Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kashiwa

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Kashiwa: $1,244 and $1,230 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 Kashiwa
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Kashiwa Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Kashiwa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kashiwa

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,230 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Kashiwa $1,230

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,857 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Kashiwa $1,857

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,484 in Kashiwa, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Kashiwa $2,484

Shanghai costs about 1% more than Kashiwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Shanghai and Kashiwa are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Kashiwa 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.44 ¥1,018

-29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$24.90 ¥3,933

21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.13 ¥811

2.34%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.46 ¥546

-5.20%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.69 ¥108

-17.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.79 ¥125

-54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.47 ¥391

-50.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.13 ¥494

-27.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.22 ¥193

50.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.13 ¥179

73.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.59 ¥567

-71.31%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.86 ¥293

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$6.39 ¥1,010

165.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.06 ¥958

-47.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$9.37 ¥1,480

37.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.66 ¥893

-60.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.71 ¥428

-38.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.94 ¥465

-31.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.09 ¥646

-59.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.49 ¥394

-69.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.64 ¥417

-64.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.60 ¥95.4

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.61 ¥96.6

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.88 ¥614

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.35 ¥1,003

71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.80 ¥284

-54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.91 ¥301

-15.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.44 ¥228

-57.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$53.4 ¥8,439

-44.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.10 ¥490

-31.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.56 ¥246

-72.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.60 ¥3,255

-56.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.00 ¥159

33.00%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-12.08%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.5K ¥2.9M

1.27%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$127 ¥20.1K

-54.49%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.24 ¥3,830

-66.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.65 ¥5,000

-66.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.9 ¥8,356

24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.83 ¥2,027

-30.24%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$628 ¥99.2K

125.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

89.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$62.1 ¥9,813

-13.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$37.38 ¥5,906

-0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$61.5 ¥9,714

20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$101 ¥15.9K

4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$523 ¥82.6K

101.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$400 ¥63.2K

46.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,123 ¥177.5K

121.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$743 ¥117.5K

65.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,183 ¥660.9K

232.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,934 ¥305.5K

223.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,653 ¥419.2K

-35.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.64

27.27%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kashiwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Kashiwa

$400 32.5% 31.6% $185

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Kashiwa

$248 20.1% 5.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Kashiwa

$118 9.6% 3.4% $4.1

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Kashiwa

$133 10.8% 25.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Kashiwa

$79 6.4% 6% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kashiwa

$183 14.9% 140% $107

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Kashiwa

$70 5.7% 94.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $523 in Kashiwa. 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 55% higher in Kashiwa, 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 $25.00 in Kashiwa. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Shanghai vs $248 in Kashiwa – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kashiwa

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

417,394

💱 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 Kashiwa 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Kashiwa

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 Kashiwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $1,230 in Kashiwa – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,845 in Kashiwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $628 in Kashiwa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kashiwa, where all-in costs run around $1,230, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Kashiwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kashiwa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,230 in Kashiwa to $1,244 in Shanghai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kashiwa. 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.