Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Tokyo $1,663
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Tokyo $2,592
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Tokyo $3,521
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Tokyo is roughly 34% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tokyo is 23% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$4.56 ¥30.47

63.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$30.21 ¥202

24.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$5.25 ¥35.13

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$3.28 ¥21.94

10.37%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$0.57 ¥3.84

191.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.36 ¥2.39

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$1.23 ¥8.23

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$2.27 ¥15.18

130.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.84 ¥12.30

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$1.96 ¥13.08

-10.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.03 ¥6.87

446.60%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$1.67 ¥11.16

31.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$16.96 ¥113

-34.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$3.19 ¥21.33

114.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$12.90 ¥86.3

28.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$2.24 ¥15.00

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.66 ¥11.13

34.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.02 ¥13.54

108.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$1.66 ¥11.08

213.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$0.77 ¥5.17

327.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$0.93 ¥6.21

227.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$0.63 ¥4.19

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$0.60 ¥3.99

35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$3.80 ¥25.44

3.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$10.87 ¥72.7

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$0.82 ¥5.51

98.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$1.61 ¥10.76

67.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.61 ¥4.11

104.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$29.40 ¥197

117.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.11 ¥14.11

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.43 ¥2.87

646.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$9.06 ¥60.6

104.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.05%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.26%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-18.95%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$57.8 ¥387

156.89%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$8.09 ¥54.1

166.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$10.48 ¥70.0

192.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$65.7 ¥439

1.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$17.82 ¥119

43.55%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$8.95 ¥59.9

41.68%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-4.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-35.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$54.0 ¥361

3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$37.09 ¥248

-10.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$74.3 ¥496

-13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$106 ¥706

-33.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,055 ¥7,056

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$585 ¥3,910

19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,232 ¥8,240

16.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-32.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-32.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

75.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

3.36

-33.04%

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

Last update for Tokyo: 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

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 16.5% $115

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 27.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 62% $124

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 32.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 21.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 9.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 59% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 75% 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: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

23:15 11:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

1 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

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 →

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Between locations

Tokyo Shanghai 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Tokyo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tokyo and Shanghai differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,663 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 75% higher in Tokyo, 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: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,350 in Tokyo 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 38% higher in Tokyo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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, Tokyo 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 34% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.