Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Takamatsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Takamatsu: $1,191 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Shanghai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
Learn more

Takamatsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Takamatsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,191 in Takamatsu.

Shanghai $1,256
Takamatsu $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,881 in Takamatsu.

Shanghai $1,999
Takamatsu $1,881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,571 in Takamatsu.

Shanghai $2,743
Takamatsu $2,571

Living in Shanghai is roughly 5% more expensive than in Takamatsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Takamatsu 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.20 ¥980

-28.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.99 ¥5,054

-5.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.12 ¥809

-0.59%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.13 ¥495

9.58%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.19 ¥189

-47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.80 ¥126

-51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$2.60 ¥410

-52.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.22 ¥508

-31.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.50 ¥238

23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.60 ¥252

21.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$1.76 ¥278

-43.18%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.29 ¥361

-25.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$10.37 ¥1,639

68.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.60 ¥1,043

-50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$16.83 ¥2,659

-22.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$3.69 ¥583

-39.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.28 ¥360

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.90 ¥458

-32.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$4.24 ¥671

-59.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$2.48 ¥391

-69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$2.46 ¥389

-62.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.27 ¥201

-48.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.79 ¥124

-24.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.67 ¥580

0.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$6.63 ¥1,048

64.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.88 ¥298

-53.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.11 ¥333

-22.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.46 ¥231

-57.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.3 ¥8,414

-42.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.18 ¥503

-35.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.79 ¥442

-83.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$18.60 ¥2,938

-52.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.06 ¥168

25.47%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-10.42%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

20.89%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$137 ¥21.6K

-58.24%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.78 ¥3,757

-66.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$30.79 ¥4,865

-65.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$51.7 ¥8,161

25.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$3.11 ¥491

455.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$11.79 ¥1,862

-23.24%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$521 ¥82.3K

176.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

122.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$48.96 ¥7,736

9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$31.24 ¥4,936

18.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$60.1 ¥9,499

28.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$90.5 ¥14.3K

14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$529 ¥83.6K

93.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$334 ¥52.8K

77.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,089 ¥172.0K

135.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$735 ¥116.1K

65.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,144 ¥654.7K

226.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,783 ¥281.6K

250.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$1,761 ¥278.1K

-3.47%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Takamatsu: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Takamatsu

$334 28.1% 43.7% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Takamatsu

$280 23.5% 18.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Takamatsu

$104 8.7% 14.9% $18

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Takamatsu

$130 10.9% 21.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Takamatsu

$75 6.3% 9% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Takamatsu

$191 16.1% 152% $115

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Takamatsu

$76 6.4% 105% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $529 in Takamatsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Takamatsu pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Takamatsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $280 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

426,514

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Takamatsu 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Takamatsu

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 Takamatsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Takamatsu differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,191 including rent). Takamatsu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Takamatsu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $529 in Takamatsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $521 in Takamatsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 18% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,191 in Takamatsu versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Takamatsu but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu 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 Takamatsu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.