Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kanazawa

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Kanazawa: $1,244 and $1,304 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,304 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Kanazawa $1,304

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,052 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Kanazawa $2,052

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,800 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Kanazawa $2,800

Shanghai is about 5% cheaper than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Kanazawa are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Kanazawa 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.44 ¥1,175

-38.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.25 ¥4,937

-3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.99 ¥788

5.21%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.38 ¥377

37.82%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.13 ¥178

-49.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.58 ¥92.2

-37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.01 ¥318

-38.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.27 ¥359

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.56 ¥247

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.33 ¥210

47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$5.52 ¥873

-81.34%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.02 ¥320

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$12.81 ¥2,024

32.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.52 ¥1,505

-66.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$32.49 ¥5,132

-60.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.69 ¥584

-39.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.32 ¥366

-28.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$6.14 ¥970

-67.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.15 ¥655

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.68 ¥582

-79.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.43 ¥542

-72.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.28 ¥202

-50.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.96 ¥151

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.43 ¥542

10.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$7.96 ¥1,257

36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.95 ¥308

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.52 ¥240

5.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.52 ¥240

-59.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$54.2 ¥8,568

-45.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.08 ¥487

-31.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.11 ¥491

-86.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$26.94 ¥4,257

-66.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.05 ¥167

26.67%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$20.1K ¥3.2M

-5.43%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

14.10%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$146 ¥23.1K

-60.51%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.56 ¥3,722

-65.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$42.65 ¥6,738

-75.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$42.05 ¥6,644

56.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.47 ¥1,812

-21.97%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$318 ¥50.2K

344.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$6,093 ¥962.6K

357.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.09 ¥7,756

9.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$24.98 ¥3,947

48.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$46.39 ¥7,329

60.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$64.3 ¥10.2K

64.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$454 ¥71.8K

132.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$356 ¥56.2K

64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,004 ¥158.6K

147.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$767 ¥121.2K

60.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,757 ¥751.5K

192.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,885 ¥297.9K

231.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,869 ¥295.3K

-8.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.28

47.37%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Kanazawa

$356 27.3% 39.1% $229

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Kanazawa

$384 29.4% 63.4% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Kanazawa

$83 6.4% 31.8% $39

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Kanazawa

$125 9.6% 17.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Kanazawa

$65 5% 22.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kanazawa

$213 16.3% 178% $136

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Kanazawa

$79 6.1% 119% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $454 in Kanazawa. 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 9% higher in Kanazawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $31.00 in Kanazawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $384 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

23:00 11:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

465,699

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Kanazawa 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $1,304 in Kanazawa – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,955 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, 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 $1,304 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Kanazawa at $1,304. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kanazawa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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