Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Funabashi

For one person, living is cheaper in Funabashi: $1,152 a month against $1,244 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 Funabashi
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Funabashi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Funabashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,152

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Funabashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,152 in Funabashi.

Shanghai $1,244
Funabashi $1,152

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,766 in Funabashi.

Shanghai $1,999
Funabashi $1,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,380 in Funabashi.

Shanghai $2,755
Funabashi $2,380

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Funabashi 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.23 ¥984

-26.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$15.55 ¥2,457

94.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.95 ¥783

6.06%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.18 ¥187

177.97%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.66 ¥104

-13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.66 ¥104

-45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.23 ¥194

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.09 ¥488

-26.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.42 ¥224

29.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.67 ¥264

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.55 ¥561

-70.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.00 ¥316

-16.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.26 ¥1,622

65.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.90 ¥931

-45.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.27 ¥2,254

-9.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.72 ¥904

-60.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.70 ¥426

-38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.95 ¥465

-31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.12 ¥651

-59.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.49 ¥394

-69.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.55 ¥402

-63.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.24 ¥195

-49.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.67 ¥106

-10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.74 ¥591

1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.46 ¥1,020

68.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.82 ¥287

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.09 ¥330

-22.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.50 ¥236

-59.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$54.0 ¥8,526

-45.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$2.57 ¥405

-17.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.63 ¥416

-83.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.45 ¥3,231

-55.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.03 ¥163

29.13%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-10.48%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

4.66%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$132 ¥20.8K

-56.16%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.11 ¥3,809

-66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$32.62 ¥5,154

-67.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$56.3 ¥8,886

16.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.86 ¥2,032

-30.40%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$630 ¥99.5K

124.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

90.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$63.5 ¥10.0K

-14.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$37.22 ¥5,880

-0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$62.1 ¥9,803

19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$103 ¥16.2K

2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$496 ¥78.3K

112.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$305 ¥48.2K

91.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,244 ¥196.5K

99.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$639 ¥101.0K

92.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,955 ¥624.8K

252.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,716 ¥271.0K

264.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.64

27.27%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Funabashi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Funabashi

$305 26.5% 47.8% $280

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Funabashi

$285 24.7% 21.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Funabashi

$119 10.4% 2% $2.4

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Funabashi

$96 8.4% 9% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Funabashi

$82 7.1% 1.9% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Funabashi

$189 16.4% 147% $112

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Funabashi

$76 6.6% 110% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $496 in Funabashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $16.00 in Funabashi. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $285, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Funabashi

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

627,006

💱 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 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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Shanghai Funabashi 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 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 Funabashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,729 in Funabashi 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $496 in Funabashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Funabashi – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $1,152 in Funabashi – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,152 in Funabashi versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Funabashi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Funabashi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Funabashi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Shanghai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Funabashi 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 Funabashi 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.