Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Osaka and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,400 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
Learn more

Osaka Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,400 in Osaka versus $1,250 in Shanghai.

Osaka $1,400
Shanghai $1,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,991 in Osaka versus $2,019 in Shanghai.

Osaka $1,991
Shanghai $2,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,582 in Osaka versus $2,789 in Shanghai.

Osaka $2,582
Shanghai $2,789

Living in Osaka is roughly 12% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Osaka is 4% above, Shanghai is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.19 ¥978

$4.55 ¥30.45

36.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.80 ¥5,026

$29.52 ¥198

7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥780

$5.10 ¥34.13

-3.33%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥474

$3.42 ¥22.92

-12.28%

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

$1.45 ¥228

$0.61 ¥4.12

137.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥113

$0.36 ¥2.41

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ¥415

$1.21 ¥8.08

116.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ¥618

$2.29 ¥15.33

70.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥230

$1.86 ¥12.48

-21.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ¥207

$2.01 ¥13.47

-34.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.25 ¥830

$1.02 ¥6.84

414.71%

Eggs

$2.03 ¥321

$1.72 ¥11.48

18.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.77 ¥1,544

$17.19 ¥115

-43.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ¥1,458

$3.35 ¥22.43

175.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 ¥2,838

$12.80 ¥85.7

40.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ¥519

$2.17 ¥14.54

51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 ¥317

$1.74 ¥11.67

14.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.94 ¥12.99

8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 ¥649

$1.68 ¥11.25

144.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥239

$0.77 ¥5.18

96.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥187

$0.93 ¥6.22

27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥206

$0.62 ¥4.17

109.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥137

$0.58 ¥3.88

48.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 ¥604

$3.83 ¥25.64

-0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.74 ¥1,540

$10.94 ¥73.2

-10.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ¥296

$0.84 ¥5.60

122.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 ¥498

$1.60 ¥10.73

96.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ¥211

$0.59 ¥3.92

127.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.68 ¥5,165

$30.27 ¥203

7.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥609

$2.06 ¥13.79

86.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 ¥504

$0.47 ¥3.13

578.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.93 ¥3,466

$8.80 ¥58.9

149.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥173

$1.27 ¥8.53

-13.39%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

9.77%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$18.6K ¥124.4K

-18.55%

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

$140 ¥22.1K

$57.2 ¥383

144.77%

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

$24.14 ¥3,816

$8.06 ¥53.9

199.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.58 ¥4,834

$10.52 ¥70.4

190.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.41 ¥7,810

$64.6 ¥433

-23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.41 ¥2,910

$17.63 ¥118

4.42%

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 ¥1,939

$8.84 ¥59.1

38.80%

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

$511 ¥80.8K

$1,437 ¥9,620

-64.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K ¥2.1M

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-53.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.50 ¥7,508

$54.7 ¥366

-13.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.12 ¥4,761

$36.43 ¥244

-17.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 ¥11.6K

$75.4 ¥504

-2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.0 ¥14.4K

$104 ¥696

-12.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ¥111.2K

$1,039 ¥6,956

-32.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.3K

$589 ¥3,940

-13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,751 ¥276.8K

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-29.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 ¥120.9K

$1,237 ¥8,282

-38.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,208 ¥981.2K

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-54.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,938 ¥306.4K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-68.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,346 ¥370.8K

$1,715 ¥11.5K

36.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

3.36

-34.23%

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

Last update for Osaka: 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

Osaka

$508 36.9%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 15.9% $81

Groceries & Markets

Osaka

$301 21.9%

Shanghai

$237 19% 21.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Osaka

$195 14.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 61.1% $119

Eating Out

Osaka

$130 9.5%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 17.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Osaka

$109 7.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 11.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Osaka

$74 5.4%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 11.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Osaka

$58 4.2%

Shanghai

$37 3% 36% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Osaka and $1,039 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 37% 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: $32.00 in Osaka vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $237 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Osaka

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

1 h behind Osaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,691,185

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Osaka Shanghai 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Osaka
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

Osaka vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osaka and Shanghai differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,400 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 37% higher in Osaka, 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: $704 in Osaka versus $1,039 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 8% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $511 in Osaka versus $1,437 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,400 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Osaka. 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, Osaka 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 12% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.