Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yamanashi

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Yamanashi: $1,244 and $1,193 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Yamanashi
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Yamanashi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Yamanashi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yamanashi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,193 in Yamanashi.

Shanghai $1,244
Yamanashi $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,928 in Yamanashi.

Shanghai $1,999
Yamanashi $1,928

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,663 in Yamanashi.

Shanghai $2,755
Yamanashi $2,663

Living in Shanghai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Yamanashi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Yamanashi 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$8.69 ¥1,373

-47.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$32.03 ¥5,060

-5.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.17 ¥817

1.55%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.43 ¥384

34.98%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.24 ¥196

-54.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.81 ¥127

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.08 ¥486

-60.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.21 ¥507

-29.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$0.91 ¥144

102.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$0.79 ¥125

148.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.29 ¥204

-20.16%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.61 ¥254

3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$12.72 ¥2,010

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.52 ¥872

-42.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$16.70 ¥2,638

-22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.09 ¥805

-55.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.02 ¥477

-45.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.94 ¥307

4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.57 ¥564

-53.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.72 ¥271

-55.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.44 ¥385

-61.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.10 ¥174

-42.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.72 ¥114

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.84 ¥606

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.51 ¥1,502

14.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.62 ¥413

-68.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.07 ¥327

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.49 ¥235

-59.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$49.25 ¥7,780

-40.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.18 ¥502

-33.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.77 ¥438

-84.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$15.55 ¥2,457

-41.74%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

-13.66%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

25.49%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$115 ¥18.2K

-49.81%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.26 ¥3,674

-65.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.67 ¥4,846

-65.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.7 ¥8,174

26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.55 ¥1,825

-22.51%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$580 ¥91.6K

143.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.7K ¥2.3M

89.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$50.0 ¥7,904

7.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.45 ¥5,601

4.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$59.8 ¥9,448

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$95.8 ¥15.1K

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$523 ¥82.6K

101.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$351 ¥55.5K

66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,251 ¥197.6K

98.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$843 ¥133.2K

46.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,889 ¥614.4K

258.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,885 ¥297.9K

231.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$4,536 ¥716.6K

-62.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yamanashi: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Yamanashi

$351 29.4% 39.9% $234

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Yamanashi

$273 22.9% 16.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Yamanashi

$108 9.1% 11% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Yamanashi

$144 12.1% 36% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Yamanashi

$75 6.3% 10.5% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yamanashi

$169 14.2% 121% $93

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Yamanashi

$72 6.1% 100% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $523 in Yamanashi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yamanashi pays 165% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Yamanashi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $273 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Yamanashi

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

34,494

💱 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 →

On the map

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Shanghai Yamanashi 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Yamanashi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Yamanashi differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,193 including rent). Yamanashi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 165% lower in Yamanashi. 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 $523 in Yamanashi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $580 in Yamanashi. 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 $1,193 in Yamanashi versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yamanashi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yamanashi 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 Yamanashi 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 Yamanashi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.