Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $730 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 Setagaya-ku
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Setagaya-ku Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Setagaya-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Setagaya-ku $1,183

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $1,834 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Setagaya-ku $1,834

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,484 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Setagaya-ku $2,484

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

Both Shanghai and Setagaya-ku are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Setagaya-ku 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.12 ¥968

-25.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$25.64 ¥4,050

17.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.36 ¥690

20.41%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.97 ¥470

10.44%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.04 ¥165

-45.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.65 ¥102

-44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.19 ¥346

-43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.22 ¥508

-29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.23 ¥194

49.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.72 ¥272

13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.64 ¥575

-71.70%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.17 ¥186

42.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.40 ¥1,643

63.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.11 ¥965

-47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.25 ¥2,252

-9.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.59 ¥883

-59.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.74 ¥433

-39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.95 ¥466

-31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.14 ¥654

-59.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.62 ¥415

-70.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.63 ¥416

-64.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.24 ¥196

-49.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.56 ¥87.7

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.79 ¥599

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.26 ¥989

73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.81 ¥287

-54.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.09 ¥330

-22.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.46 ¥231

-58.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$50.7 ¥8,012

-42.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.23 ¥510

-34.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.66 ¥421

-83.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$20.85 ¥3,294

-56.55%

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

$21.2K ¥3.4M

-10.37%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

0.80%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$131 ¥20.6K

-55.75%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.82 ¥3,764

-66.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.73 ¥5,013

-66.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$55.0 ¥8,691

19.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.52 ¥1,820

-22.31%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$636 ¥100.5K

122.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

89.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$62.3 ¥9,846

-13.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$36.37 ¥5,747

1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$62.1 ¥9,814

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$102 ¥16.2K

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$534 ¥84.4K

97.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$325 ¥51.4K

79.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,152 ¥182.0K

115.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$674 ¥106.4K

82.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,724 ¥588.4K

274.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,635 ¥258.4K

282.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

68.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Setagaya-ku

$325 27.5% 44.4% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Setagaya-ku

$281 23.7% 19.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Setagaya-ku

$118 10% 2.9% $3.5

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Setagaya-ku

$122 10.3% 15% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Setagaya-ku

$78 6.6% 6.6% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Setagaya-ku

$186 15.7% 144% $110

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Setagaya-ku

$73 6.2% 102% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Shanghai vs $281 in Setagaya-ku – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

12:38 12:38 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

943,664

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Shanghai Setagaya-ku 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai costs about 5% more than Setagaya-ku, 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 $1,775 in Setagaya-ku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% 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 $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setagaya-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Shanghai at $1,244. In Setagaya-ku it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shanghai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Setagaya-ku – 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 Setagaya-ku. 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.