Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Mito

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Mito: $1,244 and $1,195 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Mito
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Mito Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Mito

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,195

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Mito

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,195 in Mito.

Shanghai $1,244
Mito $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,927 in Mito.

Shanghai $1,999
Mito $1,927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,660 in Mito.

Shanghai $2,755
Mito $2,660

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.19 ¥979

-26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$40.41 ¥6,384

-25.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.00 ¥790

5.00%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.40 ¥538

-3.53%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.08 ¥171

-47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.80 ¥126

-55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.56 ¥404

-51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.18 ¥503

-28.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.40 ¥221

31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.66 ¥262

18.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.55 ¥561

-70.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.01 ¥317

-16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.23 ¥1,617

65.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.96 ¥942

-46.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.60 ¥2,307

-11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.51 ¥871

-59.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.73 ¥431

-39.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.82 ¥446

-28.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.27 ¥675

-61.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.53 ¥399

-69.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.67 ¥423

-65.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.28 ¥201

-50.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.76 ¥121

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.71 ¥586

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.21 ¥980

75.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.81 ¥286

-54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.07 ¥327

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.62 ¥256

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$50.8 ¥8,021

-42.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.07 ¥486

-31.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.72 ¥430

-84.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.41 ¥3,225

-55.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.11 ¥175

19.82%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

-9.41%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

2.02%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$132 ¥20.8K

-56.11%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.76 ¥3,754

-65.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.72 ¥5,011

-66.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$59.7 ¥9,432

10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.37 ¥1,954

-27.65%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$622 ¥98.2K

127.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

87.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$61.1 ¥9,648

-11.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$36.44 ¥5,757

1.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$62.0 ¥9,793

19.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$103 ¥16.3K

2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$522 ¥82.4K

102.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$313 ¥49.4K

86.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,107 ¥174.9K

124.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$727 ¥114.8K

69.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,615 ¥571.2K

285.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,962 ¥309.9K

218.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.64

27.27%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mito: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Mito

$313 26.2% 46.5% $272

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Mito

$286 24% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Mito

$118 9.9% 3.1% $3.8

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Mito

$132 11.1% 24.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Mito

$84 7.1% 1% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Mito

$187 15.7% 145% $111

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Mito

$74 6.2% 105% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $522 in Mito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $40.00 in Mito for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $286 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Mito

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

271,047

💱 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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Between locations

Shanghai Mito 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Mito

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 Mito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mito wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mito the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,792 in Mito 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 $522 in Mito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mito – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $30.00 in Shanghai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,195 in Mito versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mito but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Mito 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 Mito 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 Mito 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.