Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atsugi and Shanghai

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

61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Atsugi $1,244
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Atsugi versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Atsugi $2,157
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,070 in Atsugi versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Atsugi $3,070
Shanghai $2,755

Monthly costs are close between Atsugi and Shanghai; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 ¥1,252

$4.56 ¥30.47

73.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.65 ¥4,052

$30.21 ¥202

-15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 ¥782

$5.25 ¥35.13

-5.71%

Cappuccino

$1.90 ¥301

$3.28 ¥21.94

-42.07%

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

$0.93 ¥147

$0.57 ¥3.84

63.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ¥107

$0.36 ¥2.39

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 ¥429

$1.23 ¥8.23

121.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ¥484

$2.27 ¥15.18

35.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.84 ¥12.30

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥233

$1.96 ¥13.08

-24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 ¥640

$1.03 ¥6.87

293.20%

Eggs

$2.08 ¥328

$1.67 ¥11.16

24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ¥2,517

$16.96 ¥113

-6.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 ¥708

$3.19 ¥21.33

40.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 ¥1,943

$12.90 ¥86.3

-4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 ¥838

$2.24 ¥15.00

136.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ¥312

$1.66 ¥11.13

19.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.80 ¥601

$2.02 ¥13.54

88.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 ¥426

$1.66 ¥11.08

62.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 ¥417

$0.77 ¥5.17

242.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 ¥304

$0.93 ¥6.21

106.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 ¥184

$0.63 ¥4.19

84.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥142

$0.60 ¥3.99

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 ¥557

$3.80 ¥25.44

-7.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.35 ¥1,477

$10.87 ¥72.7

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$0.82 ¥5.51

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$1.61 ¥10.76

33.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 ¥412

$0.61 ¥4.11

327.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.4 ¥8,275

$29.40 ¥197

78.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥491

$2.11 ¥14.11

47.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 ¥445

$0.43 ¥2.87

553.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.62 ¥1,520

$9.06 ¥60.6

6.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.33 ¥8.89

-21.05%

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

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

-33.27%

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

$15.3K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-18.35%

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

$230 ¥36.3K

$57.8 ¥387

297.34%

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

$14.11 ¥2,230

$8.09 ¥54.1

74.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.54 ¥4,825

$10.48 ¥70.0

191.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,147

$65.7 ¥439

-21.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.46 ¥1,179

$17.82 ¥119

-58.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 ¥1,827

$8.95 ¥59.9

29.16%

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

$321 ¥50.7K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-77.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,085 ¥961.3K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-78.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.67 ¥6,425

$54.0 ¥361

-24.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.20 ¥3,824

$37.09 ¥248

-34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.4 ¥8,433

$74.3 ¥496

-28.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.98 ¥5,053

$106 ¥706

-69.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 ¥82.6K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-50.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.7K

$585 ¥3,910

-42.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 ¥172.2K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ¥199.1K

$1,232 ¥8,240

2.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,945 ¥623.3K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-71.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,794 ¥283.4K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-71.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,774 ¥596.3K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

120.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

3.36

-39.88%

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

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atsugi

$334 26.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 75.2% $251

Groceries & Markets

Atsugi

$287 23.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 18.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atsugi

$274 22.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 72.2% $198

Eating Out

Atsugi

$127 10.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 16.7% $21

Getting Around

Atsugi

$80 6.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 54.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Atsugi

$75 6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 11.9% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Atsugi

$68 5.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 80.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $523 in Atsugi and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays 121% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26.00 in Atsugi vs $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $235, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

12:58 12:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

1 h behind Atsugi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,705

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Atsugi Shanghai 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Atsugi
Shanghai

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

Atsugi vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 121% higher in Atsugi, 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: $523 in Atsugi versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 78% less than in Atsugi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Atsugi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,244 in Atsugi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Atsugi. 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, Atsugi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Shanghai wins on affordability, Atsugi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.