Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Matsudo

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Matsudo: $1,244 and $1,200 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Matsudo
Learn more

Matsudo Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Matsudo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Matsudo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,200 in Matsudo.

Shanghai $1,244
Matsudo $1,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,896 in Matsudo.

Shanghai $1,999
Matsudo $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,593 in Matsudo.

Shanghai $2,755
Matsudo $2,593

Living in Shanghai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Matsudo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Matsudo 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.47 ¥1,023

-29.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$37.31 ¥5,895

-19.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.02 ¥793

4.58%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.43 ¥542

-4.37%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.10 ¥174

-48.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.78 ¥124

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.45 ¥387

-49.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.17 ¥501

-28.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.44 ¥227

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.65 ¥260

18.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.59 ¥567

-71.31%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.09 ¥330

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.21 ¥1,613

66.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.06 ¥957

-47.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.09 ¥2,226

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$4.81 ¥759

-53.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.29 ¥361

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.94 ¥464

-31.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.21 ¥666

-60.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.64 ¥417

-70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.67 ¥421

-65.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.15 ¥181

-45.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.76 ¥120

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.79 ¥599

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.21 ¥981

75.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.63 ¥258

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.01 ¥318

-19.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.53 ¥241

-60.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$53.9 ¥8,521

-45.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.17 ¥501

-33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.74 ¥433

-84.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$18.67 ¥2,950

-51.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.04 ¥164

27.88%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-11.24%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.7K ¥2.5M

19.51%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$130 ¥20.5K

-55.49%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$21.89 ¥3,458

-63.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.21 ¥4,772

-65.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$55.9 ¥8,832

17.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.39 ¥1,957

-27.76%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$628 ¥99.3K

124.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

87.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$54.9 ¥8,670

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$33.28 ¥5,257

11.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$61.5 ¥9,718

20.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$71.8 ¥11.3K

47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$456 ¥72.1K

131.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$348 ¥54.9K

68.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,160 ¥183.3K

114.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$738 ¥116.6K

66.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,559 ¥720.3K

205.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,840 ¥290.7K

239.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.25

49.33%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Matsudo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Matsudo

$348 29% 40.5% $237

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Matsudo

$279 23.2% 18.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Matsudo

$100 8.3% 18.3% $22

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Matsudo

$134 11.2% 26.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Matsudo

$81 6.7% 3.5% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Matsudo

$182 15.2% 138% $106

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Matsudo

$77 6.4% 113% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $456 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $37.00 in Matsudo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $279 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Matsudo

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

485,803

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Matsudo 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Matsudo

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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matsudo is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and leisure. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,800 in Matsudo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $456 in Matsudo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Matsudo runs roughly 83% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $628 in Matsudo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,200 in Matsudo versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matsudo but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Matsudo 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Matsudo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Matsudo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.