Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Atsugi

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

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
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Atsugi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Atsugi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Atsugi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Shanghai $1,244
Atsugi $1,244

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

Shanghai $1,999
Atsugi $2,157

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

Shanghai $2,755
Atsugi $3,070

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.93 ¥1,252

-42.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$25.65 ¥4,052

17.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.95 ¥782

6.06%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.90 ¥301

72.63%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.93 ¥147

-38.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.68 ¥107

-47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.72 ¥429

-54.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.07 ¥484

-26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.51 ¥238

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.48 ¥233

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.05 ¥640

-74.57%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.08 ¥328

-19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.93 ¥2,517

6.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$4.48 ¥708

-28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$12.30 ¥1,943

4.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.30 ¥838

-57.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.98 ¥312

-16.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.80 ¥601

-46.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$2.70 ¥426

-38.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.64 ¥417

-70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.92 ¥304

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.16 ¥184

-45.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.90 ¥142

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.52 ¥557

7.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.35 ¥1,477

16.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.61 ¥255

-49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.15 ¥340

-25.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.61 ¥412

-76.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.4 ¥8,275

-43.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.11 ¥491

-32.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.81 ¥445

-84.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$9.62 ¥1,520

-5.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.05 ¥166

26.67%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

49.87%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

22.48%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$230 ¥36.3K

-74.83%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$14.11 ¥2,230

-42.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.54 ¥4,825

-65.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.6 ¥8,147

27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$7.46 ¥1,179

138.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.56 ¥1,827

-22.58%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$321 ¥50.7K

340.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$6,085 ¥961.3K

357.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$40.67 ¥6,425

32.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$24.20 ¥3,824

53.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$53.4 ¥8,433

39.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$31.98 ¥5,053

230.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$523 ¥82.6K

101.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$334 ¥52.7K

75.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,090 ¥172.2K

127.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,260 ¥199.1K

-2.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,945 ¥623.3K

253.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,794 ¥283.4K

248.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$3,774 ¥596.3K

-54.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Atsugi

$334 26.8% 42.9% $251

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Atsugi

$287 23.1% 22.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Atsugi

$68 5.4% 44.5% $54

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Atsugi

$127 10.2% 20% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Atsugi

$75 6% 10.7% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Atsugi

$274 22.1% 259% $198

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Atsugi

$80 6.4% 122% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $523 in Atsugi. 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $26.00 in Atsugi. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $287, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

223,705

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Shanghai
Atsugi

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

Shanghai vs Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 121% lower in Atsugi. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $523 in Atsugi. 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, Shanghai and Atsugi 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.