Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sagamihara

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Sagamihara: $1,244 and $1,257 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 Sagamihara
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Sagamihara Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Sagamihara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sagamihara

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,257 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Sagamihara $1,257

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,021 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Sagamihara $2,021

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,785 in Sagamihara, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Sagamihara $2,785

Shanghai is about 1% cheaper than Sagamihara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Sagamihara are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Sagamihara 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$8.53 ¥1,348

-46.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$32.01 ¥5,057

-5.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.91 ¥775

6.92%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.46 ¥389

33.33%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.23 ¥195

-53.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.86 ¥135

-58.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.11 ¥492

-60.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.08 ¥486

-26.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$0.93 ¥147

97.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$0.62 ¥97.4

216.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.18 ¥660

-75.36%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.83 ¥290

-8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.74 ¥2,486

7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.96 ¥1,099

-54.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$17.26 ¥2,727

-25.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.27 ¥358

-1.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.60 ¥252

3.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$5.02 ¥794

-59.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$7.96 ¥1,257

-79.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.90 ¥616

-80.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$4.74 ¥749

-80.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.13 ¥178

-44.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.42 ¥67.1

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.98 ¥629

-4.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.59 ¥1,515

13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.61 ¥412

-68.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.13 ¥337

-24.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.32 ¥209

-53.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$47.24 ¥7,463

-37.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.09 ¥488

-31.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.81 ¥444

-84.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$15.55 ¥2,457

-41.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.06 ¥167

25.47%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-11.10%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

24.07%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$117 ¥18.5K

-50.75%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.13 ¥3,654

-65.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.04 ¥4,904

-66.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$58.1 ¥9,172

13.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.33 ¥1,790

-21.01%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$580 ¥91.6K

143.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

91.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.53 ¥7,826

9.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.82 ¥5,659

3.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$61.4 ¥9,695

20.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$97.3 ¥15.4K

8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$468 ¥73.9K

125.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$362 ¥57.1K

61.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,074 ¥169.7K

131.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$845 ¥133.5K

45.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,844 ¥765.3K

187.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,779 ¥281.0K

251.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sagamihara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Sagamihara

$362 28.8% 38.2% $223

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Sagamihara

$321 25.6% 36.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Sagamihara

$110 8.7% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Sagamihara

$143 11.3% 34.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Sagamihara

$81 6.4% 3.4% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Sagamihara

$172 13.6% 125% $95

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Sagamihara

$70 5.5% 92.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $468 in Sagamihara. 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 Sagamihara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $321 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Sagamihara

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

725,493

💱 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 Sagamihara 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Sagamihara

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 Sagamihara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sagamihara costs about 1% more than Shanghai, 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 $1,886 in Sagamihara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,257 in Sagamihara. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Sagamihara at $1,257. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sagamihara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – 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 Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sagamihara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.