Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morioka and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Morioka and in Shanghai: $1,190 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Morioka
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Morioka Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Morioka vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Morioka $1,190
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,943 per month in Morioka vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Morioka $1,943
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,696 per month in Morioka vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Morioka $2,696
Shanghai $2,755

Morioka is about 4% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Morioka and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Morioka 12% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$4.56 ¥30.43

34.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.46 ¥4,971

$30.21 ¥202

4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$5.25 ¥35.08

-1.90%

Cappuccino

$2.96 ¥468

$3.28 ¥21.91

-9.76%

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

$1.20 ¥189

$0.57 ¥3.84

110.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.36 ¥2.38

119.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 ¥421

$1.23 ¥8.22

116.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ¥491

$2.27 ¥15.16

37.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.84 ¥12.28

-20.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.96 ¥13.06

-20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 ¥668

$1.03 ¥6.86

310.68%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥320

$1.67 ¥11.15

21.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 ¥1,428

$16.96 ¥113

-46.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 ¥1,172

$3.19 ¥21.30

132.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.65 ¥2,788

$12.90 ¥86.1

36.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 ¥627

$2.24 ¥14.98

77.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥355

$1.66 ¥11.12

34.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$2.02 ¥13.52

53.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.66 ¥11.07

158.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$0.77 ¥5.17

232.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ¥352

$0.93 ¥6.20

138.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$0.63 ¥4.18

87.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.60 ¥3.98

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ¥653

$3.80 ¥25.40

8.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 ¥1,076

$10.87 ¥72.6

-37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥266

$0.82 ¥5.50

104.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ¥368

$1.61 ¥10.75

44.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$0.61 ¥4.11

145.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.5 ¥8,603

$29.40 ¥196

85.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.11 ¥14.09

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥415

$0.43 ¥2.86

511.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 ¥3,368

$9.06 ¥60.5

135.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥172

$1.33 ¥8.88

-18.05%

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

$20.2K ¥3.2M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

6.37%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-19.36%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$57.8 ¥386

127.87%

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

$23.69 ¥3,743

$8.09 ¥54.0

192.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 ¥4,970

$10.48 ¥69.9

200.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,167

$65.7 ¥439

-21.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 ¥1,749

$8.95 ¥59.8

23.69%

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

$545 ¥86.1K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-61.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-56.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥8,018

$54.0 ¥360

-6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.59 ¥5,623

$37.09 ¥248

-4.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥9,025

$74.3 ¥496

-23.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$106 ¥705

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥51.0K

$585 ¥3,904

-44.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 ¥182.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-53.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 ¥133.0K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-31.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,122 ¥651.2K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-70.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,502 ¥237.3K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-75.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.36

-34.23%

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

Last update for Morioka: 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

Morioka

$323 27.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 81.1% $262

Groceries & Markets

Morioka

$294 24.7%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 20.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morioka

$187 15.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 59.1% $111

Eating Out

Morioka

$127 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 16.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Morioka

$108 9.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 13% $14

Getting Around

Morioka

$77 6.5%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 52.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Morioka

$74 6.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 13.2% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Morioka 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 Morioka versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Morioka

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h behind Morioka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

289,731

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

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Between locations

Morioka Shanghai 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Morioka
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

Morioka vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,190 in Morioka, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Morioka 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 Morioka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Morioka and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Morioka, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Morioka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Morioka – 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 Morioka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Shanghai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.