Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Shiso

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,048 in Shiso.

Shanghai $1,256
Shiso $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,913 in Shiso.

Shanghai $1,999
Shiso $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,777 in Shiso.

Shanghai $2,743
Shiso $2,777

Living in Shanghai is roughly 20% more expensive than in Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Shiso 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$7.87 ¥1,244

-43.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-55.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$6.29 ¥993

-19.08%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.69 ¥584

-7.05%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.83 ¥132

-25.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.72 ¥114

-45.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.58 ¥407

-52.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.15 ¥497

-29.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.52 ¥240

21.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$3.00 ¥474

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.87 ¥769

-79.47%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.19 ¥346

-21.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.19 ¥1,609

71.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.48 ¥1,023

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$27.01 ¥4,267

-51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$5.33 ¥842

-57.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.59 ¥409

-35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$4.06 ¥641

-51.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$5.97 ¥943

-71.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$4.29 ¥678

-82.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.60 ¥411

-64.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.38 ¥218

-52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.83 ¥130

-27.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$4.11 ¥650

-10.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$7.66 ¥1,211

42.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.92 ¥303

-54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.22 ¥351

-26.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.36 ¥216

-54.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$33.90 ¥5,356

-10.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.57 ¥564

-42.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.88 ¥455

-84.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$20.87 ¥3,297

-57.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.28 ¥202

3.91%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-15.91%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

7.45%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$144 ¥22.8K

-60.44%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.93 ¥3,781

-66.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$13.58 ¥2,146

-21.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$36.74 ¥5,805

75.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$13.71 ¥2,167

26.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$4.59 ¥726

97.17%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$283 ¥44.8K

408.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

107.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$10.06 ¥1,589

432.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$29.87 ¥4,720

24.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$33.76 ¥5,334

128.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$99.7 ¥15.7K

4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$470 ¥74.3K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$165 ¥26.0K

260.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$862 ¥136.1K

197.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$659 ¥104.2K

83.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

219.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

253.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.78

88.76%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 72.3% $429

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 55.1% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 36.1% $44

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 42% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 44.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 140% $106

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 54.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $470 in Shiso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $68.0 in Shiso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $368 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

36,610

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Shiso 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Shiso differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,048 including rent). Shiso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,884 in Shanghai and $1,572 in Shiso to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $470 in Shiso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $283 in Shiso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 55% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shiso but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shiso 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 Shiso 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 Shiso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.