Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Kumamoto and in Shanghai: $1,275 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Kumamoto $1,275
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,968 in Kumamoto versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Kumamoto $1,968
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,661 in Kumamoto versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Kumamoto $2,661
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Kumamoto is roughly 3% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kumamoto 6% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 ¥1,123

$4.56 ¥30.43

55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.31 ¥4,947

$30.21 ¥202

3.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ¥955

$5.25 ¥35.08

15.05%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥507

$3.28 ¥21.91

-2.13%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$0.57 ¥3.84

73.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$0.36 ¥2.38

111.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$1.23 ¥8.22

204.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥353

$2.27 ¥15.16

-1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.84 ¥12.28

-26.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.96 ¥13.06

-5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.70 ¥1,058

$1.03 ¥6.86

550.49%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥293

$1.67 ¥11.15

11.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.45 ¥2,915

$16.96 ¥113

8.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$3.19 ¥21.30

71.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 ¥2,944

$12.90 ¥86.1

44.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 ¥565

$2.24 ¥14.98

59.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.66 ¥11.12

11.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$2.02 ¥13.52

43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$1.66 ¥11.07

104.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ¥347

$0.77 ¥5.17

184.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$0.93 ¥6.20

181.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.63 ¥4.18

68.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$0.60 ¥3.98

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.80 ¥25.40

1.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 ¥890

$10.87 ¥72.6

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$0.82 ¥5.50

102.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.61 ¥10.75

18.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$0.61 ¥4.11

124.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 ¥9,037

$29.40 ¥196

94.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥608

$2.11 ¥14.09

82.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 ¥329

$0.43 ¥2.86

383.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.13 ¥2,865

$9.06 ¥60.5

100.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥175

$1.33 ¥8.88

-17.29%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

15.67%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-5.35%

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

$207 ¥32.7K

$57.8 ¥386

258.35%

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

$24.29 ¥3,838

$8.09 ¥54.0

200.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.05 ¥5,222

$10.48 ¥69.9

215.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥7,215

$65.7 ¥439

-30.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 ¥1,735

$8.95 ¥59.8

22.68%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-91.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-56.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.65 ¥7,685

$54.0 ¥360

-9.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.06 ¥4,118

$37.09 ¥248

-29.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥10.4K

$74.3 ¥496

-11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.35 ¥7,323

$106 ¥705

-56.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥82.8K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-50.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.3K

$585 ¥3,904

-44.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-55.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 ¥114.1K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-41.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,521 ¥714.2K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-67.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,747 ¥276.0K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-72.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Kumamoto: 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

Kumamoto

$325 25.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 80.2% $260

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$313 24.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 25.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$265 20.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.1% $188

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 26.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 45.1% $38

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$77 6%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 53.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$68 5.3%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 23.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Kumamoto and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kumamoto vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

1 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kumamoto Shanghai 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

Kumamoto vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Shanghai differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,275 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,912 in Kumamoto and $1,865 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: $524 in Kumamoto versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 95% less than in Kumamoto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,275 in Kumamoto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Kumamoto. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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, Kumamoto 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Kumamoto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.