Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kyoto

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Kyoto: $1,250 and $1,240 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 Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Shanghai vs $1,240 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $1,250
Kyoto $1,240

A couple spends around $2,019 per month in Shanghai vs $1,978 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $2,019
Kyoto $1,978

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Shanghai vs $2,715 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $2,789
Kyoto $2,715

Shanghai costs about 1% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shanghai and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Kyoto 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$9.59 ¥1,517

-52.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$32.03 ¥5,069

-7.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$5.06 ¥800

0.79%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.35 ¥530

2.09%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.81 ¥128

-24.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.74 ¥116

-51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$3.08 ¥488

-60.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$5.87 ¥929

-60.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.51 ¥239

23.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$1.63 ¥258

23.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$5.65 ¥894

-81.95%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.09 ¥331

-17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$8.44 ¥1,336

103.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$8.01 ¥1,268

-58.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$10.90 ¥1,725

17.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$5.03 ¥796

-56.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$2.34 ¥370

-25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$4.97 ¥787

-60.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$3.57 ¥565

-52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.96 ¥310

-60.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.65 ¥261

-43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.17 ¥185

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.00 ¥159

-42.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.97 ¥628

-3.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$7.69 ¥1,217

42.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.56 ¥247

-46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$3.30 ¥522

-51.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.43 ¥227

-58.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$62.8 ¥9,931

-51.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.42 ¥541

-39.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$3.71 ¥588

-87.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$28.89 ¥4,572

-69.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.06 ¥168

19.81%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-8.15%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

23.87%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$103 ¥16.2K

-44.20%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$23.50 ¥3,718

-65.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$31.21 ¥4,939

-66.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.1 ¥8,236

24.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$19.02 ¥3,010

-7.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.44 ¥1,968

-28.94%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$644 ¥101.9K

123.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$6,611 ¥1.0M

324.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$55.2 ¥8,727

-0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$46.47 ¥7,354

-21.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$68.5 ¥10.8K

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$105 ¥16.7K

-1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$565 ¥89.5K

83.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$322 ¥50.9K

82.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,798 ¥284.5K

38.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$776 ¥122.8K

59.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$2,243 ¥354.9K

505.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,253 ¥198.3K

394.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,908 ¥302.0K

-10.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.23

50.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Kyoto

$322 26.2% 45.3% $267

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Kyoto

$293 23.9% 23.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Kyoto

$124 10.1% 1.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Kyoto

$165 13.5% 54.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Kyoto

$77 6.3% 6.5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Kyoto

$157 12.8% 107% $81

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Kyoto

$90 7.4% 145% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,039 in Shanghai versus $565 in Kyoto. 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 11% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32.00 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $293 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,475,183

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Kyoto 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai, $1,240 in Kyoto – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,874 per month in Shanghai and $1,859 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Shanghai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $32.00 in Kyoto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,240, than in Shanghai at $1,250. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,240 in Kyoto to $1,250 in Shanghai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kyoto. 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.