Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Morioka

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Morioka: $1,244 and $1,190 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 Morioka
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Morioka Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Morioka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,190 in Morioka, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Morioka $1,190

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,943 in Morioka, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Morioka $1,943

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

Shanghai $2,755
Morioka $2,696

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Morioka are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Morioka 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$6.13 ¥969

-25.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.46 ¥4,971

-3.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.15 ¥813

1.94%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$2.96 ¥468

10.81%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.20 ¥189

-52.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.79 ¥124

-54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.66 ¥421

-53.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$3.11 ¥491

-27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.46 ¥230

26.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.55 ¥244

26.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$4.23 ¥668

-75.65%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.03 ¥320

-17.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.04 ¥1,428

87.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$7.42 ¥1,172

-57.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$17.65 ¥2,788

-26.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.97 ¥627

-43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.24 ¥355

-25.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$3.10 ¥489

-34.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$4.29 ¥678

-61.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.56 ¥405

-69.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.22 ¥352

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.18 ¥187

-46.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.94 ¥148

-36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$4.13 ¥653

-7.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$6.81 ¥1,076

59.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.68 ¥266

-51.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.33 ¥368

-30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.50 ¥236

-59.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$54.5 ¥8,603

-46.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.13 ¥494

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.63 ¥415

-83.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$21.32 ¥3,368

-57.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.09 ¥172

22.02%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$20.2K ¥3.2M

-5.99%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

24.01%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$132 ¥20.8K

-56.11%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$23.69 ¥3,743

-65.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$31.46 ¥4,970

-66.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.7 ¥8,167

27.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$11.07 ¥1,749

-19.15%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$545 ¥86.1K

159.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$12.2K ¥1.9M

128.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$50.8 ¥8,018

6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.59 ¥5,623

4.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$57.1 ¥9,025

29.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$96.3 ¥15.2K

9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$552 ¥87.1K

91.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$323 ¥51.0K

81.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,157 ¥182.8K

114.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$842 ¥133.0K

46.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$4,122 ¥651.2K

237.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,502 ¥237.3K

316.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.21

52.04%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Morioka

$323 27.1% 44.8% $262

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Morioka

$294 24.7% 25.3% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Morioka

$108 9.1% 11.5% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Morioka

$127 10.7% 20.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Morioka

$74 6.2% 11.7% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Morioka

$187 15.7% 145% $111

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Morioka

$77 6.5% 112% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $552 in Morioka. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $31.00 in Morioka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $294 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Morioka

🕒 Local time

21:11 9:11 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

289,731

💱 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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

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Shanghai Morioka 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $1,190 in Morioka – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,785 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% 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 $31.00 in Morioka. 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 Morioka, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Morioka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Morioka. 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.