Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,290 in Kyoto, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Kyoto despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Kyoto vs $1,222 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kyoto $1,290
Shanghai $1,222

A couple spends around $1,932 per month in Kyoto vs $1,971 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kyoto $1,932
Shanghai $1,971

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Kyoto vs $2,720 in Shanghai, rent included.

Kyoto $2,574
Shanghai $2,720

Kyoto costs about 6% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kyoto and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Kyoto 5% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 ¥1,543

$4.53 ¥30.16

115.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 ¥5,109

$30.16 ¥201

7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥808

$5.11 ¥34.09

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.41 ¥22.74

-5.57%

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

$0.89 ¥141

$0.58 ¥3.86

53.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$0.35 ¥2.36

102.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$1.23 ¥8.23

161.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ¥924

$2.31 ¥15.40

153.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.88 ¥12.54

-17.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥254

$1.94 ¥12.90

-17.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 ¥923

$0.98 ¥6.53

495.92%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$1.70 ¥11.32

24.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 ¥1,396

$17.02 ¥113

-48.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 ¥1,252

$3.22 ¥21.45

145.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,691

$12.93 ¥86.2

-17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ¥820

$2.15 ¥14.33

141.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ¥375

$1.73 ¥11.50

36.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$2.03 ¥13.53

153.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$1.73 ¥11.56

113.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$0.83 ¥5.52

125.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$0.92 ¥6.14

80.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$0.67 ¥4.49

70.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.59 ¥3.93

59.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥639

$3.77 ¥25.14

7.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ¥1,222

$11.03 ¥73.5

-29.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$0.90 ¥6.01

78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ¥532

$1.60 ¥10.69

110.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥225

$0.57 ¥3.81

149.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,810

$29.62 ¥197

109.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ¥521

$2.14 ¥14.27

54.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 ¥612

$0.47 ¥3.11

725.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.34 ¥8.95

-17.91%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$19.3K ¥128.3K

18.00%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$18.3K ¥121.8K

-15.25%

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

$101 ¥16.0K

$58.9 ¥393

71.73%

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

$23.51 ¥3,714

$7.90 ¥52.6

197.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,804

$10.60 ¥70.7

186.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,150

$64.8 ¥432

-20.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.87 ¥2,982

$17.47 ¥116

8.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 ¥2,168

$9.06 ¥60.4

51.43%

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

$718 ¥113.4K

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-54.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,490 ¥1.0M

$28.2K ¥188.2K

-77.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,962

$54.6 ¥364

3.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 ¥7,121

$37.21 ¥248

21.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ¥11.1K

$74.6 ¥497

-5.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.2K

$106 ¥708

-3.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.7K

$1,026 ¥6,837

-37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥59.9K

$559 ¥3,728

-32.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 ¥185.7K

$2,618 ¥17.5K

-55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ¥91.2K

$1,191 ¥7,939

-51.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.6K

$13.4K ¥89.1K

-68.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥461.5K

$6,527 ¥43.5K

-55.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 ¥295.8K

$1,712 ¥11.4K

9.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

3.36

-33.63%

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

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kyoto

$379 29.4%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 47.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$296 22.9%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 20.1% $59

Eating Out

Kyoto

$166 12.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 35.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$155 12%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 50.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$123 9.6%

Shanghai

$123 10% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Kyoto

$90 7%

Shanghai

$36 3% 59.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$79 6.1%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 4.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Kyoto versus $1,026 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 9% higher in Kyoto. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto versus $30 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

15:58 3:58 PM

1 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kyoto Shanghai 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

Kyoto vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,290 in Kyoto, $1,222 in Shanghai – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,934 per month in Kyoto and $1,833 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Kyoto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto and $30 in Shanghai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,290 in Kyoto and $1,222 in Shanghai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Shanghai to $1,290 in Kyoto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kyoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.