Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,399 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Okinawa despite lower rent and utilities.

67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,399 per month in Okinawa vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Okinawa $1,399
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $2,189 per month in Okinawa vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,189
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $2,979 per month in Okinawa vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Okinawa $2,979
Shanghai $2,789

Okinawa costs about 12% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Okinawa sits 4% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 ¥1,603

$4.55 ¥30.40

122.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.78 ¥6,295

$29.52 ¥197

34.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,114

$5.10 ¥34.08

38.04%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ¥675

$3.42 ¥22.88

24.56%

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

$1.47 ¥233

$0.61 ¥4.11

140.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ¥158

$0.36 ¥2.40

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ¥318

$1.21 ¥8.07

66.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ¥720

$2.29 ¥15.31

98.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ¥259

$1.86 ¥12.46

-11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ¥341

$2.01 ¥13.45

6.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 ¥607

$1.02 ¥6.83

276.47%

Eggs

$1.75 ¥277

$1.72 ¥11.46

1.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 ¥2,839

$17.19 ¥115

4.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ¥771

$3.35 ¥22.39

45.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.16 ¥3,507

$12.80 ¥85.5

73.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 ¥573

$2.17 ¥14.51

66.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 ¥417

$1.74 ¥11.65

51.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ¥338

$1.94 ¥12.96

10.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.18 ¥820

$1.68 ¥11.23

208.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ¥381

$0.77 ¥5.17

212.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ¥408

$0.93 ¥6.21

177.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 ¥208

$0.62 ¥4.16

111.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥117

$0.58 ¥3.88

27.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥631

$3.83 ¥25.60

4.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 ¥1,016

$10.94 ¥73.1

-41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥295

$0.84 ¥5.59

122.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ¥505

$1.60 ¥10.71

99.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥233

$0.59 ¥3.92

149.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 ¥10.6K

$30.27 ¥202

121.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ¥628

$2.06 ¥13.77

92.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.56 ¥564

$0.47 ¥3.13

657.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.44 ¥1,810

$8.80 ¥58.8

30.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ¥173

$1.27 ¥8.51

-14.17%

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

$21.3K ¥3.4M

$19.6K ¥131.0K

8.44%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$18.6K ¥124.2K

-17.08%

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

$162 ¥25.6K

$57.2 ¥382

182.96%

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

$24.91 ¥3,943

$8.06 ¥53.8

209.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ¥8,513

$10.52 ¥70.3

411.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 ¥11.3K

$64.6 ¥432

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,689

$17.63 ¥118

211.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.17 ¥1,927

$8.84 ¥59.1

37.67%

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

$329 ¥52.1K

$1,437 ¥9,605

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,538 ¥876.3K

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-80.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 ¥7,923

$54.7 ¥365

-8.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.29 ¥3,685

$36.43 ¥243

-36.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 ¥12.5K

$75.4 ¥504

4.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 ¥15.0K

$104 ¥695

-9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 ¥63.9K

$1,039 ¥6,945

-61.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ¥51.9K

$589 ¥3,933

-44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 ¥130.6K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-66.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 ¥105.0K

$1,237 ¥8,268

-46.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,594 ¥1.4M

$13.6K ¥90.8K

-36.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,206 ¥190.8K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-80.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,849 ¥292.6K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

7.82%

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 Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Shanghai

$237 19% 27.9% $92

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$328 23.8%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 79.3% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 68.5% $165

Eating Out

Okinawa

$182 13.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 41.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$111 8%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$96 6.9%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 14% $13

Getting Around

Okinawa

$95 6.9%

Shanghai

$37 3% 61% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $404 in Okinawa versus $1,039 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 8% higher in Okinawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Okinawa versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

11:42 11:42 AM

1 h behind Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Okinawa Shanghai 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Okinawa
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

Okinawa vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,098 per month in Okinawa and $1,874 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Okinawa and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,399 in Okinawa and $1,250 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Okinawa at $1,399. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa 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, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.