Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nishinomiya and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Nishinomiya and in Shanghai: $1,282 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Nishinomiya
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Nishinomiya Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Nishinomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,282

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,282 per month in Nishinomiya vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nishinomiya $1,282
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $2,060 per month in Nishinomiya vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nishinomiya $2,060
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,839 per month in Nishinomiya vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Nishinomiya $2,839
Shanghai $2,755

Nishinomiya costs about 3% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nishinomiya and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Nishinomiya 5% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.48 ¥1,339

$4.56 ¥30.43

85.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.23 ¥4,934

$30.21 ¥202

3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥817

$5.25 ¥35.08

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ¥362

$3.28 ¥21.91

-30.18%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$0.57 ¥3.84

108.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥98.1

$0.36 ¥2.38

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.23 ¥8.22

63.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ¥373

$2.27 ¥15.16

3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.84 ¥12.28

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.96 ¥13.06

-23.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.45 ¥860

$1.03 ¥6.86

429.13%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥334

$1.67 ¥11.15

26.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ¥1,994

$16.96 ¥113

-25.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,489

$3.19 ¥21.30

195.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.69 ¥5,006

$12.90 ¥86.1

145.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.12 ¥809

$2.24 ¥14.98

128.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥273

$1.66 ¥11.12

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 ¥483

$2.02 ¥13.52

51.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ¥965

$1.66 ¥11.07

268.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ¥256

$0.77 ¥5.17

110.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥405

$0.93 ¥6.20

175.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ¥185

$0.63 ¥4.18

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ¥141

$0.60 ¥3.98

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 ¥537

$3.80 ¥25.40

-10.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,467

$10.87 ¥72.6

-14.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ¥377

$0.82 ¥5.50

190.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥230

$1.61 ¥10.75

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$0.61 ¥4.11

140.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 ¥9,229

$29.40 ¥196

98.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.11 ¥14.09

53.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.78 ¥440

$0.43 ¥2.86

546.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.48 ¥2,446

$9.06 ¥60.5

70.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥176

$1.33 ¥8.88

-16.54%

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

$20.3K ¥3.2M

$19.0K ¥127.0K

6.89%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥124.9K

-18.75%

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

$118 ¥18.6K

$57.8 ¥386

103.65%

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

$22.94 ¥3,624

$8.09 ¥54.0

183.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.96 ¥4,891

$10.48 ¥69.9

195.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 ¥9,885

$65.7 ¥439

-4.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.45 ¥1,808

$8.95 ¥59.8

27.93%

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

$326 ¥51.5K

$1,414 ¥9,438

-76.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,020 ¥951.1K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-78.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 ¥8,022

$54.0 ¥360

-5.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.03 ¥3,954

$37.09 ¥248

-32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.31 ¥7,316

$74.3 ¥496

-37.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.4 ¥10.3K

$106 ¥705

-38.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 ¥96.1K

$1,055 ¥7,046

-42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ¥55.1K

$585 ¥3,904

-40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 ¥153.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-60.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 ¥126.7K

$1,232 ¥8,228

-34.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,842 ¥764.9K

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-65.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 ¥281.6K

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-71.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,988 ¥314.0K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

16.16%

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 Nishinomiya: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nishinomiya

$378 29.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 37.9% $143

Accommodation & Living

Nishinomiya

$348 27.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 67.8% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nishinomiya

$172 13.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 55.5% $95

Eating Out

Nishinomiya

$133 10.4%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 20.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nishinomiya

$85 6.7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 2.2% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nishinomiya

$84 6.6%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 44.5% $38

Getting Around

Nishinomiya

$81 6.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 55.7% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $608 in Nishinomiya 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 16% higher in Nishinomiya, 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 $31.00 in Nishinomiya versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Nishinomiya

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

1 h behind Nishinomiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

488,873

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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Nishinomiya Shanghai 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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

Nishinomiya vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nishinomiya is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,923 per month in Nishinomiya 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Nishinomiya 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 $1,282 in Nishinomiya and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Nishinomiya at $1,282. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nishinomiya 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, Nishinomiya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.