Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kamakura and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kamakura and in Shanghai: $1,194 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kamakura
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Kamakura Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kamakura

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,194

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Kamakura versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Kamakura $1,194
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Kamakura versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Kamakura $1,888
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,582 in Kamakura versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Kamakura $2,582
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Kamakura costs roughly 4% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kamakura 12% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥1,002

$4.56 ¥30.47

39.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.78 ¥5,020

$30.21 ¥202

5.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥787

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.14%

Cappuccino

$2.48 ¥392

$3.28 ¥21.94

-24.39%

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

$1.08 ¥171

$0.57 ¥3.84

89.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥127

$0.36 ¥2.39

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 ¥406

$1.23 ¥8.23

108.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥509

$2.27 ¥15.18

41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ¥219

$1.84 ¥12.30

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥237

$1.96 ¥13.08

-23.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$1.03 ¥6.87

256.31%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥315

$1.67 ¥11.16

19.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ¥1,654

$16.96 ¥113

-38.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ¥976

$3.19 ¥21.33

93.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.39 ¥2,274

$12.90 ¥86.3

11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥886

$2.24 ¥15.00

150.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥424

$1.66 ¥11.13

62.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$2.02 ¥13.54

43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.30 ¥679

$1.66 ¥11.08

159.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$0.77 ¥5.17

224.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥403

$0.93 ¥6.21

174.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$0.63 ¥4.19

79.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥120

$0.60 ¥3.99

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥587

$3.80 ¥25.44

-2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 ¥1,017

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥286

$0.82 ¥5.51

120.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥322

$1.61 ¥10.76

26.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$0.61 ¥4.11

145.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 ¥8,926

$29.40 ¥197

92.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$2.11 ¥14.11

45.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ¥436

$0.43 ¥2.87

541.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.85 ¥2,505

$9.06 ¥60.6

74.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.70%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-18.38%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$57.8 ¥387

103.44%

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

$23.42 ¥3,700

$8.09 ¥54.1

189.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.10 ¥4,913

$10.48 ¥70.0

196.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ¥8,335

$65.7 ¥439

-19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.67 ¥2,001

$8.95 ¥59.9

41.56%

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

$584 ¥92.3K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-58.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-46.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ¥8,044

$54.0 ¥361

-5.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.32 ¥5,580

$37.09 ¥248

-4.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 ¥9,456

$74.3 ¥496

-19.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 ¥15.4K

$106 ¥706

-7.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 ¥89.7K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-46.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ¥54.7K

$585 ¥3,910

-40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 ¥191.4K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-51.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 ¥118.3K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-39.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,369 ¥690.2K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-68.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,979 ¥312.6K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-68.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 ¥282.0K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

4.33%

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 Kamakura: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kamakura

$346 29%

Shanghai

$585 47% 68.9% $239

Groceries & Markets

Kamakura

$286 24%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kamakura

$172 14.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 55.6% $96

Eating Out

Kamakura

$122 10.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 13.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Kamakura

$110 9.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 11.2% $12

Getting Around

Kamakura

$79 6.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 54.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Kamakura

$78 6.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 7.1% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $568 in Kamakura and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kamakura pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Kamakura vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kamakura

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h behind Kamakura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,710

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 19, 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 19, 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

Kamakura Shanghai 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kamakura
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

Kamakura vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamakura is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Kamakura, 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: $568 in Kamakura versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $584 in Kamakura versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,194 in Kamakura versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kamakura but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kamakura 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, Kamakura 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 Kamakura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.