Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shiga

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Shiga: $1,244 and $1,191 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Shiga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,191 in Shiga.

Shanghai $1,244
Shiga $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,880 in Shiga.

Shanghai $1,999
Shiga $1,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,568 in Shiga.

Shanghai $2,755
Shiga $2,568

Living in Shanghai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Shiga 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.14 ¥970

-25.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.73 ¥5,013

-4.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.96 ¥783

5.85%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.90 ¥458

13.10%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.28 ¥202

-55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.69 ¥108

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.69 ¥425

-54.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.50 ¥554

-35.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.28 ¥203

43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.29 ¥204

51.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$3.81 ¥602

-72.97%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.05 ¥325

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.35 ¥1,478

81.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.43 ¥1,490

-66.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$18.30 ¥2,891

-29.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.26 ¥515

-31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.01 ¥318

-17.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.04 ¥322

-0.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.10 ¥647

-59.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.57 ¥248

-50.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.17 ¥184

-20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.30 ¥205

-51.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.86 ¥136

-30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.88 ¥614

-2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.26 ¥1,462

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.95 ¥308

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.14 ¥495

-48.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.10 ¥174

-44.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.9 ¥8,350

-44.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.70 ¥584

-42.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.09 ¥488

-86.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$21.14 ¥3,340

-57.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.04 ¥165

27.88%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-12.27%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

23.51%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$137 ¥21.6K

-57.80%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.21 ¥3,825

-66.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$18.71 ¥2,955

-43.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.5 ¥8,288

25.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.77 ¥1,859

-23.96%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$518 ¥81.8K

173.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

116.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$47.28 ¥7,469

14.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$30.38 ¥4,800

22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$73.6 ¥11.6K

0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$91.0 ¥14.4K

16.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$536 ¥84.7K

96.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$329 ¥52.1K

77.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,113 ¥175.8K

123.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$724 ¥114.3K

70.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,138 ¥653.7K

236.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,525 ¥241.0K

309.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,192 ¥188.3K

43.56%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Shiga

$330 27.7% 43.6% $255

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Shiga

$293 24.6% 25% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Shiga

$109 9.2% 10.6% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Shiga

$127 10.7% 19.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 9.1% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Shiga

$180 15.1% 136% $104

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 112% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $536 in Shiga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Shiga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $293 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

23,836

💱 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 Shiga 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Shiga differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,191 including rent). Shiga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $536 in Shiga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $518 in Shiga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,191 in Shiga versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shiga but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shiga 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 Shiga 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 Shiga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.