Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kagoshima and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,133 a month against $1,244 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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,133 per month in Kagoshima vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,133
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,887 per month in Kagoshima vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kagoshima $1,887
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,641 per month in Kagoshima vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kagoshima $2,641
Shanghai $2,755

Kagoshima is about 9% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kagoshima and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Kagoshima 16% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.46 ¥1,020

$4.56 ¥30.43

41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ¥5,127

$30.21 ¥202

7.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 ¥856

$5.25 ¥35.08

3.24%

Cappuccino

$2.91 ¥459

$3.28 ¥21.91

-11.28%

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

$1.01 ¥159

$0.57 ¥3.84

77.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.36 ¥2.38

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.23 ¥8.22

104.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥344

$2.27 ¥15.16

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.84 ¥12.28

-26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.96 ¥13.06

-41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥811

$1.03 ¥6.86

398.06%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥325

$1.67 ¥11.15

23.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.48 ¥2,919

$16.96 ¥113

8.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥863

$3.19 ¥21.30

71.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.94 ¥2,993

$12.90 ¥86.1

46.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$2.24 ¥14.98

63.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥293

$1.66 ¥11.12

11.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ¥439

$2.02 ¥13.52

37.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 ¥523

$1.66 ¥11.07

99.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ¥324

$0.77 ¥5.17

166.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 ¥290

$0.93 ¥6.20

96.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.63 ¥4.18

68.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.60 ¥3.98

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.80 ¥25.40

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ¥932

$10.87 ¥72.6

-45.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ¥180

$0.82 ¥5.50

39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥298

$1.61 ¥10.75

17.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.61 ¥4.11

108.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,497

$29.40 ¥196

82.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ¥631

$2.11 ¥14.09

89.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ¥321

$0.43 ¥2.86

372.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.27 ¥1,780

$9.06 ¥60.5

24.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.33 ¥8.88

-21.05%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

14.67%

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

$17.5K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-6.38%

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

$189 ¥29.8K

$57.8 ¥386

226.54%

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

$24.87 ¥3,928

$8.09 ¥54.0

207.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.44 ¥4,809

$10.48 ¥69.9

190.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,107

$65.7 ¥439

-21.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ¥1,865

$8.95 ¥59.8

31.96%

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

$124 ¥19.5K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-91.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-55.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.61 ¥7,838

$54.0 ¥360

-8.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.70 ¥4,060

$37.09 ¥248

-30.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.6 ¥10.0K

$74.3 ¥496

-14.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ¥12.0K

$106 ¥705

-28.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 ¥85.5K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-48.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 ¥35.1K

$585 ¥3,904

-61.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 ¥160.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 ¥118.2K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-39.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,824 ¥604.2K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-72.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,821 ¥287.8K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-70.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,831 ¥289.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

7.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

3.36

-41.37%

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

Last update for Kagoshima: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kagoshima

$295 26.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 20.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kagoshima

$244 21.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 68.7% $168

Accommodation & Living

Kagoshima

$222 19.6%

Shanghai

$585 47% 163% $362

Eating Out

Kagoshima

$127 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 16.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Kagoshima

$97 8.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 26.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kagoshima

$75 6.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 11.6% $8.7

Getting Around

Kagoshima

$73 6.5%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 50.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Kagoshima versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Kagoshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kagoshima versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h behind Kagoshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

593,128

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Kagoshima Shanghai 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kagoshima
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

Kagoshima vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 10% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,700 per month in Kagoshima and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kagoshima, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Kagoshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in Kagoshima and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kagoshima, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Kagoshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kagoshima – 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 Kagoshima. 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.