Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Otsu and Shanghai

For one person, living costs are similar in Otsu and in Shanghai: $1,300 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
Learn more

Otsu Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,300

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Otsu versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Otsu $1,300
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,886 in Otsu versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Otsu $1,886
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,472 in Otsu versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Otsu $2,472
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Otsu is roughly 5% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Otsu 4% lower, Shanghai 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.63 ¥1,364

$4.56 ¥30.47

89.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.03 ¥5,061

$30.21 ¥202

6.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥790

$5.25 ¥35.13

-4.76%

Cappuccino

$3.24 ¥511

$3.28 ¥21.94

-1.22%

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

$1.23 ¥195

$0.57 ¥3.84

115.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$0.36 ¥2.39

144.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 ¥501

$1.23 ¥8.23

157.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 ¥678

$2.27 ¥15.18

88.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ¥239

$1.84 ¥12.30

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 ¥243

$1.96 ¥13.08

-21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 ¥714

$1.03 ¥6.87

338.83%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥334

$1.67 ¥11.16

26.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 ¥2,506

$16.96 ¥113

-6.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 ¥1,089

$3.19 ¥21.33

115.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.02 ¥2,689

$12.90 ¥86.3

31.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 ¥775

$2.24 ¥15.00

118.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 ¥390

$1.66 ¥11.13

48.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 ¥771

$2.02 ¥13.54

141.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 ¥689

$1.66 ¥11.08

162.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 ¥344

$0.77 ¥5.17

183.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 ¥303

$0.93 ¥6.21

106.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥181

$0.63 ¥4.19

80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥149

$0.60 ¥3.99

56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥614

$3.80 ¥25.44

2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.69 ¥1,530

$10.87 ¥72.7

-10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$0.82 ¥5.51

139.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥343

$1.61 ¥10.76

34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 ¥235

$0.61 ¥4.11

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.6 ¥8,303

$29.40 ¥197

78.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.11 ¥14.11

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ¥442

$0.43 ¥2.87

551.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.90 ¥4,566

$9.06 ¥60.6

218.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ¥169

$1.33 ¥8.89

-19.55%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

$19.0K ¥127.2K

13.43%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$18.7K ¥125.1K

-18.59%

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

$115 ¥18.2K

$57.8 ¥387

99.24%

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

$23.03 ¥3,639

$8.09 ¥54.1

184.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.88 ¥4,878

$10.48 ¥70.0

194.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ¥8,082

$65.7 ¥439

-22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.67 ¥1,528

$17.82 ¥119

-45.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 ¥1,948

$8.95 ¥59.9

37.77%

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

$569 ¥89.9K

$1,414 ¥9,451

-59.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ¥2.0M

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-55.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,955

$54.0 ¥361

4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.70 ¥5,639

$37.09 ¥248

-3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 ¥10.9K

$74.3 ¥496

-6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 ¥15.6K

$106 ¥706

-6.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 ¥71.1K

$1,055 ¥7,056

-57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥59.4K

$585 ¥3,910

-35.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 ¥98.7K

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-74.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥72.8K

$1,232 ¥8,240

-62.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,259 ¥672.9K

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-69.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,749 ¥276.3K

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-72.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,814 ¥286.6K

$1,711 ¥11.4K

6.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

3.36

-37.50%

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

Last update for Otsu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Otsu

$376 28.9%

Shanghai

$585 47% 55.6% $209

Groceries & Markets

Otsu

$331 25.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 29% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Otsu

$169 13%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 54.8% $93

Eating Out

Otsu

$156 12%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 31.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Otsu

$117 9%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Otsu

$76 5.8%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10.3% $7.8

Getting Around

Otsu

$76 5.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 52.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Otsu and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays 6% 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 Otsu vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $331 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Otsu

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

17:07 5:07 PM

1 h behind Otsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,314

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Otsu Shanghai 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Otsu
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

Otsu vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Otsu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Otsu, 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: $450 in Otsu versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Otsu versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Otsu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,300 in Otsu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Otsu. 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, Otsu 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 5% less than in Otsu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.