Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hiroshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $963 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
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Hiroshima Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$963

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Hiroshima

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $963 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Hiroshima $963

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,548 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Hiroshima $1,548

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,134 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Hiroshima $2,134

Shanghai costs about 29% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shanghai and Hiroshima are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Hiroshima 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$5.86 ¥926

-22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.49 ¥4,975

-4.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.11 ¥807

2.74%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.75 ¥434

19.27%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.96 ¥151

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.64 ¥101

-43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.69 ¥425

-54.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.88 ¥613

-41.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.45 ¥228

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.55 ¥245

26.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.80 ¥759

-78.54%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.06 ¥326

-18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$4.89 ¥773

246.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.89 ¥931

-45.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$11.07 ¥1,749

16.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.29 ¥520

-31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.94 ¥307

-14.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.80 ¥600

-46.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.88 ¥613

-57.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.54 ¥244

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.43 ¥542

-72.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.36 ¥215

-53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.81 ¥129

-25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.96 ¥626

-4.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$7.84 ¥1,239

38.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.94 ¥307

-57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.48 ¥391

-35.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.92 ¥304

-68.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$33.30 ¥5,261

-11.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.74 ¥591

-43.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.25 ¥197

-65.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$21.23 ¥3,354

-57.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.11 ¥175

19.82%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

-13.12%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

27.38%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$136 ¥21.5K

-57.58%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.40 ¥3,855

-66.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.36 ¥4,796

-65.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$53.9 ¥8,511

21.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$4.87 ¥769

265.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.80 ¥1,865

-24.15%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$155 ¥24.4K

814.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$3,376 ¥533.4K

725.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$27.92 ¥4,410

93.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$25.33 ¥4,001

46.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$47.84 ¥7,558

55.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$62.5 ¥9,878

68.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$239 ¥37.8K

341.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$192 ¥30.4K

204.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$618 ¥97.7K

301.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$501 ¥79.1K

146.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,001 ¥474.2K

364.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,413 ¥223.2K

342.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,006 ¥316.9K

-14.70%

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 Hiroshima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Hiroshima

$192 20% 67.1% $393

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Hiroshima

$255 26.4% 8.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Hiroshima

$74 7.7% 39.6% $48

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Hiroshima

$123 12.8% 15.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Hiroshima

$77 8.1% 7.3% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Hiroshima

$191 19.9% 150% $115

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Hiroshima

$51 5.3% 41.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $239 in Hiroshima. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $31.00 in Hiroshima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $255 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

00:30 12:30 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,200,754

💱 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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Shanghai Hiroshima 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Hiroshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 29% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,444 in Hiroshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $963 in Hiroshima. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $963, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Hiroshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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