Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matsuyama and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,324 in Matsuyama, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Matsuyama despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Matsuyama
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Matsuyama Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Matsuyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,324

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,324 per month in Matsuyama vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Matsuyama $1,324
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Matsuyama vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,006
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,689 per month in Matsuyama vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Matsuyama $2,689
Shanghai $2,755

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

Both Matsuyama and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Matsuyama 2% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.39 ¥1,010

$4.56 ¥30.47

40.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.11 ¥4,915

$30.21 ¥202

2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥784

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.52%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ¥367

$3.28 ¥21.94

-29.27%

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

$1.17 ¥185

$0.57 ¥3.84

105.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥97.0

$0.36 ¥2.39

69.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ¥316

$1.23 ¥8.23

62.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥361

$2.27 ¥15.18

0.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.84 ¥12.30

-15.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ¥201

$1.96 ¥13.08

-35.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.49 ¥868

$1.03 ¥6.87

433.01%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥329

$1.67 ¥11.16

24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 ¥1,957

$16.96 ¥113

-26.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 ¥1,470

$3.19 ¥21.33

191.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.67 ¥5,003

$12.90 ¥86.3

145.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$2.24 ¥15.00

62.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ¥371

$1.66 ¥11.13

41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$2.02 ¥13.54

220.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 ¥668

$1.66 ¥11.08

154.82%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ¥610

$0.77 ¥5.17

401.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ¥536

$0.93 ¥6.21

264.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.63 ¥4.19

98.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ¥152

$0.60 ¥3.99

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ¥555

$3.80 ¥25.44

-7.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 ¥1,317

$10.87 ¥72.7

-23.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥309

$0.82 ¥5.51

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥239

$1.61 ¥10.76

-5.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 ¥268

$0.61 ¥4.11

178.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.46 ¥7,815

$29.40 ¥197

68.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ¥486

$2.11 ¥14.11

45.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.08 ¥487

$0.43 ¥2.87

616.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.94 ¥4,257

$9.06 ¥60.6

197.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥167

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.05%

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

$19.8K ¥3.1M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

4.23%

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

$16.6K ¥2.6M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-11.08%

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

$143 ¥22.5K

$57.8 ¥387

146.81%

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

$24.10 ¥3,808

$8.09 ¥54.1

197.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.52 ¥6,876

$10.48 ¥70.0

315.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ¥9,293

$65.7 ¥439

-10.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 ¥1,990

$8.95 ¥59.9

40.78%

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

$327 ¥51.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-76.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,187 ¥977.5K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-77.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.97 ¥7,737

$54.0 ¥361

-9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.93 ¥3,938

$37.09 ¥248

-32.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.50 ¥7,347

$74.3 ¥496

-37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 ¥10.4K

$106 ¥706

-37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ¥59.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-36.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 ¥187.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-52.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ¥103.3K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-46.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,764 ¥752.6K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-65.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 ¥306.8K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-68.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.28

3.36

-32.14%

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

Last update for Matsuyama: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matsuyama

$381 28.8%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 38.4% $146

Accommodation & Living

Matsuyama

$374 28.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 56.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matsuyama

$210 15.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 63.7% $134

Eating Out

Matsuyama

$116 8.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 8.3% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Matsuyama

$84 6.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 0.5% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Matsuyama

$84 6.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 45.3% $38

Getting Around

Matsuyama

$75 5.7%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 51.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Matsuyama versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Matsuyama versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Matsuyama

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

1 h behind Matsuyama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

511,192

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 →

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Between locations

Matsuyama Shanghai 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Matsuyama
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

Matsuyama vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,324 in Matsuyama, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,985 per month in Matsuyama and $1,865 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $327 per month in Matsuyama and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Matsuyama at $1,324. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Matsuyama it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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