Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Kurume versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Kurume $965
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Kurume versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Kurume $1,529
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Kurume versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Kurume $2,092
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Kurume costs roughly 22% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kurume 29% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$4.56 ¥30.47

-2.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$30.21 ¥202

44.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$5.25 ¥35.13

-27.43%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$3.28 ¥21.94

-41.77%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$0.57 ¥3.84

15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$0.36 ¥2.39

52.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$1.23 ¥8.23

160.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$2.27 ¥15.18

-29.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.84 ¥12.30

-32.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.96 ¥13.08

-36.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$1.03 ¥6.87

398.06%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$1.67 ¥11.16

12.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$16.96 ¥113

5.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$3.19 ¥21.33

67.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$12.90 ¥86.3

48.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$2.24 ¥15.00

65.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.66 ¥11.13

12.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$2.02 ¥13.54

43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$1.66 ¥11.08

96.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$0.77 ¥5.17

176.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.93 ¥6.21

182.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.63 ¥4.19

68.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$0.60 ¥3.99

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥575

$3.80 ¥25.44

-4.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$10.87 ¥72.7

-42.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$0.82 ¥5.51

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.61 ¥10.76

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$0.61 ¥4.11

147.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$29.40 ¥197

59.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$2.11 ¥14.11

87.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$0.43 ¥2.87

390.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$9.06 ¥60.6

94.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$1.33 ¥8.89

-54.89%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

12.89%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-5.08%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$57.8 ¥387

262.62%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$8.09 ¥54.1

208.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$10.48 ¥70.0

115.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$65.7 ¥439

-15.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$8.95 ¥59.9

-23.80%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-90.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-55.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$54.0 ¥361

-9.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$37.09 ¥248

-66.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$74.3 ¥496

-66.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$106 ¥706

-70.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-49.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$585 ¥3,910

-78.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-81.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-74.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-69.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-69.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-10.17%

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 Kurume: 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

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 21.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.3% $181

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 362% $458

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 13% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 21.4% $15

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 46.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 132% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Kurume and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Kurume vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

15:47 3:47 PM

1 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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

Kurume Shanghai 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

Kurume vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume and Shanghai differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $1,244 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Shanghai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Kurume versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

Expats usually find Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.