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Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Shanghai Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Shanghai

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Tokyo is 57.4% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 44.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Tokyo is 53.4% more expensive than Shanghai without rent, and 34.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.48 ยฅ1,341
$4.77 ยฅ33.30
77.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.65 ยฅ7,536
$35.92 ยฅ251
32.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.64 ยฅ891
$5.45 ยฅ38.01
3.49%
Cappuccino
$3.66 ยฅ579
$3.42 ยฅ23.89
7.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 ยฅ197
$0.58 ยฅ4.07
115.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ยฅ143
$0.34 ยฅ2.35
167.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.06 ยฅ642
$1.42 ยฅ9.91
185.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.52 ยฅ872
$2.80 ยฅ19.56
97.14%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 ยฅ255
$2.09 ยฅ14.59
-22.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 ยฅ240
$1.85 ยฅ12.92
-17.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.50 ยฅ870
$1.10 ยฅ7.66
400.00%
Eggs
$2.31 ยฅ365
$1.60 ยฅ11.20
44.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.84 ยฅ2,506
$15.28 ยฅ107
3.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 ยฅ1,264
$3.08 ยฅ21.53
159.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.96 ยฅ3,631
$10.85 ยฅ75.8
111.61%
Apples (1kg)
$5.25 ยฅ830
$2.33 ยฅ16.30
125.32%
Banana (1kg)
$2.65 ยฅ419
$1.77 ยฅ12.35
49.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.97 ยฅ944
$1.78 ยฅ12.42
235.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.96 ยฅ943
$1.47 ยฅ10.28
305.44%
Potato (1kg)
$3.32 ยฅ525
$0.81 ยฅ5.64
309.88%
Onion (1kg)
$3.43 ยฅ543
$1.16 ยฅ8.10
195.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 ยฅ237
$0.63 ยฅ4.37
138.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ยฅ147
$0.60 ยฅ4.17
55.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ยฅ673
$2.77 ยฅ19.35
53.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.27 ยฅ1,466
$11.49 ยฅ80.2
-19.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 ยฅ332
$0.84 ยฅ5.86
150.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 ยฅ472
$1.61 ยฅ11.27
85.71%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.48 ยฅ235
$0.40 ยฅ2.79
270.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$83.2 ยฅ13.2K
$34.13 ยฅ238
143.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.51 ยฅ555
$2.29 ยฅ15.98
53.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 ยฅ468
$0.38 ยฅ2.63
678.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.80 ยฅ4,081
$8.32 ยฅ58.1
210.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ยฅ196
$1.15 ยฅ8.00
7.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.1K ยฅ3.7M
$19.7K ยฅ137.2K
17.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.6K ยฅ2.8M
$18.3K ยฅ127.5K
-3.71%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$165 ยฅ26.1K
$52.1 ยฅ363
216.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.90 ยฅ4,097
$8.79 ยฅ61.3
194.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.78 ยฅ5,342
$13.87 ยฅ96.8
143.55%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.8 ยฅ11.2K
$46.42 ยฅ324
52.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.40 ยฅ3,226
$19.78 ยฅ138
3.13%
Cinema Ticket
$13.25 ยฅ2,095
$8.28 ยฅ57.8
60.02%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$497 ยฅ78.6K
$1,297 ยฅ9,056
-61.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.4K ยฅ2.4M
$30.9K ยฅ215.7K
-50.31%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.9 ยฅ9,796
$59.8 ยฅ417
3.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.47 ยฅ6,400
$38.03 ยฅ265
6.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.7 ยฅ10.2K
$77.5 ยฅ541
-16.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.1 ยฅ14.7K
$99.3 ยฅ693
-6.25%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 ยฅ172.5K
$944 ยฅ6,591
15.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$608 ยฅ96.1K
$570 ยฅ3,981
6.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,695 ยฅ426.2K
$2,460 ยฅ17.2K
9.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,320 ยฅ208.7K
$1,204 ยฅ8,401
9.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.3K ยฅ1.6M
$14.2K ยฅ99.5K
-27.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,664 ยฅ737.7K
$7,080 ยฅ49.4K
-34.11%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Tokyo
Shanghai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,551 ยฅ403.5K
$1,632 ยฅ11.4K
56.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.72
3.58
-51.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tokyo: January 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
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