Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itoman and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Itoman: $1,150 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Itoman
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Itoman Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Itoman

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,150

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Itoman vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Itoman $1,150
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $1,811 per month in Itoman vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Itoman $1,811
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,473 per month in Itoman vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Itoman $2,473
Shanghai $2,743

Itoman is about 8% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Itoman and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Itoman 15% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 ¥492

$4.45 ¥29.78

-29.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.23 ¥6,356

$30.29 ¥203

32.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.71 ¥587

$5.09 ¥34.01

-27.11%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$3.43 ¥22.96

-28.28%

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

$0.98 ¥155

$0.62 ¥4.15

58.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥125

$0.39 ¥2.58

102.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ¥322

$1.23 ¥8.25

65.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ¥711

$2.21 ¥14.81

103.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥255

$1.85 ¥12.37

-12.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ¥127

$1.95 ¥13.02

-58.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 ¥333

$1.00 ¥6.67

110.00%

Eggs

$1.82 ¥287

$1.71 ¥11.43

6.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.65 ¥2,789

$17.47 ¥117

1.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$3.24 ¥21.66

-10.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.06 ¥1,116

$12.99 ¥86.8

-45.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 ¥570

$2.24 ¥14.98

60.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 ¥411

$1.68 ¥11.25

54.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥337

$1.95 ¥13.03

9.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 ¥788

$1.73 ¥11.60

188.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 ¥388

$0.76 ¥5.10

223.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$0.92 ¥6.15

178.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.66 ¥4.41

92.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥101

$0.60 ¥4.00

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.69 ¥24.65

5.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 ¥875

$10.92 ¥73.0

-49.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$0.87 ¥5.85

125.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ¥526

$1.63 ¥10.87

104.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$0.62 ¥4.13

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.7 ¥8,486

$30.38 ¥203

76.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 ¥594

$2.06 ¥13.79

82.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 ¥546

$0.46 ¥3.08

652.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.21 ¥1,770

$8.84 ¥59.1

26.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.33 ¥8.86

-20.30%

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

$20.8K ¥3.3M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

7.89%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-17.78%

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

$161 ¥25.4K

$57.1 ¥382

181.54%

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

$25.40 ¥4,013

$8.07 ¥53.9

214.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.99 ¥6,002

$10.70 ¥71.5

255.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,363

$64.6 ¥432

-18.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 ¥1,875

$9.05 ¥60.5

31.16%

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

$332 ¥52.4K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-77.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,598 ¥884.4K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-80.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.55 ¥7,670

$53.5 ¥358

-9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.71 ¥3,746

$37.05 ¥248

-36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.74 ¥7,700

$77.0 ¥515

-36.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ¥15.2K

$104 ¥694

-7.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ¥52.1K

$594 ¥3,971

-44.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 ¥176.2K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-56.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 ¥115.2K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-39.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,191 ¥662.1K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-69.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,758 ¥277.8K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-71.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

3.36

-33.63%

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

Last update for Itoman: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itoman

$330 28.7%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 80.1% $264

Groceries & Markets

Itoman

$249 21.6%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 4.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itoman

$224 19.5%

Shanghai

$76 6% 66.2% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Itoman

$98 8.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 24.8% $24

Eating Out

Itoman

$92 8%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 16.1% $15

Getting Around

Itoman

$81 7%

Shanghai

$37 3% 53.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Itoman

$77 6.7%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 7.9% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Itoman 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 $40.00 in Itoman versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $238 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Itoman

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h behind Itoman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,007

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

Itoman Shanghai 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Itoman
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

Itoman vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,725 per month in Itoman 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 Itoman, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Itoman and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,150 in Itoman and $1,256 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 9%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Itoman, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Itoman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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