Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,003 per month in Saitama vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Saitama $1,003
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Saitama vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Saitama $1,327
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Saitama vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Saitama $1,650
Shanghai $2,755

Saitama is about 19% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Saitama and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Saitama 26% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$4.56 ¥30.47

20.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$30.21 ¥202

3.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$5.25 ¥35.13

-8.57%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$3.28 ¥21.94

-10.98%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$0.57 ¥3.84

22.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$0.36 ¥2.39

61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$1.23 ¥8.23

104.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$2.27 ¥15.18

42.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$1.84 ¥12.30

-24.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.96 ¥13.08

-16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$1.03 ¥6.87

167.96%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$1.67 ¥11.16

19.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$16.96 ¥113

-39.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$3.19 ¥21.33

70.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$12.90 ¥86.3

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$2.24 ¥15.00

150.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$1.66 ¥11.13

30.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$2.02 ¥13.54

44.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$1.66 ¥11.08

158.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$0.77 ¥5.17

224.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$0.93 ¥6.21

73.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$0.63 ¥4.19

106.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$0.60 ¥3.99

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$3.80 ¥25.44

2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$0.82 ¥5.51

119.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.61 ¥10.76

24.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$0.61 ¥4.11

444.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.11 ¥14.11

53.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.43 ¥2.87

511.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$9.06 ¥60.6

122.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

12.69%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-24.27%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$57.8 ¥387

129.55%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$8.09 ¥54.1

124.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$10.48 ¥70.0

211.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$65.7 ¥439

-4.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$8.95 ¥59.9

23.91%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-55.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-47.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$54.0 ¥361

-35.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$37.09 ¥248

-31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$74.3 ¥496

-25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$106 ¥706

-40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-60.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$585 ¥3,910

-60.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-9.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

3.36

-38.69%

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

Last update for Saitama: 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

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 14.4% $39

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 151% $352

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 58.4% $107

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 1.5% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 52.3% $42

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 21.6% $6.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Saitama 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 10% 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 $31.00 in Saitama versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

1 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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 17, 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 17, 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

Saitama Shanghai 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

Saitama vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,504 per month in Saitama 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 Saitama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,003 in Saitama and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Saitama and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saitama – 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 Saitama. 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.