Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiga and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Shiga and in Shanghai: $1,191 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shiga and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shiga and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Shiga versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Shiga $1,191
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,880 in Shiga versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Shiga $1,880
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Shiga versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Shiga $2,568
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Shiga costs roughly 4% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.14 ¥970

$4.56 ¥30.47

34.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.73 ¥5,013

$30.21 ¥202

5.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 ¥783

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.52%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ¥458

$3.28 ¥21.94

-11.59%

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

$1.28 ¥202

$0.57 ¥3.84

124.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥108

$0.36 ¥2.39

91.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.23 ¥8.23

118.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ¥554

$2.27 ¥15.18

54.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥203

$1.84 ¥12.30

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ¥204

$1.96 ¥13.08

-34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 ¥602

$1.03 ¥6.87

269.90%

Eggs

$2.05 ¥325

$1.67 ¥11.16

22.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.35 ¥1,478

$16.96 ¥113

-44.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 ¥1,490

$3.19 ¥21.33

195.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 ¥2,891

$12.90 ¥86.3

41.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.24 ¥15.00

45.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.66 ¥11.13

21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ¥322

$2.02 ¥13.54

0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 ¥647

$1.66 ¥11.08

146.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ¥248

$0.77 ¥5.17

103.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥184

$0.93 ¥6.21

25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$0.63 ¥4.19

106.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.60 ¥3.99

43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥614

$3.80 ¥25.44

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 ¥1,462

$10.87 ¥72.7

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$0.82 ¥5.51

137.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ¥495

$1.61 ¥10.76

95.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ¥174

$0.61 ¥4.11

80.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ¥8,350

$29.40 ¥197

79.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 ¥584

$2.11 ¥14.11

75.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 ¥488

$0.43 ¥2.87

618.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.14 ¥3,340

$9.06 ¥60.6

133.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ¥165

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.80%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.99%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-19.03%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$57.8 ¥387

136.97%

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

$24.21 ¥3,825

$8.09 ¥54.1

199.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.71 ¥2,955

$10.48 ¥70.0

78.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ¥8,288

$65.7 ¥439

-20.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$11.77 ¥1,859

$8.95 ¥59.9

31.51%

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

$518 ¥81.8K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-63.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-53.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.28 ¥7,469

$54.0 ¥361

-12.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.38 ¥4,800

$37.09 ¥248

-18.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥11.6K

$74.3 ¥496

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$106 ¥706

-13.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ¥84.7K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-49.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ¥52.1K

$585 ¥3,910

-43.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ¥175.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-55.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ¥114.3K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-41.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,138 ¥653.7K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-70.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,525 ¥241.0K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-75.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,192 ¥188.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-30.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.36

-34.23%

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

Last update for Shiga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shiga

$330 27.7%

Shanghai

$585 47% 77.5% $255

Groceries & Markets

Shiga

$293 24.6%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 20% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shiga

$180 15.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 57.6% $104

Eating Out

Shiga

$127 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 16.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Shiga

$109 9.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 11.8% $13

Getting Around

Shiga

$76 6.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 52.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Shiga

$76 6.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Shiga and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 44% 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: $32.00 in Shiga vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Shiga

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

16:26 4:26 PM

1 h behind Shiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,836

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shiga Shanghai 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shiga
Shanghai

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

Shiga vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiga and Shanghai differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,191 vs $1,244 including rent). Shiga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Shanghai. 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: $536 in Shiga versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $518 in Shiga versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,191 in Shiga versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shiga but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Shiga 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, Shiga and Shanghai 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 Shiga 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.