Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Obihiro

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Obihiro: $1,256 and $1,213 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Obihiro
Learn more

Obihiro Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Obihiro

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Obihiro

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Shanghai vs $1,213 in Obihiro, rent included.

Shanghai $1,256
Obihiro $1,213

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,909 in Obihiro, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Obihiro $1,909

A family of three spends $2,743 per month in Shanghai vs $2,605 in Obihiro, rent included.

Shanghai $2,743
Obihiro $2,605

Shanghai costs about 4% more than Obihiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Obihiro are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 7% lower, Obihiro 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$7.85 ¥1,241

-43.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.69 ¥5,007

-4.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.09 ¥804

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.01 ¥475

13.95%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.20 ¥189

-48.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$1.63 ¥257

-76.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.67 ¥421

-53.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.07 ¥485

-28.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.52 ¥239

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.54 ¥243

26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.25 ¥672

-76.47%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.08 ¥329

-17.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.14 ¥1,602

72.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.60 ¥1,043

-50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.76 ¥2,648

-22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.67 ¥580

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.36 ¥373

-28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.92 ¥462

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.28 ¥677

-59.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.48 ¥392

-69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.45 ¥387

-62.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.28 ¥202

-48.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.80 ¥126

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.84 ¥607

-3.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.64 ¥1,050

64.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.88 ¥297

-53.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.16 ¥341

-24.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.44 ¥228

-56.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$52.6 ¥8,309

-42.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.07 ¥485

-32.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.80 ¥442

-83.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$18.38 ¥2,904

-51.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.10 ¥175

20.91%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.2K ¥3.3M

-8.98%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

22.10%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$134 ¥21.2K

-57.40%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$24.54 ¥3,877

-67.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$30.44 ¥4,809

-64.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.4 ¥8,280

23.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$12.14 ¥1,918

-25.45%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$514 ¥81.2K

180.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

122.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.05 ¥7,750

9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.43 ¥4,966

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$61.4 ¥9,700

25.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$88.1 ¥13.9K

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$527 ¥83.3K

93.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$334 ¥52.7K

77.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,122 ¥177.2K

128.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$729 ¥115.1K

66.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,177 ¥660.0K

223.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,784 ¥281.9K

250.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥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 18, 2026

Last update for Obihiro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Obihiro

$334 27.5% 43.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Obihiro

$289 23.9% 21.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Obihiro

$103 8.5% 15.3% $19

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Obihiro

$145 12% 35.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Obihiro

$77 6.3% 7.3% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Obihiro

$189 15.6% 149% $113

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Obihiro

$75 6.2% 103% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,023 in Shanghai versus $527 in Obihiro. 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 $32.00 in Obihiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $289 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Obihiro

🕒 Local time

02:28 2:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

166,536

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Obihiro 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Obihiro

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 Obihiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai, $1,213 in Obihiro – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Shanghai and $1,819 in Obihiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% 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 $32.00 in Obihiro. 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 Obihiro, where all-in costs run around $1,213, than in Shanghai at $1,256. In Obihiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Obihiro – 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 Obihiro. 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.