Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Asahikawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Asahikawa: $1,159 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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 Asahikawa
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Asahikawa Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Asahikawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,159 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Asahikawa $1,159

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,832 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Asahikawa $1,832

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,506 in Asahikawa, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Asahikawa $2,506

Shanghai costs about 7% more than Asahikawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Asahikawa are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Asahikawa 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$5.40 ¥853

-15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$35.56 ¥5,618

-15.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.53 ¥873

-5.06%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$2.94 ¥465

11.56%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.16 ¥184

-50.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.76 ¥120

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.86 ¥451

-56.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$3.44 ¥544

-34.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.61 ¥255

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.52 ¥240

28.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$3.77 ¥595

-72.68%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.06 ¥326

-18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.07 ¥1,749

53.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$5.98 ¥944

-46.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$18.60 ¥2,938

-30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.45 ¥545

-35.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.35 ¥372

-29.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$2.83 ¥448

-28.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$4.73 ¥747

-64.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.28 ¥360

-66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.62 ¥413

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.15 ¥181

-45.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.87 ¥138

-31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$4.46 ¥705

-14.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$7.16 ¥1,130

51.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.76 ¥277

-53.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.26 ¥358

-28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.29 ¥204

-52.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$60.6 ¥9,570

-51.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.36 ¥531

-37.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.74 ¥433

-84.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$17.41 ¥2,751

-47.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.06 ¥168

25.47%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-13.29%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

38.65%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$117 ¥18.5K

-50.62%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$25.69 ¥4,059

-68.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$27.71 ¥4,378

-62.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$49.78 ¥7,864

31.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$13.53 ¥2,138

-33.85%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$500 ¥79.0K

182.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$12.2K ¥1.9M

128.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$48.15 ¥7,607

12.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$33.48 ¥5,290

10.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$66.1 ¥10.4K

12.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$85.5 ¥13.5K

23.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$453 ¥71.6K

132.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$306 ¥48.3K

91.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,104 ¥174.4K

125.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$640 ¥101.1K

92.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$4,448 ¥702.8K

213.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,801 ¥284.5K

247.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Asahikawa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Asahikawa

$306 26.4% 47.7% $279

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Asahikawa

$295 25.4% 25.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Asahikawa

$105 9.1% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Asahikawa

$124 10.7% 16.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Asahikawa

$77 6.6% 8.1% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Asahikawa

$170 14.7% 123% $94

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Asahikawa

$83 7.1% 129% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $453 in Asahikawa. 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 $30.00 in Shanghai versus $36.00 in Asahikawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $295 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Asahikawa

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

329,306

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Asahikawa 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Asahikawa

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 Asahikawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $1,159 in Asahikawa – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,739 in Asahikawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asahikawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 106% less in Asahikawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $500 in Asahikawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asahikawa, where all-in costs run around $1,159, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Asahikawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asahikawa – 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 Asahikawa. 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.