Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yamaguchi and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Yamaguchi and in Shanghai: $1,200 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Yamaguchi
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Yamaguchi Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yamaguchi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,200 in Yamaguchi versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Yamaguchi $1,200
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,848 in Yamaguchi versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Yamaguchi $1,848
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,496 in Yamaguchi versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Yamaguchi $2,496
Shanghai $2,755

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Yamaguchi 11% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ¥593

$4.56 ¥30.47

-17.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.14 ¥5,077

$30.21 ¥202

6.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥776

$5.25 ¥35.13

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ¥593

$3.28 ¥21.94

14.33%

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

$1.04 ¥164

$0.57 ¥3.84

82.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥111

$0.36 ¥2.39

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ¥609

$1.23 ¥8.23

213.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥342

$2.27 ¥15.18

-4.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ¥244

$1.84 ¥12.30

-16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ¥288

$1.96 ¥13.08

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.56 ¥1,037

$1.03 ¥6.87

536.89%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥356

$1.67 ¥11.16

34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,836

$16.96 ¥113

5.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 ¥840

$3.19 ¥21.33

66.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.56 ¥2,932

$12.90 ¥86.3

43.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 ¥575

$2.24 ¥15.00

62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ¥287

$1.66 ¥11.13

9.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 ¥455

$2.02 ¥13.54

42.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$1.66 ¥11.08

104.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ¥341

$0.77 ¥5.17

180.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$0.93 ¥6.21

181.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ¥161

$0.63 ¥4.19

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥155

$0.60 ¥3.99

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥633

$3.80 ¥25.44

5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 ¥989

$10.87 ¥72.7

-42.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥261

$0.82 ¥5.51

101.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥289

$1.61 ¥10.76

13.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥237

$0.61 ¥4.11

145.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.6 ¥8,945

$29.40 ¥197

92.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ¥605

$2.11 ¥14.11

81.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 ¥327

$0.43 ¥2.87

381.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.10 ¥2,860

$9.06 ¥60.6

99.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.33 ¥8.89

-17.29%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.24%

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

$17.1K ¥2.7M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-8.33%

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

$215 ¥33.9K

$57.8 ¥387

271.58%

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

$24.86 ¥3,928

$8.09 ¥54.1

207.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.35 ¥5,269

$10.48 ¥70.0

218.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ¥9,155

$65.7 ¥439

-11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 ¥1,709

$8.95 ¥59.9

20.78%

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

$124 ¥19.6K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-91.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-56.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.93 ¥7,731

$54.0 ¥361

-9.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.28 ¥4,151

$37.09 ¥248

-29.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$74.3 ¥496

-10.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.51 ¥7,506

$106 ¥706

-55.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.8K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-61.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 ¥39.5K

$585 ¥3,910

-57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 ¥124.8K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-68.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 ¥89.5K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-54.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 ¥700.2K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-68.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,970 ¥311.3K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-68.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

3.36

-41.37%

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

Last update for Yamaguchi: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yamaguchi

$315 26.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 25.4% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yamaguchi

$273 22.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 72% $197

Accommodation & Living

Yamaguchi

$250 20.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 134% $335

Eating Out

Yamaguchi

$120 10%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 11.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Yamaguchi

$85 7.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 43% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Yamaguchi

$80 6.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 5.1% $4

Getting Around

Yamaguchi

$77 6.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 53% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Yamaguchi and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Yamaguchi vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yamaguchi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

1 h behind Yamaguchi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,966

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

Yamaguchi Shanghai 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yamaguchi
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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

Yamaguchi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yamaguchi and Shanghai differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,200 vs $1,244 including rent). Yamaguchi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,800 in Yamaguchi and $1,865 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Yamaguchi versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $124 in Yamaguchi 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 34% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,200 in Yamaguchi versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yamaguchi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yamaguchi 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, Yamaguchi 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 Yamaguchi 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.