Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagasaki and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Nagasaki and in Shanghai: $1,277 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,277 in Nagasaki versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Nagasaki $1,277
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,859 in Nagasaki versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Nagasaki $1,859
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,441 in Nagasaki versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Nagasaki $2,441
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Nagasaki is roughly 3% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nagasaki 5% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 ¥789

$4.56 ¥30.43

9.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.95 ¥2,994

$30.21 ¥202

-37.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.92 ¥778

$5.25 ¥35.08

-6.29%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ¥594

$3.28 ¥21.91

14.63%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.57 ¥3.84

84.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.36 ¥2.38

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 ¥355

$1.23 ¥8.22

82.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ¥356

$2.27 ¥15.16

-0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.84 ¥12.28

-15.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 ¥299

$1.96 ¥13.06

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.32 ¥998

$1.03 ¥6.86

513.59%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥319

$1.67 ¥11.15

20.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 ¥1,531

$16.96 ¥113

-42.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 ¥502

$3.19 ¥21.30

-0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 ¥3,028

$12.90 ¥86.1

48.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ¥586

$2.24 ¥14.98

65.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 ¥296

$1.66 ¥11.12

13.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 ¥435

$2.02 ¥13.52

36.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 ¥530

$1.66 ¥11.07

101.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 ¥340

$0.77 ¥5.17

179.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$0.93 ¥6.20

174.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ¥170

$0.63 ¥4.18

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥146

$0.60 ¥3.98

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 ¥628

$3.80 ¥25.40

4.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 ¥977

$10.87 ¥72.6

-43.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$0.82 ¥5.50

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.61 ¥10.75

14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 ¥261

$0.61 ¥4.11

170.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ¥8,518

$29.40 ¥196

83.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥625

$2.11 ¥14.09

87.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 ¥321

$0.43 ¥2.86

372.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.87 ¥2,823

$9.06 ¥60.5

97.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.33 ¥8.88

-19.55%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

15.56%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-5.54%

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

$209 ¥33.0K

$57.8 ¥386

261.43%

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

$24.63 ¥3,892

$8.09 ¥54.0

204.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.77 ¥5,178

$10.48 ¥69.9

212.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 ¥7,281

$65.7 ¥439

-29.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 ¥1,772

$8.95 ¥59.8

25.36%

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

$126 ¥19.8K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-91.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-55.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.78 ¥7,864

$54.0 ¥360

-7.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.03 ¥4,113

$37.09 ¥248

-29.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.6 ¥10.5K

$74.3 ¥496

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.35 ¥7,480

$106 ¥705

-55.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ¥84.6K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-49.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ¥60.1K

$585 ¥3,904

-34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ¥188.5K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-51.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 ¥108.0K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-44.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,200 ¥663.6K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-69.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,759 ¥277.9K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-71.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

3.36

-41.37%

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

Last update for Nagasaki: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nagasaki

$380 29.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 53.7% $204

Groceries & Markets

Nagasaki

$279 21.9%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 15.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagasaki

$266 20.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.3% $190

Eating Out

Nagasaki

$123 9.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nagasaki

$85 6.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 42.8% $37

Getting Around

Nagasaki

$75 5.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 51.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nagasaki

$69 5.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 22% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Nagasaki and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Nagasaki vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h behind Nagasaki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

409,118

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 →

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Nagasaki Shanghai 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Nagasaki vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,915 in Nagasaki and $1,865 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $535 in Nagasaki versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Nagasaki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $19.00 in Nagasaki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,277 in Nagasaki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Nagasaki. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nagasaki and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Nagasaki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.