Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Japan

Name: Japan
Address: JP

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,332 in Japan, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. The total is higher in Japan despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Japan
Learn more

Japan Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,332

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 20.1% cheaper than Japan without rent, and 6.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 16.4% cheaper than Japan without rent, and 4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$6.27 ¥993

-27.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$32.23 ¥5,101

-8.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$5.08 ¥805

0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.11 ¥492

9.97%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.12 ¥178

-45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.74 ¥117

-51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$3.25 ¥515

-62.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$3.73 ¥590

-38.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.49 ¥236

24.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$1.45 ¥229

38.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$4.94 ¥782

-79.35%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.11 ¥333

-18.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$11.44 ¥1,810

50.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$6.32 ¥1,000

-46.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$17.80 ¥2,817

-28.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$4.80 ¥760

-54.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$2.45 ¥388

-28.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$4.29 ¥680

-54.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$4.52 ¥715

-62.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.70 ¥428

-71.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.70 ¥427

-65.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.34 ¥211

-53.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.89 ¥140

-34.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.88 ¥614

-1.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$7.49 ¥1,186

46.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.90 ¥301

-55.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.62 ¥415

-38.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.36 ¥215

-56.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$57.6 ¥9,122

-47.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.66 ¥578

-43.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$3.16 ¥499

-85.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$20.05 ¥3,174

-56.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.07 ¥170

18.69%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-9.64%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$16.1K ¥2.5M

15.37%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$156 ¥24.7K

-63.31%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$24.21 ¥3,831

-66.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$32.72 ¥5,178

-67.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.6 ¥8,326

22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$17.92 ¥2,836

-1.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.84 ¥2,032

-31.15%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$544 ¥86.2K

163.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$12.0K ¥1.9M

133.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$46.82 ¥7,409

16.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$29.43 ¥4,657

23.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$61.8 ¥9,774

22.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$78.2 ¥12.4K

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$569 ¥90.1K

82.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$390 ¥61.7K

50.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,310 ¥207.4K

89.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$770 ¥121.8K

60.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$5,494 ¥869.3K

147.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$2,810 ¥444.6K

120.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$2,077 ¥328.7K

-17.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.13

57.75%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Japan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Japan

$390 29.8% 33.7% $198

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Japan

$315 24% 32.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Japan

$97 7.4% 20% $24

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Japan

$134 10.2% 24.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Japan

$78 6% 4.9% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Japan

$213 16.3% 181% $137

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Japan

$83 6.3% 123% $46

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Japan

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

19:10 7:10 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

125,440,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Japan 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 other spots: cost of living compared

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