Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nagano

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagano: $1,180 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Nagano
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Nagano Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Nagano

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,180

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Nagano

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,180 in Nagano, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Nagano $1,180

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,942 in Nagano, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Nagano $1,942

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,705 in Nagano, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Nagano $2,705

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

Both Shanghai and Nagano are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Nagano 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.27 ¥991

-27.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$40.83 ¥6,451

-26.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.94 ¥781

6.28%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.37 ¥533

-2.67%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.06 ¥167

-46.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.75 ¥119

-52.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.46 ¥388

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.09 ¥488

-26.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.37 ¥216

34.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.70 ¥269

15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.73 ¥589

-72.39%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.99 ¥314

-16.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.18 ¥1,608

66.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.08 ¥961

-47.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.50 ¥2,290

-11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.78 ¥913

-61.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.84 ¥448

-41.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.88 ¥455

-29.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.07 ¥643

-59.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.52 ¥398

-69.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.63 ¥415

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.27 ¥201

-50.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.80 ¥126

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.81 ¥602

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.43 ¥1,015

69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.73 ¥274

-52.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.11 ¥333

-23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.62 ¥256

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$50.6 ¥7,987

-41.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.12 ¥493

-32.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.64 ¥417

-83.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.77 ¥3,281

-56.38%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-11.30%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

2.76%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$130 ¥20.5K

-55.55%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.11 ¥3,810

-66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$12.46 ¥1,969

-15.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.9 ¥8,361

24.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.36 ¥1,953

-27.59%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$640 ¥101.1K

120.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

88.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$62.8 ¥9,924

-14.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$36.95 ¥5,838

0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$61.3 ¥9,685

21.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$104 ¥16.4K

1.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$504 ¥79.7K

109.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$323 ¥51.1K

80.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,231 ¥194.6K

101.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$797 ¥126.0K

54.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,473 ¥706.8K

211.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,575 ¥248.9K

296.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$622 ¥98.3K

174.95%

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 Nagano: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Nagano

$323 27.4% 44.7% $262

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Nagano

$289 24.5% 23.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Nagano

$119 10.1% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Nagano

$131 11.1% 23.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Nagano

$78 6.6% 7.1% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Nagano

$167 14.1% 118% $90

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Nagano

$73 6.2% 103% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $504 in Nagano. 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 175% 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 $41.00 in Nagano. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $289 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Nagano

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

00:31 12:31 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

372,760

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Nagano 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Nagano

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 Nagano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Nagano, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,770 in Nagano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nagano, 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 $41.00 in Nagano. 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 $1,180 in Nagano. That's a gap of about 5%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nagano, where all-in costs run around $1,180, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Nagano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nagano – 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 Nagano. 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.