Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kumamoto

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Kumamoto: $1,244 and $1,275 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kumamoto

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,275 in Kumamoto.

Shanghai $1,244
Kumamoto $1,275

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,968 in Kumamoto.

Shanghai $1,999
Kumamoto $1,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,661 in Kumamoto.

Shanghai $2,755
Kumamoto $2,661

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 2% less than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Kumamoto 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$7.11 ¥1,123

-35.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.31 ¥4,947

-3.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$6.04 ¥955

-13.08%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.21 ¥507

2.18%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.99 ¥157

-42.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.76 ¥121

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.75 ¥593

-67.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$2.24 ¥353

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.35 ¥213

36.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.85 ¥292

5.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$6.70 ¥1,058

-84.63%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$1.86 ¥293

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$18.45 ¥2,915

-8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$5.47 ¥865

-41.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$18.63 ¥2,944

-30.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.57 ¥565

-37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.85 ¥292

-10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$2.89 ¥457

-30.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$3.39 ¥535

-51.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.19 ¥347

-64.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.62 ¥414

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.06 ¥168

-40.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.98 ¥154

-38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.87 ¥611

-1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$5.63 ¥890

93.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.66 ¥262

-50.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.90 ¥300

-15.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.37 ¥217

-55.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$57.2 ¥9,037

-48.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.85 ¥608

-45.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.08 ¥329

-79.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$18.13 ¥2,865

-50.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.10 ¥175

20.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-13.55%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

5.65%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$207 ¥32.7K

-72.09%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$24.29 ¥3,838

-66.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$33.05 ¥5,222

-68.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$45.67 ¥7,215

43.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$10.98 ¥1,735

-18.49%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$126 ¥20.0K

1018.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

129.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$48.65 ¥7,685

10.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$26.06 ¥4,118

42.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$65.7 ¥10.4K

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$46.35 ¥7,323

127.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$524 ¥82.8K

101.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$325 ¥51.3K

80.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,110 ¥175.3K

123.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$722 ¥114.1K

70.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$4,521 ¥714.2K

208.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,747 ¥276.0K

257.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Kumamoto

$325 25.5% 44.5% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Kumamoto

$313 24.6% 33.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 31.1% $38

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Kumamoto

$144 11.3% 35.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Kumamoto

$68 5.3% 19.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kumamoto

$265 20.8% 246% $188

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Kumamoto

$77 6% 113% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $524 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $31.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $313 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

21:16 9:16 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

738,865

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Kumamoto 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Kumamoto differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,275 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,912 in Kumamoto 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $524 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 95% less than in Kumamoto. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,275 in Kumamoto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Kumamoto. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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 Kumamoto 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Kumamoto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.