Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hamamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamamatsu: $775 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Hamamatsu
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Hamamatsu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Hamamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Hamamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $775 in Hamamatsu.

Shanghai $1,244
Hamamatsu $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,251 in Hamamatsu.

Shanghai $1,999
Hamamatsu $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,727 in Hamamatsu.

Shanghai $2,755
Hamamatsu $1,727

Living in Shanghai is roughly 60% more expensive than in Hamamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Hamamatsu 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$3.86 ¥610

18.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$40.71 ¥6,432

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.07 ¥801

3.55%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.34 ¥528

-1.80%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.04 ¥165

-45.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.75 ¥118

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.49 ¥393

-50.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.22 ¥508

-29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.01 ¥160

82.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.64 ¥260

19.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.65 ¥577

-71.78%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.60 ¥253

4.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.37 ¥1,638

63.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.92 ¥935

-46.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.44 ¥2,282

-10.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.69 ¥899

-60.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.80 ¥443

-40.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.95 ¥467

-31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.14 ¥654

-59.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.63 ¥415

-70.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.54 ¥401

-63.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.24 ¥196

-49.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.65 ¥102

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.86 ¥610

-1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.19 ¥977

75.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.76 ¥278

-53.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.11 ¥333

-23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$50.8 ¥8,017

-42.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.21 ¥507

-34.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.74 ¥433

-84.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.75 ¥3,278

-56.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.10 ¥173

20.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

-9.26%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.1K ¥2.9M

3.64%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$131 ¥20.7K

-55.82%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$8.51 ¥1,345

-4.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$32.52 ¥5,137

-67.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$16.81 ¥2,655

6.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.81 ¥2,024

-30.13%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$643 ¥101.5K

119.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

86.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$61.5 ¥9,712

-12.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$36.85 ¥5,822

0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$61.0 ¥9,639

21.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$102 ¥16.1K

3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$7,748 ¥1.2M

79.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,222 ¥825.0K

19.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,580 ¥249.7K

8.26%

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 Hamamatsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Hamamatsu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Hamamatsu

$280 36.2% 19.4% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Hamamatsu

$118 15.2% 3.5% $4.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Hamamatsu

$112 14.5% 5.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Hamamatsu

$26 * 3.3% 69.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Hamamatsu

$172 22.2% 125% $96

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Hamamatsu

$68 * 8.7% 87.4% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Shanghai pays 8% 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 $41.00 in Hamamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $280 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

18:09 6:09 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

797,033

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Hamamatsu 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Hamamatsu

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 Hamamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Hamamatsu differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $775 including rent). Hamamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 8% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hamamatsu – a meal for two runs $41.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $775 in Hamamatsu versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hamamatsu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu 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 Hamamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.