Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Fukushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Fukushima: $1,165 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Fukushima
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Fukushima Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Fukushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Fukushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,165 in Fukushima.

Shanghai $1,256
Fukushima $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,826 in Fukushima.

Shanghai $1,999
Fukushima $1,826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,487 in Fukushima.

Shanghai $2,743
Fukushima $2,487

Living in Shanghai is roughly 8% more expensive than in Fukushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Fukushima 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$5.89 ¥930

-24.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$29.92 ¥4,727

1.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.45 ¥703

14.38%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.55 ¥404

34.51%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.94 ¥148

-34.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.67 ¥106

-41.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.61 ¥412

-52.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.12 ¥493

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.47 ¥232

25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.55 ¥244

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.08 ¥645

-75.49%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.08 ¥328

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.38 ¥1,639

68.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.69 ¥1,057

-51.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.64 ¥2,629

-21.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.77 ¥596

-40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.26 ¥357

-25.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.80 ¥443

-30.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.07 ¥642

-57.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.48 ¥391

-69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.57 ¥406

-64.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.29 ¥205

-48.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.84 ¥132

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.89 ¥615

-5.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.82 ¥1,077

60.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.84 ¥291

-52.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.13 ¥337

-23.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.49 ¥235

-58.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$48.19 ¥7,613

-36.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.18 ¥502

-35.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.69 ¥425

-82.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$21.15 ¥3,342

-58.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.02 ¥161

30.39%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$20.2K ¥3.2M

-4.46%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

17.03%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$126 ¥19.9K

-54.74%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$21.15 ¥3,342

-61.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$30.04 ¥4,746

-64.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$51.6 ¥8,154

25.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$11.70 ¥1,849

-22.65%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$453 ¥71.6K

218.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$11.4K ¥1.8M

147.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$46.93 ¥7,414

14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$36.00 ¥5,688

2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$64.6 ¥10.2K

19.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$84.5 ¥13.3K

22.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$535 ¥84.5K

91.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$333 ¥52.5K

78.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,018 ¥160.9K

151.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$705 ¥111.4K

72.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,897 ¥615.6K

247.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,857 ¥293.4K

236.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥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 18, 2026

Last update for Fukushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Fukushima

$333 28.5% 44% $261

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Fukushima

$288 24.7% 21.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Fukushima

$104 9% 14.5% $18

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Fukushima

$117 10% 9.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Fukushima

$75 6.4% 9.3% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Fukushima

$177 15.2% 134% $102

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Fukushima

$71 6.1% 90.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $535 in Fukushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $30.00 in Fukushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $288 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Fukushima

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

282,693

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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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 Fukushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fukushima is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,748 in Fukushima to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $535 in Fukushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

At $1,165 in Fukushima versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Fukushima but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Fukushima 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Fukushima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Fukushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.