Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kamiyama

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Kamiyama: $1,256 and $1,235 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Kamiyama
Learn more

Kamiyama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Kamiyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kamiyama

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $1,235 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Kamiyama $1,235

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,928 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Kamiyama $1,928

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $2,621 in Kamiyama, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Kamiyama $2,621

Shanghai costs about 2% more than Kamiyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Kamiyama are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Kamiyama 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.73 ¥1,063

-33.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$34.01 ¥5,372

-10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.49 ¥868

-7.29%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.09 ¥487

11.00%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.14 ¥180

-45.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.76 ¥120

-48.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.13 ¥336

-42.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.21 ¥507

-31.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.52 ¥241

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.58 ¥250

23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.89 ¥772

-79.55%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.29 ¥362

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.03 ¥1,584

74.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.43 ¥1,016

-49.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$15.27 ¥2,412

-14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$5.46 ¥863

-58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.65 ¥419

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$3.95 ¥624

-50.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.61 ¥728

-62.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$3.21 ¥507

-76.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.56 ¥404

-64.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.33 ¥210

-50.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.83 ¥132

-27.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$4.27 ¥674

-13.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.40 ¥1,011

70.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.90 ¥300

-54.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.39 ¥377

-31.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.59 ¥252

-61.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$56.1 ¥8,865

-45.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.45 ¥545

-40.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$3.01 ¥475

-84.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$20.71 ¥3,271

-57.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.19 ¥189

11.76%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$23.1K ¥3.6M

-16.66%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

7.41%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$139 ¥21.9K

-58.77%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$27.16 ¥4,291

-70.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$33.67 ¥5,319

-68.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$57.2 ¥9,033

13.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$14.14 ¥2,234

22.28%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$13.05 ¥2,061

-30.65%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$282 ¥44.6K

410.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

114.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$43.36 ¥6,850

23.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$29.72 ¥4,695

24.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$60.5 ¥9,557

27.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$90.7 ¥14.3K

14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$463 ¥73.2K

120.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$332 ¥52.4K

79.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$879 ¥138.8K

191.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$670 ¥105.9K

80.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$2,777 ¥438.8K

386.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,786 ¥282.2K

249.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.81

85.64%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kamiyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Kamiyama

$332 26.8% 44.2% $262

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Kamiyama

$307 24.9% 29.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Kamiyama

$101 8.2% 17.4% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Kamiyama

$132 10.7% 23.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Kamiyama

$83 6.7% 0.7% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Kamiyama

$199 16.1% 163% $123

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Kamiyama

$81 6.6% 118% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $463 in Kamiyama. 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 $34.00 in Kamiyama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $307 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kamiyama

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

5,300

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Kamiyama 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Kamiyama

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 Kamiyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai 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 $1,853 in Kamiyama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $34.00 in Kamiyama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kamiyama, where all-in costs run around $1,235, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Kamiyama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kamiyama – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kamiyama. 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.