Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Himeji

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Himeji: $1,256 and $1,283 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Himeji
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Himeji Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Himeji

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Himeji

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $1,283 in Himeji, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Himeji $1,283

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,047 in Himeji, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Himeji $2,047

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $2,811 in Himeji, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Himeji $2,811

Shanghai is about 2% cheaper than Himeji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Himeji are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Himeji 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$8.46 ¥1,336

-47.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.07 ¥4,909

-2.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.11 ¥807

-0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.35 ¥371

45.96%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.24 ¥196

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.82 ¥129

-52.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.20 ¥505

-61.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.06 ¥483

-27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.56 ¥247

18.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.48 ¥233

31.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.12 ¥650

-75.73%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.18 ¥344

-21.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$15.50 ¥2,449

12.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.78 ¥1,072

-52.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.88 ¥2,667

-23.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$8.37 ¥1,323

-73.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.97 ¥470

-43.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$5.06 ¥799

-61.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$7.86 ¥1,241

-77.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$3.90 ¥617

-80.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$4.70 ¥743

-80.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.12 ¥177

-41.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.89 ¥141

-32.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.87 ¥611

-4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$9.74 ¥1,539

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$2.61 ¥412

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.10 ¥332

-22.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.44 ¥228

-56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.0 ¥8,373

-42.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.13 ¥494

-34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.82 ¥446

-83.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$15.45 ¥2,441

-42.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.07 ¥168

24.30%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-10.48%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

20.83%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$118 ¥18.6K

-51.45%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.44 ¥3,704

-65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.67 ¥5,003

-66.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.6 ¥8,314

22.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$11.36 ¥1,795

-20.33%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$564 ¥89.1K

155.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

91.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.92 ¥7,886

7.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$35.51 ¥5,611

4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$61.6 ¥9,739

24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$99.2 ¥15.7K

4.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$541 ¥85.4K

89.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$328 ¥51.8K

80.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,100 ¥173.8K

132.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$729 ¥115.2K

66.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,304 ¥680.0K

214.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,725 ¥272.5K

262.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Himeji: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Himeji

$328 25.6% 44.7% $266

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Himeji

$379 29.5% 59.5% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Himeji

$111 8.6% 9.3% $11

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Himeji

$142 11% 32.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Himeji

$75 5.9% 8.9% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Himeji

$173 13.5% 128% $97

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Himeji

$76 5.9% 104% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $541 in Himeji. 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 $31.00 in Himeji. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $379 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Himeji

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

535,571

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Himeji 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Himeji

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 Himeji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Himeji is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Shanghai and $1,925 in Himeji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 59% more in Himeji, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $31.00 in Himeji. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Himeji at $1,283. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Himeji it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Himeji makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.