Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Toyama

For one person, living is cheaper in Toyama: $1,156 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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 Toyama
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Toyama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Toyama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,156

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Toyama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,156 in Toyama.

Shanghai $1,244
Toyama $1,156

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,838 in Toyama.

Shanghai $1,999
Toyama $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,519 in Toyama.

Shanghai $2,755
Toyama $2,519

Living in Shanghai is roughly 8% more expensive than in Toyama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Toyama 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.43

$3.93 ¥621

16.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$41.37 ¥6,536

-26.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.08

$5.18 ¥819

1.35%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.91

$3.51 ¥555

-6.55%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.04 ¥164

-45.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.74 ¥117

-51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$2.59 ¥410

-52.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.16

$3.19 ¥504

-28.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$1.07 ¥169

71.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.06

$0.77 ¥122

154.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$3.66 ¥579

-71.86%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$1.98 ¥313

-15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.52 ¥1,662

61.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.30

$5.98 ¥945

-46.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.1

$14.45 ¥2,283

-10.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$5.75 ¥909

-61.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.70 ¥426

-38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.52

$2.95 ¥467

-31.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$4.20 ¥663

-60.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.52 ¥398

-69.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.20

$2.53 ¥400

-63.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.18

$1.23 ¥195

-48.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$0.64 ¥102

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.40

$3.80 ¥600

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$6.25 ¥988

73.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.82 ¥287

-54.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.75

$2.00 ¥315

-19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.52 ¥240

-59.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$58.7 ¥9,270

-49.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.09

$3.19 ¥503

-33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.71 ¥428

-84.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.5

$20.33 ¥3,211

-55.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.11 ¥176

19.82%

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

$19.0K ¥127.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-12.51%

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

$18.7K ¥124.9K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

2.97%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$133 ¥21.0K

-56.52%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$23.98 ¥3,788

-66.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥69.9

$32.22 ¥5,091

-67.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.9 ¥8,351

24.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$11.50 ¥1,817

-22.17%

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

$1,414 ¥9,438

$634 ¥100.2K

122.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.0K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

91.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥360

$61.6 ¥9,735

-12.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$37.28 ¥5,889

-0.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$60.7 ¥9,583

22.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$100 ¥15.8K

5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,046

$233 ¥36.8K

353.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,904

$303 ¥47.8K

93.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,105 ¥174.6K

124.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,228

$648 ¥102.4K

90.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$3,962 ¥625.9K

251.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.7K

$1,608 ¥254.1K

288.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.64

27.27%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Toyama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Toyama

$303 26.2% 48.2% $282

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Toyama

$274 23.7% 16.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Toyama

$117 10.1% 4.1% $5

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Toyama

$116 10% 9.1% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Toyama

$76 6.6% 9.3% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Toyama

$189 16.4% 148% $113

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Toyama

$81 7.1% 126% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $233 in Toyama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $41.00 in Toyama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $274 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Toyama

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

421,259

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Toyama 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Toyama

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 Toyama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Toyama differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,156 including rent). Toyama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,735 in Toyama 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $233 in Toyama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $634 in Toyama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,156 in Toyama versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toyama but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Toyama 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 Toyama 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 Toyama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.