Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Oita

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Oita: $1,244 and $1,279 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Oita
Learn more

Oita Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Oita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Oita

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 Oita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,279 in Oita.

Shanghai $1,244
Oita $1,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,015 in Oita.

Shanghai $1,999
Oita $2,015

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,750 in Oita.

Shanghai $2,755
Oita $2,750

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 3% less than in Oita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Oita 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.34 ¥1,159

-37.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$43.25 ¥6,833

-30.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.83 ¥921

-9.95%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.75 ¥592

-12.53%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.00 ¥158

-43.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.72 ¥114

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.76 ¥595

-67.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.16 ¥342

5.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.55 ¥245

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.86 ¥294

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$6.62 ¥1,046

-84.44%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.22 ¥351

-24.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$18.34 ¥2,897

-7.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$5.23 ¥826

-39.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$18.72 ¥2,957

-31.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.65 ¥577

-38.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.84 ¥291

-9.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.77 ¥438

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.30 ¥522

-49.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.14 ¥338

-64.02%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.55 ¥402

-63.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.03 ¥162

-38.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.92 ¥145

-34.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.80 ¥600

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.13 ¥968

77.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.71 ¥270

-52.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.84 ¥290

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.69 ¥267

-63.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.2 ¥8,243

-43.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.84 ¥607

-45.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.09 ¥330

-79.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$17.75 ¥2,804

-48.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.07 ¥169

24.30%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-11.63%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

9.06%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$214 ¥33.8K

-72.94%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.58 ¥3,884

-67.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$33.56 ¥5,302

-68.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.4 ¥8,122

27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.13 ¥1,758

-19.59%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$126 ¥19.9K

1019.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

123.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$48.61 ¥7,679

11.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$25.85 ¥4,083

43.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$66.3 ¥10.5K

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$47.05 ¥7,433

124.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$464 ¥73.3K

127.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$310 ¥49.0K

88.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,229 ¥194.2K

102.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$718 ¥113.4K

71.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$3,620 ¥571.9K

284.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,555 ¥245.6K

302.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.97

70.56%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Oita: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Oita

$310 24.2% 47% $275

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Oita

$315 24.6% 34.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Oita

$85 6.6% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Oita

$151 11.8% 42.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Oita

$74 5.8% 11.9% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Oita

$272 21.3% 256% $195

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Oita

$73 5.7% 103% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $464 in Oita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $43.00 in Oita for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $315 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Oita

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

475,614

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Oita 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Oita

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 Oita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Oita. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,919 in Oita to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $464 in Oita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $126 in Oita. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Oita. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,279 in Oita, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Oita. 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 Oita 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 3% less than in Oita. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.