Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kanazawa and in Shanghai: $1,304 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,304 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kanazawa $1,304
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,052
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,800 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kanazawa $2,800
Shanghai $2,755

Kanazawa costs about 5% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kanazawa and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Kanazawa 3% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ¥1,175

$4.56 ¥30.47

63.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.25 ¥4,937

$30.21 ¥202

3.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥788

$5.25 ¥35.13

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 ¥377

$3.28 ¥21.94

-27.44%

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

$1.13 ¥178

$0.57 ¥3.84

98.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.2

$0.36 ¥2.39

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.23 ¥8.23

63.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥359

$2.27 ¥15.18

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.84 ¥12.30

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ¥210

$1.96 ¥13.08

-32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.52 ¥873

$1.03 ¥6.87

435.92%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥320

$1.67 ¥11.16

20.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 ¥2,024

$16.96 ¥113

-24.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 ¥1,505

$3.19 ¥21.33

198.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.49 ¥5,132

$12.90 ¥86.3

151.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥584

$2.24 ¥15.00

64.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ¥366

$1.66 ¥11.13

39.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.14 ¥970

$2.02 ¥13.54

203.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 ¥655

$1.66 ¥11.08

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ¥582

$0.77 ¥5.17

377.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ¥542

$0.93 ¥6.21

268.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥202

$0.63 ¥4.19

103.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥151

$0.60 ¥3.99

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ¥542

$3.80 ¥25.44

-9.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 ¥1,257

$10.87 ¥72.7

-26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$0.82 ¥5.51

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.61 ¥10.76

-5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥240

$0.61 ¥4.11

149.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 ¥8,568

$29.40 ¥197

84.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥487

$2.11 ¥14.11

45.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.11 ¥491

$0.43 ¥2.87

623.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.94 ¥4,257

$9.06 ¥60.6

197.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.05%

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

$20.1K ¥3.2M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

5.74%

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

$16.4K ¥2.6M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-12.36%

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

$146 ¥23.1K

$57.8 ¥387

153.24%

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

$23.56 ¥3,722

$8.09 ¥54.1

191.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.65 ¥6,738

$10.48 ¥70.0

306.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ¥6,644

$65.7 ¥439

-35.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 ¥1,812

$8.95 ¥59.9

28.16%

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

$318 ¥50.2K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-77.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,093 ¥962.6K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-78.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.09 ¥7,756

$54.0 ¥361

-9.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.98 ¥3,947

$37.09 ¥248

-32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.39 ¥7,329

$74.3 ¥496

-37.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$106 ¥706

-39.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$454 ¥71.8K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-56.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥56.2K

$585 ¥3,910

-39.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 ¥158.6K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-59.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ¥121.2K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-37.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,757 ¥751.5K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-65.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 ¥297.9K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-69.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,869 ¥295.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

9.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

3.36

-32.14%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kanazawa

$384 29.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 38.8% $149

Accommodation & Living

Kanazawa

$356 27.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 64.3% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kanazawa

$213 16.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 64.1% $136

Eating Out

Kanazawa

$125 9.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 14.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Kanazawa

$83 6.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 46.6% $39

Getting Around

Kanazawa

$79 6.1%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 54.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Kanazawa

$65 5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 28.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $454 in Kanazawa 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 9% higher in Kanazawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kanazawa versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

1 h behind Kanazawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

465,699

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 →

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Between locations

Kanazawa Shanghai 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kanazawa
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

Kanazawa vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,304 in Kanazawa, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,955 per month in Kanazawa 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 Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,304 in Kanazawa and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Kanazawa at $1,304. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanazawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kanazawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.