Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Amagasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Amagasaki: $1,196 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Amagasaki
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Amagasaki Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Amagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Amagasaki

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Amagasaki actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,196 in Amagasaki.

Shanghai $1,256
Amagasaki $1,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,898 in Amagasaki.

Shanghai $1,999
Amagasaki $1,898

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,600 in Amagasaki.

Shanghai $2,743
Amagasaki $2,600

Living in Shanghai is roughly 5% more expensive than in Amagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Amagasaki 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.12 ¥967

-27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.29 ¥4,944

-3.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.18 ¥819

-1.74%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.09 ¥488

11.00%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.23 ¥195

-49.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.81 ¥127

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.66 ¥420

-53.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.07 ¥484

-28.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.46 ¥231

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.62 ¥256

20.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.08 ¥645

-75.49%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.09 ¥330

-18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.32 ¥1,630

69.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.73 ¥1,064

-51.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.78 ¥2,651

-22.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.77 ¥595

-40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.30 ¥363

-26.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.92 ¥461

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.19 ¥662

-58.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.43 ¥384

-68.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.50 ¥395

-63.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.24 ¥196

-46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.80 ¥127

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.84 ¥607

-3.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.75 ¥1,066

61.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.85 ¥293

-52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.16 ¥342

-24.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.51 ¥239

-58.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.1 ¥8,384

-42.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.17 ¥500

-35.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.92 ¥462

-84.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$18.76 ¥2,964

-52.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.11 ¥175

19.82%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-9.43%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

21.69%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$136 ¥21.5K

-58.03%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.70 ¥3,745

-65.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$30.82 ¥4,870

-65.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$53.0 ¥8,378

21.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$12.12 ¥1,915

-25.33%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$510 ¥80.5K

182.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

126.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.84 ¥7,875

7.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.38 ¥4,957

18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$62.0 ¥9,798

24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$88.3 ¥13.9K

17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$530 ¥83.8K

92.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$329 ¥51.9K

80.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,124 ¥177.6K

127.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$751 ¥118.6K

61.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,292 ¥678.0K

215.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,754 ¥277.1K

256.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$3,008 ¥475.2K

-43.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.21

52.04%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Amagasaki: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Amagasaki

$329 27.5% 44.7% $265

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Amagasaki

$290 24.2% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Amagasaki

$104 8.7% 14.7% $18

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Amagasaki

$129 10.8% 21.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Amagasaki

$77 6.5% 6.6% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Amagasaki

$191 15.9% 151% $115

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Amagasaki

$77 6.4% 107% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $530 in Amagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amagasaki pays 77% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $31.00 in Amagasaki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $290 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Amagasaki

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

13:44 1:44 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

459,593

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Amagasaki 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Shanghai
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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

Shanghai vs Amagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Amagasaki differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,196 including rent). Amagasaki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Amagasaki. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $530 in Amagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Amagasaki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,196 in Amagasaki versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amagasaki but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Amagasaki 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.

Expats usually find Amagasaki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.