Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hachioji

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,413 in Hachioji, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Hachioji
Learn more

Hachioji Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Hachioji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Hachioji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,413 in Hachioji.

Shanghai $1,244
Hachioji $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,105 in Hachioji.

Shanghai $1,999
Hachioji $2,105

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,796 in Hachioji.

Shanghai $2,755
Hachioji $2,796

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 12% less than in Hachioji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Hachioji is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$5.48 ¥865

-16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.97 ¥5,052

-5.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.66 ¥737

12.66%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.06 ¥484

7.19%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.83 ¥131

-31.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.67 ¥106

-46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.70 ¥427

-54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.21 ¥507

-29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.25 ¥198

47.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.56 ¥246

25.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.35 ¥688

-76.32%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.09 ¥330

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.39 ¥1,641

63.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.39 ¥1,010

-50.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$16.65 ¥2,630

-22.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.73 ¥589

-39.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.24 ¥354

-25.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.92 ¥462

-30.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.05 ¥641

-59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.43 ¥384

-68.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.45 ¥387

-62.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.29 ¥204

-51.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.79 ¥124

-24.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.85 ¥608

-1.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.60 ¥1,043

64.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.47 ¥390

-66.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.17 ¥343

-25.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.94 ¥149

-35.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$54.4 ¥8,598

-45.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.09 ¥488

-31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.72 ¥588

-88.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$18.49 ¥2,921

-51.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.08 ¥171

23.15%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.2K ¥3.3M

-10.11%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

25.00%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$136 ¥21.6K

-57.64%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$20.79 ¥3,284

-61.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$36.35 ¥5,743

-71.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.2 ¥8,249

25.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$24.96 ¥3,944

-28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$13.07 ¥2,064

-31.52%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$589 ¥93.1K

139.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$11.1K ¥1.8M

151.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.22 ¥7,776

9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$31.23 ¥4,935

18.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$62.4 ¥9,864

18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$90.0 ¥14.2K

17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$939 ¥148.3K

12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$549 ¥86.7K

6.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,549 ¥244.8K

60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$937 ¥148.0K

31.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,294 ¥678.4K

224.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,751 ¥276.6K

257.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,806 ¥443.3K

-39.02%

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 Hachioji: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Hachioji

$549 38.8% 6.2% $36

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Hachioji

$288 20.4% 22.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Hachioji

$105 7.4% 14% $17

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Hachioji

$121 8.5% 13.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Hachioji

$78 5.5% 6.3% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Hachioji

$194 13.7% 154% $117

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Hachioji

$80 5.7% 121% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $939 in Hachioji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hachioji pays 64% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Hachioji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $288 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Hachioji

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

555,517

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Shanghai Hachioji 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Shanghai
Hachioji

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 Hachioji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Hachioji. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Hachioji. 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $939 in Hachioji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Hachioji. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Hachioji. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,413 in Hachioji, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Hachioji. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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 Hachioji 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Hachioji. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.