Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Wakayama

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Wakayama: $1,256 and $1,276 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Wakayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,276 in Wakayama.

Shanghai $1,256
Wakayama $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,031 in Wakayama.

Shanghai $1,999
Wakayama $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,785 in Wakayama.

Shanghai $2,743
Wakayama $2,785

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 2% less than in Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Wakayama 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$6.47 ¥1,022

-31.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.22 ¥4,932

-2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$4.89 ¥773

4.09%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.46 ¥389

39.43%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.25 ¥197

-50.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.86 ¥136

-54.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.20 ¥506

-61.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$1.85 ¥293

19.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.57 ¥248

17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.53 ¥242

27.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.27 ¥675

-76.58%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.11 ¥334

-18.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$16.04 ¥2,534

8.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$7.05 ¥1,114

-54.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$17.10 ¥2,701

-24.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$8.20 ¥1,296

-72.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$3.02 ¥478

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$5.15 ¥814

-62.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$7.94 ¥1,255

-78.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$4.01 ¥633

-81.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$4.59 ¥726

-79.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.14 ¥179

-42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.88 ¥139

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.99 ¥630

-7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$9.33 ¥1,475

17.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$2.49 ¥393

-65.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.15 ¥340

-24.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.50 ¥236

-58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.8 ¥8,496

-43.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.07 ¥485

-32.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.91 ¥460

-84.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$15.69 ¥2,478

-43.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.06 ¥167

25.47%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-12.41%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

21.31%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$117 ¥18.4K

-51.08%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.45 ¥3,705

-65.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.45 ¥4,968

-65.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$51.3 ¥8,109

25.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$11.21 ¥1,771

-19.27%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$564 ¥89.1K

155.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

89.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.37 ¥7,800

8.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$35.42 ¥5,596

4.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$59.4 ¥9,385

29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$98.7 ¥15.6K

5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$526 ¥83.1K

94.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$337 ¥53.3K

76.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,093 ¥172.7K

134.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$738 ¥116.5K

64.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,206 ¥664.5K

221.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,756 ¥277.4K

255.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$3,965 ¥626.4K

-57.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.67

101.20%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 43.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Wakayama

$382 30% 61% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 10.5% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 16.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 10.8% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 126% $96

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 108% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $526 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wakayama pays 133% 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 $31.00 in Wakayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $382 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

362,163

💱 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 Wakayama 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Wakayama differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,276 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Wakayama. 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 $526 in Wakayama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $564 in Wakayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Wakayama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,276 in Wakayama, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Wakayama. 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.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Wakayama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.