Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yokohama and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,317 in Yokohama, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. The total is higher in Yokohama despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Yokohama
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Yokohama Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Yokohama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,317

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,317 in Yokohama versus $1,250 in Shanghai.

Yokohama $1,317
Shanghai $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,057 in Yokohama versus $2,019 in Shanghai.

Yokohama $2,057
Shanghai $2,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,797 in Yokohama versus $2,789 in Shanghai.

Yokohama $2,797
Shanghai $2,789

Living in Yokohama is roughly 5% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yokohama 2% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.45 ¥1,020

$4.55 ¥30.45

41.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.79 ¥6,446

$29.52 ¥198

38.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 ¥813

$5.10 ¥34.13

0.98%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥536

$3.42 ¥22.92

-0.88%

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

$1.05 ¥166

$0.61 ¥4.12

72.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥116

$0.36 ¥2.41

102.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥405

$1.21 ¥8.08

111.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ¥514

$2.29 ¥15.33

41.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.86 ¥12.48

-22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥271

$2.01 ¥13.47

-14.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ¥578

$1.02 ¥6.84

257.84%

Eggs

$2.02 ¥319

$1.72 ¥11.48

17.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 ¥1,642

$17.19 ¥115

-39.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ¥984

$3.35 ¥22.43

85.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 ¥2,263

$12.80 ¥85.7

11.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.69 ¥899

$2.17 ¥14.54

162.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 ¥434

$1.74 ¥11.67

58.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ¥468

$1.94 ¥12.99

52.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$1.68 ¥11.25

154.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ¥413

$0.77 ¥5.18

238.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$0.93 ¥6.22

177.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.62 ¥4.17

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥130

$0.58 ¥3.88

41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥609

$3.83 ¥25.64

0.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 ¥1,023

$10.94 ¥73.2

-40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥277

$0.84 ¥5.60

108.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥334

$1.60 ¥10.73

31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ¥218

$0.59 ¥3.92

133.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.4 ¥9,078

$30.27 ¥203

89.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ¥498

$2.06 ¥13.79

52.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 ¥429

$0.47 ¥3.13

476.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 ¥3,204

$8.80 ¥58.9

130.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ¥177

$1.27 ¥8.53

-11.81%

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

$21.7K ¥3.4M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

10.74%

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

$18.5K ¥2.9M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

-0.37%

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

$132 ¥20.8K

$57.2 ¥383

129.77%

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

$24.29 ¥3,839

$8.06 ¥53.9

201.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.83 ¥5,031

$10.52 ¥70.4

202.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.0 ¥7,905

$64.6 ¥433

-22.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 ¥1,849

$17.63 ¥118

-33.64%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 ¥1,970

$8.84 ¥59.1

40.95%

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

$635 ¥100.4K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-55.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ¥2.3M

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-48.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 ¥9,714

$54.7 ¥366

12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.30 ¥5,738

$36.43 ¥244

-0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.8 ¥9,919

$75.4 ¥504

-16.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ¥16.0K

$104 ¥696

-2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 ¥188.4K

$1,039 ¥6,956

14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 ¥69.6K

$589 ¥3,940

-25.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 ¥358.9K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$840 ¥132.8K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-32.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,367 ¥1.0M

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-53.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,393 ¥694.4K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-29.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,676 ¥422.9K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

56.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.64

3.36

-21.43%

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

Last update for Yokohama: October 3, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yokohama

$441 33.2%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 33.6% $148

Groceries & Markets

Yokohama

$291 22%

Shanghai

$237 19% 18.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yokohama

$188 14.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 59.6% $112

Eating Out

Yokohama

$134 10.1%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 20.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Yokohama

$118 8.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 3.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Yokohama

$80 6%

Shanghai

$37 3% 53.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Yokohama

$75 5.7%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 9.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,192 in Yokohama and $1,039 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokohama pays 56% 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 Yokohama vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $237 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Yokohama

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h behind Yokohama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,777,491

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Yokohama Shanghai 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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

Yokohama vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yokohama and Shanghai differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,317 vs $1,250 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Yokohama, 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: $1,192 in Yokohama versus $1,039 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $635 in Yokohama versus $1,437 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 Yokohama. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,317 in Yokohama, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Yokohama. 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, Yokohama 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 5% less than in Yokohama. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.