Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ibaraki and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,130 in Ibaraki versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Ibaraki $1,130
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,756 in Ibaraki versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Ibaraki $1,756
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,383 in Ibaraki versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Ibaraki $2,383
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Ibaraki costs roughly 10% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ibaraki 17% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,016

$4.45 ¥29.78

44.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.94 ¥4,888

$30.29 ¥203

2.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥781

$5.09 ¥34.01

-2.75%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥480

$3.43 ¥22.96

-11.37%

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

$1.15 ¥182

$0.62 ¥4.15

85.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.39 ¥2.58

92.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 ¥421

$1.23 ¥8.25

116.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ¥499

$2.21 ¥14.81

42.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.70 ¥427

$1.85 ¥12.37

45.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.95 ¥13.02

-21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 ¥638

$1.00 ¥6.67

304.00%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥334

$1.71 ¥11.43

23.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$17.47 ¥117

-39.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ¥1,053

$3.24 ¥21.66

105.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 ¥2,594

$12.99 ¥86.8

26.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.79 ¥599

$2.24 ¥14.98

69.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 ¥357

$1.68 ¥11.25

34.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥443

$1.95 ¥13.03

44.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$1.73 ¥11.60

135.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ¥384

$0.76 ¥5.10

219.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$0.92 ¥6.15

178.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.66 ¥4.41

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥134

$0.60 ¥4.00

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 ¥526

$3.69 ¥24.65

-9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 ¥1,052

$10.92 ¥73.0

-39.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥282

$0.87 ¥5.85

104.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$1.63 ¥10.87

31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 ¥266

$0.62 ¥4.13

170.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.3 ¥8,582

$30.38 ¥203

78.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 ¥735

$2.06 ¥13.79

125.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ¥444

$0.46 ¥3.08

510.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 ¥2,890

$8.84 ¥59.1

107.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥178

$1.33 ¥8.86

-15.04%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

10.94%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-17.01%

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

$136 ¥21.5K

$57.1 ¥382

138.03%

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

$23.88 ¥3,773

$8.07 ¥53.9

195.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.10 ¥4,913

$10.70 ¥71.5

190.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 ¥8,140

$64.6 ¥432

-20.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$12.95 ¥2,046

$9.05 ¥60.5

43.09%

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

$464 ¥73.3K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-67.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K ¥2.1M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-51.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.48 ¥4,184

$53.5 ¥358

-50.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.63 ¥4,997

$37.05 ¥248

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$77.0 ¥515

-12.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 ¥12.6K

$104 ¥694

-23.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ¥63.4K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-60.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 ¥41.1K

$594 ¥3,971

-56.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 ¥174.2K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-56.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 ¥83.3K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-56.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,937 ¥622.0K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-70.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,554 ¥245.6K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-75.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,553 ¥403.3K

$1,699 ¥11.4K

50.22%

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 Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ibaraki

$300 26.5%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 20.7% $62

Accommodation & Living

Ibaraki

$260 23%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 128% $334

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ibaraki

$191 16.9%

Shanghai

$76 6% 60.3% $115

Eating Out

Ibaraki

$130 11.5%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 17.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ibaraki

$92 8.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 32.3% $30

Getting Around

Ibaraki

$80 7.1%

Shanghai

$37 3% 53.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Ibaraki

$77 6.9%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 6.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Ibaraki and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Ibaraki vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $238 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Ibaraki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

287,730

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 →

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Between locations

Ibaraki Shanghai 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ibaraki
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

Ibaraki vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibaraki and Shanghai differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,130 vs $1,256 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 50% higher in Ibaraki, 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: $401 in Ibaraki 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 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibaraki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in Ibaraki versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ibaraki but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Ibaraki 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, Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.