Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Koriyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Koriyama: $1,187 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $830 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Koriyama
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Koriyama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Koriyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Koriyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,187 in Koriyama.

Shanghai $1,256
Koriyama $1,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,881 in Koriyama.

Shanghai $1,999
Koriyama $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,575 in Koriyama.

Shanghai $2,743
Koriyama $2,575

Living in Shanghai is roughly 6% more expensive than in Koriyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Koriyama 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.12 ¥967

-27.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.16 ¥4,923

-2.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.13 ¥810

-0.78%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.96 ¥468

15.88%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.24 ¥195

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.78 ¥124

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.70 ¥426

-54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.17 ¥501

-30.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.46 ¥230

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.56 ¥246

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.20 ¥664

-76.19%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.01 ¥317

-14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.18 ¥1,609

71.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.65 ¥1,051

-51.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.68 ¥2,635

-22.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.65 ¥576

-38.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.27 ¥358

-25.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.89 ¥457

-32.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.07 ¥643

-57.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.47 ¥390

-69.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.55 ¥402

-63.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.29 ¥204

-48.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.84 ¥133

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.85 ¥608

-4.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.80 ¥1,074

60.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.85 ¥293

-52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.11 ¥333

-22.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.52 ¥241

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.0 ¥8,380

-42.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.22 ¥508

-36.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.87 ¥453

-83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$18.64 ¥2,945

-52.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.10 ¥174

20.91%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$20.9K ¥3.3M

-8.06%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

19.76%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$134 ¥21.2K

-57.53%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$24.63 ¥3,890

-67.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.55 ¥4,984

-66.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.2 ¥8,243

23.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$12.02 ¥1,899

-24.71%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$523 ¥82.7K

175.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$12.6K ¥2.0M

123.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.37 ¥7,799

8.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.64 ¥4,999

17.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$61.0 ¥9,639

26.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$87.4 ¥13.8K

18.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$542 ¥85.6K

88.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$325 ¥51.4K

82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,102 ¥174.1K

132.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$739 ¥116.8K

63.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,230 ¥668.2K

219.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,778 ¥280.8K

251.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.21

52.04%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Koriyama: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Koriyama

$325 27.4% 45.3% $269

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Koriyama

$287 24.2% 21% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Koriyama

$103 8.7% 15.5% $19

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Koriyama

$128 10.8% 19.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Koriyama

$76 6.4% 7.9% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Koriyama

$191 16.1% 151% $115

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Koriyama

$77 6.5% 106% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $542 in Koriyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $31.00 in Koriyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $287 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Koriyama

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

327,692

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Koriyama 1,860 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 Koriyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Koriyama differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,187 including rent). Koriyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,781 in Koriyama to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $542 in Koriyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koriyama runs roughly 75% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $523 in Koriyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,187 in Koriyama versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koriyama but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Koriyama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Koriyama are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Koriyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.