Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Utsunomiya

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Utsunomiya: $1,244 and $1,212 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Utsunomiya
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Utsunomiya Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Utsunomiya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Utsunomiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,212 in Utsunomiya.

Shanghai $1,244
Utsunomiya $1,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,948 in Utsunomiya.

Shanghai $1,999
Utsunomiya $1,948

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,685 in Utsunomiya.

Shanghai $2,755
Utsunomiya $2,685

Living in Shanghai is roughly 3% more expensive than in Utsunomiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Utsunomiya 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.11 ¥965

-25.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$17.09 ¥2,701

76.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.72 ¥745

11.23%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.52 ¥556

-6.82%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.06 ¥167

-46.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.81 ¥128

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.09 ¥488

-60.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.93 ¥305

17.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.38 ¥218

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.72 ¥271

13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$5.59 ¥883

-81.57%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.22 ¥350

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.27 ¥1,780

50.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.80 ¥1,075

-53.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$16.84 ¥2,660

-23.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$4.61 ¥728

-51.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.35 ¥372

-29.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$4.38 ¥693

-53.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$5.36 ¥848

-69.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.41 ¥539

-77.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.97 ¥470

-68.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.20 ¥190

-47.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.76 ¥120

-21.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.95 ¥623

-3.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.52 ¥1,504

14.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.71 ¥270

-52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.64 ¥417

-39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.58 ¥249

-61.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$54.9 ¥8,670

-46.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.07 ¥484

-31.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.16 ¥500

-86.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$18.83 ¥2,975

-51.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.06 ¥167

25.47%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-12.19%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

21.89%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$146 ¥23.0K

-60.28%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$21.91 ¥3,461

-63.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.44 ¥4,808

-65.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.1 ¥8,234

26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.79 ¥2,020

39.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.84 ¥2,029

-30.30%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$524 ¥82.8K

169.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$18.2K ¥2.9M

53.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$55.1 ¥8,712

-2.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$32.36 ¥5,113

14.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$65.7 ¥10.4K

13.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$71.3 ¥11.3K

48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$509 ¥80.4K

107.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$298 ¥47.1K

96.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$939 ¥148.4K

164.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$803 ¥126.9K

53.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,897 ¥615.7K

257.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,781 ¥281.4K

251.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Utsunomiya: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Utsunomiya

$298 24.6% 49.1% $287

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Utsunomiya

$325 26.8% 38.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Utsunomiya

$101 8.3% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Utsunomiya

$132 10.9% 24.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Utsunomiya

$78 6.4% 6.9% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Utsunomiya

$198 16.3% 159% $122

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Utsunomiya

$80 6.6% 122% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $509 in Utsunomiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $17.00 in Utsunomiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $325, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Utsunomiya

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

519,217

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Shanghai Utsunomiya 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Utsunomiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Utsunomiya differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,212 including rent). Utsunomiya 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 $1,818 in Utsunomiya 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 $509 in Utsunomiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $524 in Utsunomiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 38% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,212 in Utsunomiya versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Utsunomiya but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Utsunomiya 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 Utsunomiya 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 Utsunomiya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.