Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kagoshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kagoshima: $1,133 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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 Kagoshima
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Kagoshima Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Kagoshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kagoshima

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,133 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Kagoshima $1,133

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,887 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Kagoshima $1,887

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,641 in Kagoshima, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Kagoshima $2,641

Shanghai costs about 10% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Kagoshima are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Kagoshima 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$6.46 ¥1,020

-29.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$32.45 ¥5,127

-6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.42 ¥856

-3.14%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$2.91 ¥459

12.71%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.01 ¥159

-43.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.75 ¥118

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.51 ¥396

-51.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$2.18 ¥344

4.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.36 ¥216

35.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.14 ¥180

71.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$5.13 ¥811

-79.92%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.06 ¥325

-18.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$18.48 ¥2,919

-8.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$5.47 ¥863

-41.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$18.94 ¥2,993

-31.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.67 ¥580

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.85 ¥293

-10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$2.78 ¥439

-27.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$3.31 ¥523

-49.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.05 ¥324

-62.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$1.83 ¥290

-49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.06 ¥168

-40.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.80 ¥126

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.88 ¥613

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$5.90 ¥932

84.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.14 ¥180

-28.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.89 ¥298

-14.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.27 ¥201

-51.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$53.8 ¥8,497

-45.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$4.00 ¥631

-47.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.03 ¥321

-78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$11.27 ¥1,780

-19.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.05 ¥166

26.67%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-12.80%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$17.5K ¥2.8M

6.82%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$189 ¥29.8K

-69.38%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$24.87 ¥3,928

-67.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$30.44 ¥4,809

-65.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.3 ¥8,107

28.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$11.81 ¥1,865

-24.22%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$124 ¥19.5K

1042.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

125.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$49.61 ¥7,838

8.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$25.70 ¥4,060

44.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$63.6 ¥10.0K

16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$75.9 ¥12.0K

39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$541 ¥85.5K

94.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$222 ¥35.1K

163.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,015 ¥160.3K

144.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$748 ¥118.2K

64.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$3,824 ¥604.2K

264.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,821 ¥287.8K

243.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,831 ¥289.3K

-6.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.97

70.56%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kagoshima: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Kagoshima

$222 19.6% 62% $362

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Kagoshima

$295 26.1% 25.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Kagoshima

$97 8.5% 20.7% $25

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Kagoshima

$127 11.2% 19.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Kagoshima

$75 6.6% 10.4% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kagoshima

$244 21.5% 220% $168

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Kagoshima

$73 6.5% 102% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $541 in Kagoshima. 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 7% higher in Kagoshima, 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 $32.00 in Kagoshima. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $295 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kagoshima

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

593,128

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Kagoshima 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 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 Kagoshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 10% more than Kagoshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,700 in Kagoshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 83% less in Kagoshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $124 in Kagoshima. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kagoshima, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Kagoshima it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kagoshima – 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 Kagoshima. 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.