Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Maebashi

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Maebashi: $1,244 and $1,216 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Maebashi
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Maebashi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Maebashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Maebashi

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,216 in Maebashi, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Maebashi $1,216

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,956 in Maebashi, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Maebashi $1,956

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,696 in Maebashi, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Maebashi $2,696

Shanghai costs about 2% more than Maebashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Maebashi are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Maebashi 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$4.39 ¥694

3.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.47 ¥4,972

-4.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.16 ¥815

1.74%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.48 ¥392

32.26%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.77 ¥122

-25.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.61 ¥96.7

-40.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.25 ¥355

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.23 ¥510

-29.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.22 ¥192

50.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.53 ¥241

28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.35 ¥213

-23.70%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.63 ¥258

2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.66 ¥2,473

8.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$4.42 ¥698

-27.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$16.95 ¥2,679

-23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$8.15 ¥1,288

-72.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.03 ¥478

-45.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$4.91 ¥776

-58.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$7.65 ¥1,208

-78.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.96 ¥626

-80.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$4.75 ¥751

-80.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.17 ¥184

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.49 ¥77.8

22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.94 ¥623

-3.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.35 ¥1,477

16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.50 ¥395

-67.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.07 ¥327

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.51 ¥238

-59.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.8 ¥8,335

-44.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.18 ¥502

-33.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.83 ¥447

-84.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$31.19 ¥4,927

-70.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.07 ¥169

24.30%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-10.78%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

21.99%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$118 ¥18.6K

-50.91%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.00 ¥3,633

-64.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.59 ¥4,992

-66.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.5 ¥8,141

27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$31.51 ¥4,978

-43.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.16 ¥1,764

-19.80%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$575 ¥90.8K

145.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.4K ¥2.3M

93.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.39 ¥7,803

9.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.13 ¥5,550

5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$60.7 ¥9,586

22.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$98.9 ¥15.6K

6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$529 ¥83.6K

99.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$337 ¥53.3K

73.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,091 ¥172.3K

127.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$743 ¥117.4K

65.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,756 ¥593.4K

270.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,859 ¥293.6K

236.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,696 ¥267.9K

0.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Maebashi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Maebashi

$337 27.7% 42.3% $248

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Maebashi

$343 28.2% 46.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Maebashi

$110 9% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Maebashi

$104 8.5% 2.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Maebashi

$74 6.1% 11.7% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Maebashi

$172 14.2% 126% $96

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Maebashi

$76 6.3% 111% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $529 in Maebashi. 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 1% higher in Shanghai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $31.00 in Maebashi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $343 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Maebashi

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

324,644

💱 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 →

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Shanghai Maebashi 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Shanghai
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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 Maebashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,824 in Maebashi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $31.00 in Maebashi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,216 in Maebashi. That's a gap of about 2%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Maebashi, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Maebashi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Maebashi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Maebashi. 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.