Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Nagasaki

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Nagasaki: $1,244 and $1,277 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Nagasaki
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Nagasaki Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Nagasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Nagasaki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,277 in Nagasaki.

Shanghai $1,244
Nagasaki $1,277

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,859 in Nagasaki.

Shanghai $1,999
Nagasaki $1,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,441 in Nagasaki.

Shanghai $2,755
Nagasaki $2,441

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 3% less than in Nagasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Nagasaki 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$5.00 ¥789

-8.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$18.95 ¥2,994

59.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$4.92 ¥778

6.71%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.76 ¥594

-12.77%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.05 ¥166

-45.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.72 ¥113

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.24 ¥355

-45.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$2.25 ¥356

0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.55 ¥244

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.89 ¥299

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$6.32 ¥998

-83.70%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.02 ¥319

-17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.69 ¥1,531

75.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$3.18 ¥502

0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$19.16 ¥3,028

-32.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.71 ¥586

-39.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$1.88 ¥296

-11.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$2.76 ¥435

-26.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$3.35 ¥530

-50.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.15 ¥340

-64.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.55 ¥402

-63.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.07 ¥170

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.92 ¥146

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.97 ¥628

-4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$6.18 ¥977

75.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.64 ¥260

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.85 ¥292

-12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.65 ¥261

-63.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$53.9 ¥8,518

-45.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.96 ¥625

-46.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.03 ¥321

-78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$17.87 ¥2,823

-49.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.07 ¥169

24.30%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-13.46%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

5.86%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$209 ¥33.0K

-72.33%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$24.63 ¥3,892

-67.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$32.77 ¥5,178

-68.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$46.08 ¥7,281

42.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$11.22 ¥1,772

-20.23%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$126 ¥19.8K

1025.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$12.3K ¥1.9M

126.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$49.78 ¥7,864

8.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$26.03 ¥4,113

42.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$66.6 ¥10.5K

11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$47.35 ¥7,480

122.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$535 ¥84.6K

97.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$380 ¥60.1K

53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,193 ¥188.5K

108.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$683 ¥108.0K

80.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$4,200 ¥663.6K

231.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,759 ¥277.9K

255.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.97

70.56%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nagasaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Nagasaki

$380 29.8% 35% $204

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Nagasaki

$279 21.9% 18.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Nagasaki

$85 6.7% 30% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Nagasaki

$123 9.6% 15.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Nagasaki

$69 5.4% 18% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Nagasaki

$266 20.9% 249% $190

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Nagasaki

$75 5.8% 107% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $535 in Nagasaki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $19.00 in Nagasaki. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $279, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Nagasaki

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

409,118

💱 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 →

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Shanghai Nagasaki 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Nagasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,915 in Nagasaki 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 $535 in Nagasaki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Nagasaki. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $19.00 in Nagasaki. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,277 in Nagasaki, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Nagasaki. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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 Nagasaki 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Nagasaki. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.