Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sapporo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,256 a month against $1,404 in Sapporo, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Sapporo despite lower rent and utilities.

68

Cost of Living Index in Sapporo
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Sapporo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Sapporo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,404

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,404 per month in Sapporo vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sapporo $1,404
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $2,097 per month in Sapporo vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sapporo $2,097
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,791 per month in Sapporo vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sapporo $2,791
Shanghai $2,743

Sapporo costs about 12% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sapporo sits 4% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥980

$4.45 ¥29.78

39.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.04 ¥4,430

$30.29 ¥203

-7.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 ¥837

$5.09 ¥34.01

4.13%

Cappuccino

$4.85 ¥767

$3.43 ¥22.96

41.40%

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

$1.65 ¥261

$0.62 ¥4.15

166.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.39 ¥2.58

125.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 ¥693

$1.23 ¥8.25

256.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 ¥889

$2.21 ¥14.81

154.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$1.85 ¥12.37

-16.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.95 ¥13.02

-30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 ¥618

$1.00 ¥6.67

291.00%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥279

$1.71 ¥11.43

2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 ¥1,489

$17.47 ¥117

-46.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 ¥1,068

$3.24 ¥21.66

108.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.61 ¥4,046

$12.99 ¥86.8

97.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ¥504

$2.24 ¥14.98

42.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 ¥494

$1.68 ¥11.25

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 ¥506

$1.95 ¥13.03

64.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 ¥663

$1.73 ¥11.60

142.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 ¥331

$0.76 ¥5.10

175.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ¥275

$0.92 ¥6.15

89.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.66 ¥4.41

125.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ¥70.8

$0.60 ¥4.00

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥633

$3.69 ¥24.65

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.19 ¥1,293

$10.92 ¥73.0

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$0.87 ¥5.85

120.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ¥501

$1.63 ¥10.87

94.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 ¥253

$0.62 ¥4.13

158.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.16 ¥7,609

$30.38 ¥203

58.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 ¥635

$2.06 ¥13.79

95.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ¥257

$0.46 ¥3.08

254.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.05 ¥2,536

$8.84 ¥59.1

81.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.33 ¥8.86

-16.54%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

13.04%

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

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-20.64%

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

$336 ¥53.0K

$57.1 ¥382

487.95%

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

$25.59 ¥4,042

$8.07 ¥53.9

217.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 ¥7,544

$10.70 ¥71.5

346.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.58 ¥7,674

$64.6 ¥432

-24.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.22 ¥509

$17.29 ¥116

-81.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.12 ¥1,915

$9.05 ¥60.5

33.92%

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

$319 ¥50.4K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-77.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,987 ¥1.6M

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-64.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.38 ¥5,905

$53.5 ¥358

-30.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.18 ¥3,978

$37.05 ¥248

-32.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.33 ¥7,478

$77.0 ¥515

-38.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ¥18.0K

$104 ¥694

9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥71.6K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-55.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥43.4K

$594 ¥3,971

-53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 ¥130.2K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥101.3K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-47.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 ¥342.5K

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-83.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,559 ¥246.4K

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-75.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,233 ¥352.9K

$1,699 ¥11.4K

31.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.57

3.36

-23.51%

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

Last update for Sapporo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sapporo

$409 29.2%

Shanghai

$76 6% 81.5% $333

Groceries & Markets

Sapporo

$312 22.3%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 24% $75

Accommodation & Living

Sapporo

$275 19.6%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 116% $319

Eating Out

Sapporo

$167 11.9%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 36.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Sapporo

$101 7.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 21.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sapporo

$73 5.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 13.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Sapporo

$67 4.8%

Shanghai

$37 3% 44.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Sapporo versus $1,023 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 31% higher in Sapporo, 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 $28.00 in Sapporo versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $312 in Sapporo vs $238 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sapporo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

1 h behind Sapporo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,973,395

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sapporo Shanghai 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sapporo
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

Sapporo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sapporo is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,105 per month in Sapporo and $1,884 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 $28.00 in Sapporo 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 $1,404 in Sapporo and $1,256 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Sapporo at $1,404. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sapporo 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, Sapporo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.