

$1.63 ¥10.87

28.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥228

$0.62 ¥4.13

132.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 ¥8,373

$30.38 ¥203

74.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.06 ¥13.79

51.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.82 ¥446

$0.46 ¥3.08

513.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.45 ¥2,441

$8.84 ¥59.1

74.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥168

$1.33 ¥8.86

-19.55%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

11.71%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-17.24%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$57.1 ¥382

105.95%

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

$23.44 ¥3,704

$8.07 ¥53.9

190.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ¥5,003

$10.70 ¥71.5

195.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,314

$64.6 ¥432

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 ¥1,795

$9.05 ¥60.5

25.52%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-60.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-47.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.92 ¥7,886

$53.5 ¥358

-6.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.51 ¥5,611

$37.05 ¥248

-4.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 ¥9,739

$77.0 ¥515

-19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.2 ¥15.7K

$104 ¥694

-4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.4K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-47.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.8K

$594 ¥3,971

-44.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.8K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-57.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥115.2K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,304 ¥680.0K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-68.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,725 ¥272.5K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-72.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

3.36

-39.88%

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

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Himeji

$379 29.5%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 37.3% $141

Accommodation & Living

Himeji

$328 25.6%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 81% $266

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Himeji

$173 13.5%

Shanghai

$76 6% 56.1% $97

Eating Out

Himeji

$142 11%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 24.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Himeji

$111 8.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 10.2% $11

Getting Around

Himeji

$76 5.9%

Shanghai

$37 3% 51.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Himeji

$75 5.9%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 9.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Himeji versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Himeji versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $238 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Himeji

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

04:10 4:10 AM

1 h behind Himeji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

535,571

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 20, 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 20, 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

Himeji Shanghai 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Himeji
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

Himeji vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Himeji is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,925 per month in Himeji and $1,884 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.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Himeji, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Himeji and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Himeji at $1,283. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Himeji it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Himeji makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.