Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yokohama

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,317 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Yokohama despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
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Yokohama Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yokohama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,317 in Yokohama.

Shanghai $1,250
Yokohama $1,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $2,057 in Yokohama.

Shanghai $2,019
Yokohama $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,797 in Yokohama.

Shanghai $2,789
Yokohama $2,797

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 5% less than in Yokohama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Yokohama 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$6.45 ¥1,021

-29.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$40.79 ¥6,454

-27.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$5.15 ¥814

-0.97%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.39 ¥537

0.88%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.05 ¥166

-41.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.73 ¥116

-50.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$2.56 ¥406

-52.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$3.25 ¥515

-29.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.44 ¥228

29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$1.71 ¥271

17.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$3.65 ¥578

-72.05%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$2.02 ¥320

-14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$10.39 ¥1,644

65.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$6.23 ¥985

-46.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$14.32 ¥2,265

-10.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$5.69 ¥900

-61.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$2.75 ¥434

-36.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$2.96 ¥469

-34.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$4.27 ¥676

-60.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.61 ¥413

-70.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.58 ¥408

-63.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.24 ¥197

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.82 ¥130

-29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.85 ¥609

-0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$6.47 ¥1,024

69.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.75 ¥277

-52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$2.11 ¥334

-24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.38 ¥218

-57.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$57.4 ¥9,089

-47.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.15 ¥498

-34.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$2.71 ¥429

-82.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$20.27 ¥3,208

-56.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.12 ¥177

13.39%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

-9.70%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$18.5K ¥2.9M

0.37%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$132 ¥20.8K

-56.48%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$24.29 ¥3,843

-66.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$31.83 ¥5,037

-66.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$50.0 ¥7,914

29.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$11.70 ¥1,852

50.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.46 ¥1,972

-29.05%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$635 ¥100.5K

126.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$14.6K ¥2.3M

92.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$61.5 ¥9,725

-11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$36.30 ¥5,744

0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$62.8 ¥9,931

20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$101 ¥16.0K

2.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$1,192 ¥188.6K

-12.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$441 ¥69.7K

33.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$2,271 ¥359.3K

9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$840 ¥132.9K

47.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$6,367 ¥1.0M

113.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$4,393 ¥695.2K

40.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$2,676 ¥423.4K

-35.90%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Yokohama: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Yokohama

$441 33.2% 25.1% $148

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Yokohama

$291 22% 23% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Yokohama

$118 8.9% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Yokohama

$134 10.1% 25.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Yokohama

$75 5.7% 8.9% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yokohama

$188 14.2% 148% $112

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Yokohama

$80 6% 115% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $1,192 in Yokohama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays 56% 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 $41.00 in Yokohama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $291 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,777,491

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Yokohama 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Yokohama

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 Yokohama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Yokohama differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $1,317 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Yokohama. 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $1,192 in Yokohama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $635 in Yokohama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Yokohama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,317 in Yokohama, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Yokohama. 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.

Safety-wise, Shanghai and Yokohama 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Yokohama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.