Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suginami-ku and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Suginami-ku and in Shanghai: $1,256 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Suginami-ku
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Suginami-ku Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,256

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Suginami-ku versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Suginami-ku $1,256
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,994 in Suginami-ku versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Suginami-ku $1,994
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,732 in Suginami-ku versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Suginami-ku $2,732
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Suginami-ku is roughly 1% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Suginami-ku 7% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.34 ¥1,002

$4.56 ¥30.47

39.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.62 ¥6,418

$30.21 ¥202

34.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥810

$5.25 ¥35.13

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ¥548

$3.28 ¥21.94

5.79%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.57 ¥3.84

84.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$0.36 ¥2.39

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥404

$1.23 ¥8.23

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ¥503

$2.27 ¥15.18

40.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.84 ¥12.30

-21.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥269

$1.96 ¥13.08

-13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ¥576

$1.03 ¥6.87

254.37%

Eggs

$1.97 ¥312

$1.67 ¥11.16

17.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.52 ¥1,661

$16.96 ¥113

-37.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 ¥946

$3.19 ¥21.33

87.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 ¥2,241

$12.90 ¥86.3

9.92%

Apples (1kg)

$5.81 ¥917

$2.24 ¥15.00

159.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 ¥434

$1.66 ¥11.13

65.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ¥442

$2.02 ¥13.54

38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 ¥645

$1.66 ¥11.08

145.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 ¥418

$0.77 ¥5.17

244.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ¥416

$0.93 ¥6.21

183.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ¥194

$0.63 ¥4.19

95.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥128

$0.60 ¥3.99

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$3.80 ¥25.44

0.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 ¥1,024

$10.87 ¥72.7

-40.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥283

$0.82 ¥5.51

118.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥320

$1.61 ¥10.76

26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ¥219

$0.61 ¥4.11

127.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.37 ¥7,326

$29.40 ¥197

57.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.21 ¥508

$2.11 ¥14.11

52.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ¥435

$0.43 ¥2.87

541.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.79 ¥3,285

$9.06 ¥60.6

129.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥175

$1.33 ¥8.89

-16.54%

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

$21.0K ¥3.3M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

10.32%

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

$18.1K ¥2.9M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-3.47%

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

$130 ¥20.6K

$57.8 ¥387

125.64%

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

$23.89 ¥3,774

$8.09 ¥54.1

195.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.49 ¥4,974

$10.48 ¥70.0

200.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 ¥9,175

$65.7 ¥439

-11.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 ¥2,030

$8.95 ¥59.9

43.58%

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

$631 ¥99.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-55.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-46.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.4 ¥9,697

$54.0 ¥361

13.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.64 ¥5,789

$37.09 ¥248

-1.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 ¥9,528

$74.3 ¥496

-18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$106 ¥706

-3.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ¥75.3K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-54.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥59.6K

$585 ¥3,910

-35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 ¥154.7K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ¥126.9K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-34.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,685 ¥740.1K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-66.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,700 ¥268.6K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-72.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,799 ¥442.2K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

63.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

-40.48%

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

Last update for Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Suginami-ku

$377 30%

Shanghai

$585 47% 54.9% $207

Groceries & Markets

Suginami-ku

$289 23%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suginami-ku

$186 14.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 58.9% $109

Eating Out

Suginami-ku

$134 10.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 21% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Suginami-ku

$117 9.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Suginami-ku

$84 6.7%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Suginami-ku

$69 5.5%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 47.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Suginami-ku and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 64% 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: $41.00 in Suginami-ku vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

1 h behind Suginami-ku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

540,180

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

Suginami-ku Shanghai 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Suginami-ku
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

Suginami-ku vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suginami-ku and Shanghai differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 64% higher in Suginami-ku, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Suginami-ku versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $631 in Suginami-ku versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Suginami-ku. 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, Suginami-ku 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 Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Suginami-ku. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.