I just left an apartment in Shanghai that was two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen for $700 / month. I was advised that prices have come down over the last year, so that if I was planning to renew my lease I should negotiate a lower price.
And that's on the cheaper end of California!
It really is! I got very, very lucky for the area I'm in, believe me. I'm not moving out until I'm out of the area for good.
Studio in BC for over $2500 a month.
Well, yeah, I bet that studio was substantially cheaper in 2011, though, which was the date on the Tokyo apartment.