Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naha and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,256 a month against $1,343 in Naha, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Naha
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Naha Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Naha

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,343

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,343 per month in Naha vs $1,256 in Shanghai, rent included.

Naha $1,343
Shanghai $1,256

A couple spends around $2,092 per month in Naha vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Naha $2,092
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Naha vs $2,743 in Shanghai, rent included.

Naha $2,840
Shanghai $2,743

Naha costs about 7% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Naha and Shanghai are more affordable than the global median – Naha 1% lower, Shanghai 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.12 ¥808

$4.45 ¥29.78

15.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.17 ¥4,767

$30.29 ¥203

-0.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥821

$5.09 ¥34.01

2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ¥493

$3.43 ¥22.96

-9.04%

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

$1.29 ¥203

$0.62 ¥4.15

108.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥137

$0.39 ¥2.58

123.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ¥405

$1.23 ¥8.25

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 ¥619

$2.21 ¥14.81

77.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ¥247

$1.85 ¥12.37

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 ¥327

$1.95 ¥13.02

6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 ¥612

$1.00 ¥6.67

287.00%

Eggs

$1.74 ¥276

$1.71 ¥11.43

1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.91 ¥2,829

$17.47 ¥117

2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.80 ¥758

$3.24 ¥21.66

48.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.38 ¥3,536

$12.99 ¥86.8

72.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 ¥580

$2.24 ¥14.98

63.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ¥425

$1.68 ¥11.25

60.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ¥351

$1.95 ¥13.03

13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$1.73 ¥11.60

197.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥377

$0.76 ¥5.10

214.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$0.92 ¥6.15

168.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ¥196

$0.66 ¥4.41

87.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.60 ¥4.00

31.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 ¥613

$3.69 ¥24.65

5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.28 ¥992

$10.92 ¥73.0

-42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥304

$0.87 ¥5.85

120.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥510

$1.63 ¥10.87

98.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$2.06 ¥13.79

92.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 ¥537

$0.46 ¥3.08

639.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.52 ¥1,820

$8.84 ¥59.1

30.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.33 ¥8.86

-20.30%

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

$21.0K ¥3.3M

$19.3K ¥128.7K

8.83%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$18.2K ¥122.0K

-15.26%

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

$96.0 ¥15.2K

$57.1 ¥382

68.13%

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

$24.81 ¥3,919

$8.07 ¥53.9

207.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ¥8,305

$10.70 ¥71.5

391.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,922

$9.05 ¥60.5

34.48%

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

$329 ¥52.0K

$1,441 ¥9,638

-77.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,565 ¥879.2K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-80.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.25 ¥7,782

$53.5 ¥358

-8.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.99 ¥3,632

$37.05 ¥248

-37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.4K

$77.0 ¥515

2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 ¥15.2K

$104 ¥694

-7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ¥113.3K

$1,023 ¥6,841

-29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 ¥88.8K

$594 ¥3,971

-5.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ¥183.0K

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-54.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 ¥179.8K

$1,213 ¥8,107

-6.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,337 ¥211.2K

$1,699 ¥11.4K

-21.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

3.36

-33.63%

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

Last update for Naha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Naha

$562 41.9%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 5.6% $32

Groceries & Markets

Naha

$328 24.4%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 27.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naha

$173 12.9%

Shanghai

$76 6% 56.2% $98

Eating Out

Naha

$123 9.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 13.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Naha

$111 8.3%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 9.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Naha

$24 * 1.8%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 240% $58

Getting Around

Naha

$21 * 1.6%

Shanghai

$37 3% 77.4% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $717 in Naha versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Shanghai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Naha versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Groceries tell a different story – $328 in Naha vs $238 in Shanghai – so Shanghai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Naha

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Naha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

317,625

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 20, 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 20, 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

Naha Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Naha
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

Naha vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naha costs about 7% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,015 per month in Naha and $1,884 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,343 in Naha and $1,256 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Naha and $1,441 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,256, than in Naha at $1,343. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Naha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Naha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.