Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tottori

For one person, living is cheaper in Tottori: $1,174 a month against $1,256 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $980 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Tottori
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Tottori Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Tottori

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tottori

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,174 in Tottori.

Shanghai $1,256
Tottori $1,174

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,879 in Tottori.

Shanghai $1,999
Tottori $1,879

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,584 in Tottori.

Shanghai $2,743
Tottori $2,584

Living in Shanghai is roughly 7% more expensive than in Tottori, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Tottori 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$9.48 ¥1,498

-53.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$32.02 ¥5,059

-5.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.97 ¥786

2.41%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$3.25 ¥513

5.54%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$0.88 ¥139

-29.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.74 ¥116

-47.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.06 ¥484

-59.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$5.70 ¥901

-61.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.51 ¥239

22.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.00 ¥159

95.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$5.67 ¥895

-82.36%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.05 ¥323

-16.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$8.58 ¥1,356

103.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$7.17 ¥1,132

-54.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$11.67 ¥1,843

11.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$4.24 ¥670

-47.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.23 ¥352

-24.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$4.60 ¥727

-57.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$3.36 ¥531

-48.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$1.86 ¥294

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.66 ¥262

-44.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.19 ¥188

-44.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.90 ¥142

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.77 ¥595

-2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$7.71 ¥1,217

41.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$1.62 ¥257

-46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.54 ¥401

-35.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.08 ¥171

-42.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$54.2 ¥8,556

-43.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.27 ¥517

-37.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$3.88 ¥614

-88.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.25 ¥1,936

-27.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.05 ¥167

26.67%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$20.9K ¥3.3M

-8.05%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$14.9K ¥2.3M

22.82%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$102 ¥16.1K

-43.88%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$24.06 ¥3,801

-66.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.13 ¥4,918

-65.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$52.0 ¥8,209

24.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$12.73 ¥2,010

35.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$12.06 ¥1,905

-24.96%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$322 ¥50.8K

348.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$6,609 ¥1.0M

326.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$34.45 ¥5,442

55.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$23.36 ¥3,690

58.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$49.17 ¥7,768

56.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$96.0 ¥15.2K

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$272 ¥42.9K

276.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$330 ¥52.2K

79.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,117 ¥176.5K

129.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$743 ¥117.4K

63.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,580 ¥723.6K

195.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,833 ¥289.6K

240.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.74

93.10%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tottori: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Tottori

$330 28.1% 44.4% $264

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Tottori

$275 23.5% 16% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Tottori

$91 7.8% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Tottori

$163 13.9% 52.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Tottori

$76 6.5% 8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Tottori

$157 13.4% 107% $81

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Tottori

$81 6.9% 118% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $272 in Tottori. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Tottori for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $275 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Tottori

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

05:00 5:00 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

193,717

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Tottori 1,270 km ≈ 2 h 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 Tottori: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tottori differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,174 including rent). Tottori 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 $1,761 in Tottori 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 $272 in Tottori. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $322 in Tottori. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,174 in Tottori versus $1,256 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tottori but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Tottori 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 Tottori 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 Tottori gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.