Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Saitama

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
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Saitama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Saitama

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,003 in Saitama, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Saitama $1,003

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,327 in Saitama, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Saitama $1,327

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $1,650 in Saitama, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Saitama $1,650

Shanghai costs about 24% more than Saitama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Shanghai and Saitama are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Saitama 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$5.50 ¥869

-17.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.36 ¥4,955

-3.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.80 ¥758

9.38%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.92 ¥461

12.33%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.70 ¥111

-18.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.58 ¥92.0

-37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.51 ¥396

-51.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.23 ¥511

-29.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.39 ¥220

32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.64 ¥259

19.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.76 ¥436

-62.68%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.00 ¥315

-16.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.18 ¥1,609

66.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.44 ¥859

-41.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.20 ¥2,243

-9.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.61 ¥887

-60.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.16 ¥342

-23.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.91 ¥459

-30.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.29 ¥678

-61.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.50 ¥395

-69.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.61 ¥255

-42.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.30 ¥205

-51.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.72 ¥114

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.89 ¥615

-2.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.45 ¥1,018

68.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.80 ¥284

-54.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.01 ¥318

-19.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$3.32 ¥525

-81.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.24 ¥512

-34.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.63 ¥416

-83.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.14 ¥3,181

-55.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.10 ¥174

20.91%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

-11.26%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$14.2K ¥2.2M

32.05%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$133 ¥21.0K

-56.44%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$18.15 ¥2,867

-55.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$32.67 ¥5,162

-67.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$62.7 ¥9,909

4.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.09 ¥1,752

-19.30%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$634 ¥100.1K

123.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

91.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$35.01 ¥5,531

54.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$25.25 ¥3,989

46.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$55.0 ¥8,686

35.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$62.6 ¥9,891

68.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$413 ¥65.3K

155.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$233 ¥36.8K

150.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,550 ¥244.9K

10.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.06

63.11%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Saitama

$233 23.2% 60.2% $352

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Saitama

$274 27.4% 16.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Saitama

$80 8% 34.4% $42

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Saitama

$118 11.7% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Saitama

$85 8.5% 1.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Saitama

$184 18.3% 140% $107

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Saitama

$30 * 3% 17.8% $6.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $413 in Saitama. 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 10% 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 $31.00 in Saitama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $274 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Saitama

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,182,115

💱 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 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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Between locations

Shanghai Saitama 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Saitama

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 Saitama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shanghai is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,504 in Saitama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saitama, 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 $1,003 in Saitama. That's a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $634 in Saitama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saitama – 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 Saitama. 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.