Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagano and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagano: $1,180 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,180

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,180 per month in Nagano vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nagano $1,180
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,942 per month in Nagano vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nagano $1,942
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,705 per month in Nagano vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nagano $2,705
Shanghai $2,755

Nagano is about 5% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nagano and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Nagano 13% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.27 ¥991

$4.56 ¥30.47

37.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.83 ¥6,451

$30.21 ¥202

35.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥781

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.90%

Cappuccino

$3.37 ¥533

$3.28 ¥21.94

2.74%

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

$1.06 ¥167

$0.57 ¥3.84

85.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥119

$0.36 ¥2.39

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 ¥388

$1.23 ¥8.23

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 ¥488

$2.27 ¥15.18

36.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥216

$1.84 ¥12.30

-25.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.96 ¥13.08

-13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 ¥589

$1.03 ¥6.87

262.14%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥314

$1.67 ¥11.16

19.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,608

$16.96 ¥113

-39.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 ¥961

$3.19 ¥21.33

90.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 ¥2,290

$12.90 ¥86.3

12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 ¥913

$2.24 ¥15.00

158.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 ¥448

$1.66 ¥11.13

71.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$2.02 ¥13.54

42.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 ¥643

$1.66 ¥11.08

145.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 ¥398

$0.77 ¥5.17

227.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥415

$0.93 ¥6.21

182.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.63 ¥4.19

101.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.60 ¥3.99

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥602

$3.80 ¥25.44

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥274

$0.82 ¥5.51

110.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.61 ¥10.76

31.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 ¥256

$0.61 ¥4.11

165.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 ¥7,987

$29.40 ¥197

71.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ¥493

$2.11 ¥14.11

47.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 ¥417

$0.43 ¥2.87

513.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.77 ¥3,281

$9.06 ¥60.6

129.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.33 ¥8.89

-19.55%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

12.73%

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

$18.2K ¥2.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-2.68%

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

$130 ¥20.5K

$57.8 ¥387

124.96%

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

$24.11 ¥3,810

$8.09 ¥54.1

198.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.46 ¥1,969

$10.48 ¥70.0

18.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ¥8,361

$65.7 ¥439

-19.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 ¥1,953

$8.95 ¥59.9

38.10%

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

$640 ¥101.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-54.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-46.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ¥9,924

$54.0 ¥361

16.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.95 ¥5,838

$37.09 ¥248

-0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.3 ¥9,685

$74.3 ¥496

-17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥16.4K

$106 ¥706

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$504 ¥79.7K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-52.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 ¥51.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-44.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 ¥194.6K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-50.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 ¥126.0K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-35.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 ¥706.8K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-67.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 ¥248.9K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-74.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$622 ¥98.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-63.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

3.36

-21.43%

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

Last update for Nagano: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagano

$323 27.4%

Shanghai

$585 47% 81% $262

Groceries & Markets

Nagano

$289 24.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagano

$167 14.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 54.2% $90

Eating Out

Nagano

$131 11.1%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 19.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nagano

$119 10.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 2.2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nagano

$78 6.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 7.7% $5.9

Getting Around

Nagano

$73 6.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 50.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $504 in Nagano 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.

Salaries run about 175% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Nagano versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagano

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

1 h behind Nagano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

372,760

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

Nagano Shanghai 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nagano
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

Nagano vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Nagano, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,770 per month in Nagano 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 Nagano, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Nagano and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,180 in Nagano and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nagano, where all-in costs run around $1,180, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Nagano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Nagano. 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.