Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kurume

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
Learn more

Kurume Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kurume

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $965 in Kurume.

Shanghai $1,244
Kurume $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,529 in Kurume.

Shanghai $1,999
Kurume $1,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,092 in Kurume.

Shanghai $2,755
Kurume $2,092

Living in Shanghai is roughly 29% more expensive than in Kurume, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Kurume 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$4.43 ¥700

2.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$43.67 ¥6,900

-30.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$3.81 ¥601

37.80%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.91 ¥302

71.73%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.66 ¥104

-13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.55 ¥86.2

-34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.20 ¥505

-61.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.60 ¥252

41.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.25 ¥197

47.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.25 ¥197

56.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$5.13 ¥810

-79.92%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.88 ¥296

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$17.85 ¥2,821

-4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.33 ¥841

-40.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$19.13 ¥3,022

-32.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.70 ¥584

-39.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.87 ¥296

-11.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.89 ¥456

-30.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.26 ¥515

-49.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.13 ¥336

-63.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.63 ¥416

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.06 ¥168

-40.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.98 ¥154

-38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.64 ¥575

4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.21 ¥981

75.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.64 ¥260

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.15 ¥181

40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.51 ¥238

-59.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$46.98 ¥7,423

-37.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.96 ¥626

-46.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.11 ¥333

-79.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$17.62 ¥2,784

-48.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$0.60 ¥94.5

121.67%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-11.42%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.8K ¥2.8M

5.35%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$210 ¥33.1K

-72.42%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.97 ¥3,944

-67.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$22.59 ¥3,570

-53.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$55.2 ¥8,724

18.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.82 ¥1,078

31.23%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$127 ¥20.1K

1010.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.5K ¥2.0M

123.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$48.62 ¥7,682

11.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$12.36 ¥1,953

200.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$24.78 ¥3,915

199.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$31.02 ¥4,901

240.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$531 ¥83.9K

98.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$126 ¥20.0K

362.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$468 ¥73.9K

431.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$315 ¥49.8K

291.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,267 ¥674.1K

226.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,883 ¥297.4K

232.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,537 ¥242.8K

11.32%

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 Kurume: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Kurume

$126 13.1% 78.4% $458

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Kurume

$299 30.9% 27.2% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Kurume

$53 5.5% 56.9% $69

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Kurume

$94 9.7% 11.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Kurume

$69 7.1% 17.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kurume

$257 26.7% 237% $181

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Kurume

$68 7% 87% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $531 in Kurume. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 11% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $44.00 in Kurume for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $299 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kurume

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

303,316

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Kurume 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Kurume

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 Kurume: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Kurume differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $965 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $531 in Kurume. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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.

Expats usually find Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.