Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nagoya and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,369 in Nagoya, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Nagoya despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,369

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,369 in Nagoya versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Nagoya $1,369
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,170 in Nagoya versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Nagoya $2,170
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,972 in Nagoya versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Nagoya $2,972
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Nagoya is roughly 10% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nagoya is 1% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 ¥1,355

$4.56 ¥30.43

87.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.14 ¥4,919

$30.21 ¥202

3.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥808

$5.25 ¥35.08

-2.67%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ¥377

$3.28 ¥21.91

-27.13%

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

$1.24 ¥195

$0.57 ¥3.84

117.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ¥135

$0.36 ¥2.38

136.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 ¥489

$1.23 ¥8.22

151.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$2.27 ¥15.16

40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.84 ¥12.28

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥241

$1.96 ¥13.06

-22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 ¥637

$1.03 ¥6.86

291.26%

Eggs

$2.15 ¥339

$1.67 ¥11.15

28.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.68 ¥2,477

$16.96 ¥113

-7.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 ¥1,129

$3.19 ¥21.30

123.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.92 ¥2,674

$12.90 ¥86.1

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$8.42 ¥1,330

$2.24 ¥14.98

275.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ¥459

$1.66 ¥11.12

74.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ¥768

$2.02 ¥13.52

140.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.84 ¥1,238

$1.66 ¥11.07

372.29%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$0.77 ¥5.17

429.87%

Onion (1kg)

$4.75 ¥750

$0.93 ¥6.20

410.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$0.63 ¥4.18

80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$0.60 ¥3.98

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$3.80 ¥25.40

1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.47 ¥1,496

$10.87 ¥72.6

-12.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$0.82 ¥5.50

203.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥345

$1.61 ¥10.75

35.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.61 ¥4.11

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 ¥18.6K

$29.40 ¥196

300.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥505

$2.11 ¥14.09

51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.85 ¥451

$0.43 ¥2.86

562.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.80 ¥2,495

$9.06 ¥60.5

74.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.33 ¥8.88

-17.29%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

13.72%

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

$14.9K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-20.43%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$57.8 ¥386

99.01%

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

$23.65 ¥3,736

$8.09 ¥54.0

192.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 ¥4,926

$10.48 ¥69.9

197.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 ¥7,971

$65.7 ¥439

-23.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.41 ¥2,119

$17.82 ¥119

-24.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,784

$8.95 ¥59.8

26.15%

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

$572 ¥90.3K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-59.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-46.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.53 ¥7,826

$54.0 ¥360

-8.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 ¥5,666

$37.09 ¥248

-3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 ¥9,427

$74.3 ¥496

-19.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 ¥15.7K

$106 ¥705

-5.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 ¥84.9K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-49.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥55.6K

$585 ¥3,904

-39.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 ¥189.5K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-51.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ¥118.3K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-39.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,031 ¥320.8K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-85.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,030 ¥162.7K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-83.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 ¥297.4K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

3.36

-39.88%

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

Last update for Nagoya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nagoya

$380 27.8%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 38.2% $145

Accommodation & Living

Nagoya

$352 25.7%

Shanghai

$585 47% 66.3% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nagoya

$170 12.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 55% $94

Eating Out

Nagoya

$143 10.4%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 25.7% $37

Getting Around

Nagoya

$141 10.3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 74.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Nagoya

$110 8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nagoya

$73 5.3%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 14.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Nagoya and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Nagoya vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:43 3:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

1 h behind Nagoya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,236,000

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

Nagoya Shanghai 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nagoya
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

Nagoya vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Nagoya, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $537 in Nagoya versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 301% less than in Nagoya. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $572 in Nagoya versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,369 in Nagoya, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Nagoya. 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, Nagoya 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 10% less than in Nagoya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.