Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setagaya-ku and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $1,183
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $1,834
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,484 per month in Setagaya-ku vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Setagaya-ku $2,484
Shanghai $2,755

Setagaya-ku is about 5% cheaper than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Setagaya-ku and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Setagaya-ku 12% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 ¥968

$4.56 ¥30.47

34.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.64 ¥4,050

$30.21 ¥202

-15.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥690

$5.25 ¥35.13

-16.95%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥470

$3.28 ¥21.94

-9.45%

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

$1.04 ¥165

$0.57 ¥3.84

82.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ¥102

$0.36 ¥2.39

80.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ¥346

$1.23 ¥8.23

78.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$2.27 ¥15.18

41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥194

$1.84 ¥12.30

-33.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 ¥272

$1.96 ¥13.08

-12.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 ¥575

$1.03 ¥6.87

253.40%

Eggs

$1.17 ¥186

$1.67 ¥11.16

-29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 ¥1,643

$16.96 ¥113

-38.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ¥965

$3.19 ¥21.33

91.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 ¥2,252

$12.90 ¥86.3

10.47%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 ¥883

$2.24 ¥15.00

149.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 ¥433

$1.66 ¥11.13

65.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 ¥466

$2.02 ¥13.54

46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ¥654

$1.66 ¥11.08

149.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 ¥415

$0.77 ¥5.17

240.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.93 ¥6.21

182.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.63 ¥4.19

96.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥87.7

$0.60 ¥3.99

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥599

$3.80 ¥25.44

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 ¥989

$10.87 ¥72.7

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ¥287

$0.82 ¥5.51

120.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ¥330

$1.61 ¥10.76

29.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$0.61 ¥4.11

139.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 ¥8,012

$29.40 ¥197

72.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 ¥510

$2.11 ¥14.11

53.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 ¥421

$0.43 ¥2.87

518.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.85 ¥3,294

$9.06 ¥60.6

130.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

11.57%

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

$18.6K ¥2.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-0.79%

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

$131 ¥20.6K

$57.8 ¥387

125.98%

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

$23.82 ¥3,764

$8.09 ¥54.1

194.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.73 ¥5,013

$10.48 ¥70.0

202.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥8,691

$65.7 ¥439

-16.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.52 ¥1,820

$8.95 ¥59.9

28.72%

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

$636 ¥100.5K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-55.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-47.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ¥9,846

$54.0 ¥361

15.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.37 ¥5,747

$37.09 ¥248

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 ¥9,814

$74.3 ¥496

-16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.2K

$106 ¥706

-3.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ¥84.4K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-49.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$585 ¥3,910

-44.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,152 ¥182.0K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-53.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 ¥106.4K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-45.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,724 ¥588.4K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-73.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,635 ¥258.4K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-73.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

-40.48%

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

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 79.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 16.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 59% $110

Eating Out

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 13% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Setagaya-ku

$118 10%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 7.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 50.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Setagaya-ku 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in Setagaya-ku vs $235 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

10:53 10:53 AM

1 h behind Setagaya-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

943,664

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 19, 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 19, 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

Setagaya-ku Shanghai 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Setagaya-ku
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

Setagaya-ku vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Setagaya-ku and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setagaya-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Setagaya-ku it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Setagaya-ku – 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 Setagaya-ku. 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.