Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kyoto Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kyoto
🙂 Solo nomad: Shanghai is 44.4% cheaper than Kyoto without rent, and 5.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shanghai is 37.1% cheaper than Kyoto without rent, and 9.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.89 ¥35.07
$10.24 ¥1,471
-52.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.85 ¥257
$34.07 ¥4,894
5.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.64 ¥40.42
$5.46 ¥784
3.30%
Cappuccino
$3.41 ¥24.44
$3.54 ¥509
-3.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥4.2
$0.91 ¥131
-35.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ¥2.4
$0.79 ¥113
-58.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.42 ¥10.16
$3.57 ¥512
-60.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 ¥19.56
$6.7 ¥962
-59.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ¥14.96
$1.61 ¥231
29.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 ¥13.27
$1.74 ¥250
6.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 ¥7.95
$3.05 ¥438
-63.61%
Eggs
$1.69 ¥12.14
$2.28 ¥327
-25.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.22 ¥109
$9.57 ¥1,374
59.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.09 ¥22.14
$7.56 ¥1,086
-59.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.97 ¥78.7
$15.37 ¥2,208
-28.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 ¥17.08
$5.52 ¥793
-56.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ¥12.09
$2.55 ¥367
-34.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.8 ¥12.88
$6.62 ¥951
-72.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.5 ¥10.76
$3.89 ¥559
-61.44%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 ¥6.17
$1.6 ¥229
-46.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ¥8.39
$2.36 ¥339
-50.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.67 ¥4.8
$1.29 ¥186
-48.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ¥4.06
$0.95 ¥136
-40.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 ¥19.49
$4.04 ¥581
-32.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.69 ¥83.9
$8.29 ¥1,191
41.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.68
$1.8 ¥259
-56.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ¥11.33
$3.57 ¥512
-55.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ¥2.92
$1.66 ¥239
-75.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.02 ¥251
$70.6 ¥10.1K
-50.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.22 ¥15.91
$3.51 ¥505
-36.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 ¥2.68
$3 ¥432
-87.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.43 ¥60.4
$18.07 ¥2,597
-53.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 ¥7.84
$1.17 ¥169
-6.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K ¥140.6K
$23.5K ¥3.4M
-16.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K ¥130.2K
$17.1K ¥2.5M
5.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52 ¥373
$112 ¥16.1K
-53.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.91 ¥63.9
$26.47 ¥3,803
-66.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.94 ¥100
$33.28 ¥4,781
-58.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.6 ¥334
$58.5 ¥8,402
-20.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.75 ¥142
$20.91 ¥3,004
-5.55%
Cinema Ticket
$8.4 ¥60.3
$13.19 ¥1,894
-36.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,306 ¥9,365
$377 ¥54.2K
246.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31K ¥222.7K
$7,288 ¥1M
326.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.4 ¥426
$46.44 ¥6,672
27.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.41 ¥268
$32.14 ¥4,617
16.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ¥559
$72.7 ¥10.4K
7.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.3 ¥705
$90.5 ¥13K
8.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$952 ¥6,826
$582 ¥83.7K
63.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$572 ¥4,101
$351 ¥50.4K
63.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,503 ¥18K
$1,637 ¥235.2K
52.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,178 ¥8,447
$908 ¥130.4K
29.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.9K ¥106.7K
$5,567 ¥799.7K
167.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,858 ¥56.4K
$4,181 ¥600.6K
87.96%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shanghai
Kyoto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,509 ¥10.8K
$1,954 ¥280.7K
-22.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.58
1.78
101.12%
Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
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