Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ichikawa and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ichikawa: $1,167 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ichikawa
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Ichikawa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Ichikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,167

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Ichikawa $1,167
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ichikawa versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Ichikawa $1,876
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,585 in Ichikawa versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Ichikawa $2,585
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Ichikawa costs roughly 6% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ichikawa 14% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 ¥811

$4.56 ¥30.47

12.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ¥4,912

$30.21 ¥202

2.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 ¥680

$5.25 ¥35.13

-18.10%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ¥352

$3.28 ¥21.94

-32.01%

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

$0.72 ¥113

$0.57 ¥3.84

26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥55.7

$0.36 ¥2.39

-2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 ¥395

$1.23 ¥8.23

103.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥502

$2.27 ¥15.18

40.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥218

$1.84 ¥12.30

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 ¥261

$1.96 ¥13.08

-15.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 ¥578

$1.03 ¥6.87

255.34%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥311

$1.67 ¥11.16

17.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ¥1,663

$16.96 ¥113

-37.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 ¥926

$3.19 ¥21.33

83.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.38 ¥2,272

$12.90 ¥86.3

11.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 ¥874

$2.24 ¥15.00

146.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$1.66 ¥11.13

68.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 ¥444

$2.02 ¥13.54

39.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.26 ¥673

$1.66 ¥11.08

156.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$0.77 ¥5.17

238.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$0.93 ¥6.21

175.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$0.63 ¥4.19

103.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.60 ¥3.99

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 ¥590

$3.80 ¥25.44

-1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.38 ¥1,007

$10.87 ¥72.7

-41.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ¥281

$0.82 ¥5.51

117.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ¥320

$1.61 ¥10.76

25.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ¥213

$0.61 ¥4.11

121.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 ¥9,457

$29.40 ¥197

103.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.11 ¥14.11

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 ¥432

$0.43 ¥2.87

534.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.59 ¥3,253

$9.06 ¥60.6

127.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.05%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

11.47%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-0.96%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$57.8 ¥387

128.06%

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

$23.97 ¥3,788

$8.09 ¥54.1

196.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.98 ¥5,052

$10.48 ¥70.0

205.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.04 ¥7,431

$65.7 ¥439

-28.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 ¥2,022

$8.95 ¥59.9

43.02%

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

$642 ¥101.4K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-54.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-47.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 ¥9,801

$54.0 ¥361

14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 ¥5,889

$37.09 ¥248

0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 ¥9,559

$74.3 ¥496

-18.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$106 ¥706

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥78.3K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-53.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥50.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-45.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-52.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ¥120.5K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-38.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,455 ¥703.9K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-68.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,881 ¥297.2K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-69.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

3.36

-21.43%

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

Last update for Ichikawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ichikawa

$317 27.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 84.6% $268

Groceries & Markets

Ichikawa

$287 24.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ichikawa

$188 16.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 59.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Ichikawa

$118 10.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 3.6% $4.2

Eating Out

Ichikawa

$104 8.9%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 2.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Ichikawa

$82 7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 56% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ichikawa

$73 6.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 15.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

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

Dining out: $31.00 in Ichikawa vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Ichikawa

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h behind Ichikawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,676

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 18, 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 18, 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

Ichikawa Shanghai 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ichikawa
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

Ichikawa vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ichikawa and Shanghai differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,167 vs $1,244 including rent). Ichikawa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,751 in Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ichikawa – 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 $1,167 in Ichikawa versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ichikawa but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Ichikawa 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, Ichikawa 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 Ichikawa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.