Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koriyama and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Koriyama $1,187
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Koriyama versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Koriyama $1,881
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,575 in Koriyama versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Koriyama $2,575
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Koriyama costs roughly 5% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koriyama 12% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥967

$4.45 ¥29.78

37.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.16 ¥4,923

$30.29 ¥203

2.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 ¥810

$5.09 ¥34.01

0.79%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$3.43 ¥22.96

-13.70%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$0.62 ¥4.15

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.39 ¥2.58

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 ¥426

$1.23 ¥8.25

119.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$2.21 ¥14.81

43.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.85 ¥12.37

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥246

$1.95 ¥13.02

-20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 ¥664

$1.00 ¥6.67

320.00%

Eggs

$2.01 ¥317

$1.71 ¥11.43

17.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$17.47 ¥117

-41.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ¥1,051

$3.24 ¥21.66

105.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.68 ¥2,635

$12.99 ¥86.8

28.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.24 ¥14.98

62.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$1.68 ¥11.25

35.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$1.95 ¥13.03

48.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$1.73 ¥11.60

135.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$0.76 ¥5.10

225.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$0.92 ¥6.15

177.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ¥204

$0.66 ¥4.41

95.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.60 ¥4.00

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥608

$3.69 ¥24.65

4.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 ¥1,074

$10.92 ¥73.0

-37.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$0.87 ¥5.85

112.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.63 ¥10.87

29.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 ¥241

$0.62 ¥4.13

145.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.0 ¥8,380

$30.38 ¥203

74.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ¥508

$2.06 ¥13.79

56.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.87 ¥453

$0.46 ¥3.08

523.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.64 ¥2,945

$8.84 ¥59.1

110.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.86

-17.29%

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

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

8.76%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-16.50%

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

$134 ¥21.2K

$57.1 ¥382

135.44%

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

$24.63 ¥3,890

$8.07 ¥53.9

205.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.55 ¥4,984

$10.70 ¥71.5

194.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,243

$64.6 ¥432

-19.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 ¥1,899

$9.05 ¥60.5

32.82%

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

$523 ¥82.7K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-63.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ¥2.0M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-55.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,799

$53.5 ¥358

-7.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥4,999

$37.05 ¥248

-14.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,639

$77.0 ¥515

-20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 ¥13.8K

$104 ¥694

-15.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 ¥85.6K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-47.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$594 ¥3,971

-45.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 ¥174.1K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-56.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ¥116.8K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-39.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,230 ¥668.2K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-68.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,778 ¥280.8K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-71.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.36

-34.23%

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

Last update for Koriyama: 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

Koriyama

$325 27.4%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 82.7% $269

Groceries & Markets

Koriyama

$287 24.2%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 17.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koriyama

$191 16.1%

Shanghai

$76 6% 60.2% $115

Eating Out

Koriyama

$128 10.8%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 16.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Koriyama

$103 8.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 18.3% $19

Getting Around

Koriyama

$77 6.5%

Shanghai

$37 3% 51.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Koriyama

$76 6.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 8.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $542 in Koriyama and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Koriyama vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $238 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind Koriyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

327,692

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

Koriyama Shanghai 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koriyama
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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

Koriyama vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koriyama and Shanghai differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,187 vs $1,256 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,781 in Koriyama and $1,884 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $542 in Koriyama versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 75% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $523 in Koriyama versus $1,441 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama 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, Koriyama 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 Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.