CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Shanghai

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Kyoto is 45.6% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 11% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Kyoto is 26.1% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 11.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.36 ยฅ1,639
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
117.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.33 ยฅ5,429
$35.92 ยฅ251
-4.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ยฅ884
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
2.57%
Cappuccino
$3.39 ยฅ537
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
-0.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 ยฅ139
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
51.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ยฅ125
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
132.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.50 ยฅ554
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
146.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.69 ยฅ1,059
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
138.93%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 ยฅ264
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
-20.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 ยฅ281
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
-3.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.18 ยฅ503
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
189.09%
Eggs
$2.34 ยฅ370
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
46.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.58 ยฅ1,515
$15.28 ยฅ107
-37.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.52 ยฅ1,190
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
144.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.65 ยฅ2,475
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
44.24%
Apples (1kg)
$5.44 ยฅ860
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
133.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 ยฅ405
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
44.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.50 ยฅ1,028
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
265.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.82 ยฅ605
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
159.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 ยฅ250
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
95.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 ยฅ374
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
104.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ยฅ198
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
98.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ยฅ150
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
58.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.24 ยฅ670
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
53.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.54 ยฅ1,192
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
-34.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 ยฅ284
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
114.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.61 ยฅ570
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
124.22%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 ยฅ264
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
317.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.4 ยฅ11.0K
$34.13 ยฅ238
103.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.39 ยฅ537
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
48.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.86 ยฅ452
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
652.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.04 ยฅ2,853
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
116.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ยฅ188
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
3.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K ยฅ3.7M
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
19.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.8K ยฅ2.7M
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
-8.14%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 ยฅ17.6K
$52.1 ยฅ363
113.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.68 ยฅ4,219
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
203.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.70 ยฅ5,330
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
142.97%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.0 ยฅ9,323
$46.42 ยฅ324
26.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.93 ยฅ3,310
$19.78 ยฅ138
5.81%
Cinema Ticket
$13.20 ยฅ2,087
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
59.42%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$362 ยฅ57.3K
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
-72.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,500 ยฅ1.2M
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
-75.73%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.73 ยฅ7,232
$59.8 ยฅ417
-23.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.24 ยฅ5,099
$38.03 ยฅ265
-15.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.3 ยฅ11.6K
$77.5 ยฅ541
-5.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.3 ยฅ14.8K
$99.3 ยฅ693
-6.02%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$587 ยฅ92.8K
$944 ยฅ6,591
-37.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$350 ยฅ55.4K
$570 ยฅ3,981
-38.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,646 ยฅ260.2K
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
-33.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$934 ยฅ147.7K
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
-22.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
-
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Kyoto
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,911 ยฅ302.3K
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
17.11%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.78
3.58
-50.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kyoto: January 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.