Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tokyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,663 in Tokyo.

Shanghai $1,244
Tokyo $1,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,592 in Tokyo.

Shanghai $1,999
Tokyo $2,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $3,521 in Tokyo.

Shanghai $2,755
Tokyo $3,521

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 25% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Tokyo is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$7.47 ¥1,180

-38.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$37.48 ¥5,921

-19.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$4.90 ¥774

7.14%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.62 ¥571

-9.39%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.66 ¥262

-65.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.84 ¥133

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$3.69 ¥582

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$5.24 ¥829

-56.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.49 ¥236

23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$1.75 ¥276

12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$5.63 ¥889

-81.71%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$2.20 ¥348

-24.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.19 ¥1,767

51.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$6.84 ¥1,081

-53.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$16.61 ¥2,624

-22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$4.80 ¥759

-53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.24 ¥354

-25.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$4.22 ¥666

-52.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$5.20 ¥821

-68.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.29 ¥520

-76.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$3.05 ¥481

-69.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.19 ¥188

-47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.81 ¥129

-25.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.92 ¥619

-3.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$9.65 ¥1,524

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.63 ¥258

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.70 ¥426

-40.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.25 ¥197

-51.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$63.9 ¥10.1K

-53.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.13 ¥494

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$3.21 ¥507

-86.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$18.55 ¥2,931

-51.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.05 ¥166

26.67%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-11.71%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

23.39%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$149 ¥23.5K

-61.07%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$21.59 ¥3,412

-62.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$30.62 ¥4,837

-65.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$66.7 ¥10.5K

-1.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$25.58 ¥4,042

-30.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$12.68 ¥2,004

-29.42%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$1,350 ¥213.3K

4.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$17.9K ¥2.8M

55.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$56.0 ¥8,853

-3.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$33.14 ¥5,236

11.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$64.3 ¥10.2K

15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$70.2 ¥11.1K

50.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$1,253 ¥197.9K

-15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$700 ¥110.6K

-16.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,502 ¥395.3K

-0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$1,430 ¥225.9K

-13.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$9,428 ¥1.5M

47.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$4,236 ¥669.3K

47.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$2,998 ¥473.7K

-42.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.25

49.33%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Tokyo

$700 42.1% 19.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Tokyo

$325 19.5% 38.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Tokyo

$101 6.1% 17.5% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Tokyo

$157 9.4% 47.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Tokyo

$92 5.5% 10.1% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Tokyo

$201 12.1% 163% $124

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Tokyo

$88 5.3% 144% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 75% 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 $37.00 in Tokyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $325 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

13,613,660 Capital

💱 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

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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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tokyo differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,663 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Tokyo. 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,253 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $1,350 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai 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 Tokyo 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.