Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Ibaraki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,130 in Ibaraki.

Shanghai $1,256
Ibaraki $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,756 in Ibaraki.

Shanghai $1,999
Ibaraki $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,383 in Ibaraki.

Shanghai $2,743
Ibaraki $2,383

Living in Shanghai is roughly 11% more expensive than in Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Ibaraki 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.43 ¥1,016

-30.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$30.94 ¥4,888

-2.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.95 ¥781

2.83%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.04 ¥480

12.83%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.15 ¥182

-46.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.75 ¥119

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.66 ¥421

-53.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.16 ¥499

-30.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$2.70 ¥427

-31.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.54 ¥244

26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.04 ¥638

-75.25%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.12 ¥334

-19.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.53 ¥1,663

65.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.66 ¥1,053

-51.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.42 ¥2,594

-20.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.79 ¥599

-40.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.26 ¥357

-25.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.81 ¥443

-30.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.08 ¥645

-57.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.43 ¥384

-68.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.56 ¥404

-64.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.24 ¥196

-46.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.85 ¥134

-29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.33 ¥526

10.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.66 ¥1,052

63.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.78 ¥282

-51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.15 ¥340

-24.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.68 ¥266

-63.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$54.3 ¥8,582

-44.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$4.65 ¥735

-55.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.81 ¥444

-83.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$18.30 ¥2,890

-51.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.13 ¥178

17.70%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-9.86%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

20.49%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$136 ¥21.5K

-57.99%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.88 ¥3,773

-66.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.10 ¥4,913

-65.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$51.5 ¥8,140

25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$12.95 ¥2,046

-30.12%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$464 ¥73.3K

210.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

107.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$26.48 ¥4,184

102.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.63 ¥4,997

17.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$67.2 ¥10.6K

14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$79.9 ¥12.6K

30.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$401 ¥63.4K

154.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$260 ¥41.1K

128.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,102 ¥174.2K

132.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$528 ¥83.3K

129.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$3,937 ¥622.0K

243.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,554 ¥245.6K

301.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$2,553 ¥403.3K

-33.43%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Ibaraki

$260 23% 56.2% $334

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Ibaraki

$300 26.5% 26.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Ibaraki

$92 8.2% 24.4% $30

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Ibaraki

$130 11.5% 21.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Ibaraki

$77 6.9% 6.4% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Ibaraki

$191 16.9% 152% $115

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Ibaraki

$80 7.1% 114% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $401 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ibaraki pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $31.00 in Ibaraki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $300 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

287,730

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Ibaraki 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Ibaraki differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,130 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Ibaraki. 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: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $401 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 26% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibaraki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in Ibaraki versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ibaraki but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.