Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $1,290 in Kyoto, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Kyoto despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/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 $1,222 per month in Shanghai vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $1,222
Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $1,971 per month in Shanghai vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $1,971
Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $2,720 per month in Shanghai vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

Shanghai $2,720
Kyoto $2,574

Shanghai is about 5% cheaper than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Kyoto are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 10% lower, Kyoto 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$9.77 ¥1,542

-53.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$32.34 ¥5,106

-6.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.04

$5.11 ¥807

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$3.22 ¥508

5.90%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.89 ¥141

-34.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.71 ¥112

-50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.22 ¥509

-61.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$5.85 ¥924

-60.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.55 ¥245

21.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$1.61 ¥254

20.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$5.84 ¥923

-83.22%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$2.11 ¥333

-19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$8.84 ¥1,395

92.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$7.92 ¥1,251

-59.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$10.70 ¥1,690

20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$5.19 ¥819

-58.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$2.37 ¥374

-27.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$5.15 ¥813

-60.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$3.69 ¥582

-53.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.87 ¥295

-55.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.66 ¥262

-44.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$1.14 ¥180

-41.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.94 ¥148

-37.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$4.04 ¥639

-6.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$7.73 ¥1,221

42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$1.61 ¥255

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$3.37 ¥531

-52.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$1.42 ¥225

-59.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$62.1 ¥9,804

-52.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$3.30 ¥520

-35.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$3.88 ¥612

-87.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.10 ¥174

21.82%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

-15.25%

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

$18.3K ¥121.7K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

18.00%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$101 ¥16.0K

-41.77%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$23.51 ¥3,712

-66.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$30.41 ¥4,801

-65.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

$51.6 ¥8,145

25.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$18.87 ¥2,980

-7.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$13.72 ¥2,166

-33.97%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$718 ¥113.4K

120.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$6,490 ¥1.0M

335.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$56.7 ¥8,956

-3.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$45.07 ¥7,116

-17.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$70.3 ¥11.1K

6.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$102 ¥16.1K

3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,826

$638 ¥100.7K

60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,722

$379 ¥59.9K

47.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

$1,176 ¥185.6K

122.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

$577 ¥91.1K

106.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$4,226 ¥667.2K

216.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$2,921 ¥461.2K

123.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$1,873 ¥295.6K

-8.56%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Kyoto

$379 29.4% 32.2% $180

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Kyoto

$296 22.9% 25.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Kyoto

$123 9.6% 0.6% $0.8

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Kyoto

$166 12.9% 55.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Kyoto

$79 6.1% 4.7% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Kyoto

$155 12% 100% $78

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Kyoto

$90 7% 149% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Shanghai versus $638 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 9% higher in Kyoto. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai versus $32 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $296 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

00:44 12:44 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 = 0.135 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Shanghai
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: $1,222 in Shanghai, $1,290 in Kyoto – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,833 per month in Shanghai and $1,934 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,026 in Shanghai.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Kyoto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Shanghai and $32 in Kyoto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,222 in Shanghai and $1,290 in Kyoto, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Shanghai to $1,290 in Kyoto. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kyoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.