Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kitakyushu and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kitakyushu and in Shanghai: $1,240 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kitakyushu
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Kitakyushu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kitakyushu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,240 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,240
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,919 per month in Kitakyushu vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $1,919
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,599 per month in Kitakyushu vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kitakyushu $2,599
Shanghai $2,755

Kitakyushu and Shanghai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ¥1,153

$4.56 ¥30.47

60.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.63 ¥5,314

$30.21 ¥202

11.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 ¥868

$5.25 ¥35.13

4.57%

Cappuccino

$3.32 ¥525

$3.28 ¥21.94

1.22%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$0.57 ¥3.84

73.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥118

$0.36 ¥2.39

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 ¥475

$1.23 ¥8.23

143.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ¥348

$2.27 ¥15.18

-3.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.84 ¥12.30

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥209

$1.96 ¥13.08

-32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.31 ¥839

$1.03 ¥6.87

415.53%

Eggs

$2.30 ¥363

$1.67 ¥11.16

37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 ¥1,494

$16.96 ¥113

-44.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 ¥835

$3.19 ¥21.33

65.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 ¥2,932

$12.90 ¥86.3

43.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$2.24 ¥15.00

65.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ¥282

$1.66 ¥11.13

7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.02 ¥13.54

44.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$1.66 ¥11.08

73.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$0.77 ¥5.17

185.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ¥399

$0.93 ¥6.21

172.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.63 ¥4.19

68.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.60 ¥3.99

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥626

$3.80 ¥25.44

4.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.44 ¥1,017

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ¥272

$0.82 ¥5.51

109.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.61 ¥10.76

5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 ¥261

$0.61 ¥4.11

170.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ¥8,405

$29.40 ¥197

80.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ¥617

$2.11 ¥14.11

85.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 ¥331

$0.43 ¥2.87

386.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.98 ¥2,840

$9.06 ¥60.6

98.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥164

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.80%

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

$20.8K ¥3.3M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

9.34%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-4.94%

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

$195 ¥30.9K

$57.8 ¥387

237.93%

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

$24.96 ¥3,944

$8.09 ¥54.1

208.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.31 ¥5,105

$10.48 ¥70.0

208.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,126

$65.7 ¥439

-21.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥508

$17.82 ¥119

-81.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 ¥1,768

$8.95 ¥59.9

25.03%

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

$371 ¥58.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-73.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-55.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ¥7,832

$54.0 ¥361

-8.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.75 ¥4,069

$37.09 ¥248

-30.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ¥10.5K

$74.3 ¥496

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ¥8,658

$106 ¥706

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 ¥82.5K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-50.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥52.6K

$585 ¥3,910

-43.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 ¥174.7K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ¥114.6K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-41.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,174 ¥659.5K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-70.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,729 ¥273.1K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-72.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,510 ¥238.5K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-11.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.69

3.36

-49.70%

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

Last update for Kitakyushu: 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

Kitakyushu

$333 26.9%

Shanghai

$585 47% 75.5% $252

Groceries & Markets

Kitakyushu

$276 22.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 15% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kitakyushu

$253 20.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 69.8% $176

Eating Out

Kitakyushu

$141 11.4%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 24.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kitakyushu

$88 7.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 37.8% $33

Getting Around

Kitakyushu

$74 6%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 51.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Kitakyushu

$74 6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 13.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Kitakyushu 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 13% higher in Shanghai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Kitakyushu versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kitakyushu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

1 h behind Kitakyushu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,029

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

Kitakyushu Shanghai 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kitakyushu
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

Kitakyushu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,859 per month in Kitakyushu 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 Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

Kindergarten costs $371 per month in Kitakyushu and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kitakyushu, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Kitakyushu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kitakyushu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,240 in Kitakyushu to $1,244 in Shanghai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kitakyushu. 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.