Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Okazaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $1,313 in Okazaki, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Okazaki despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Okazaki
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Okazaki Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Okazaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Okazaki

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $1,313 in Okazaki, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Okazaki $1,313

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,013 in Okazaki, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Okazaki $2,013

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $2,713 in Okazaki, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Okazaki $2,713

Shanghai is about 5% cheaper than Okazaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shanghai and Okazaki are more affordable than the global median – Shanghai 8% lower, Okazaki 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.60 ¥1,200

-40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.06 ¥4,907

-2.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.97 ¥785

5.63%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.39 ¥378

37.24%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.19 ¥189

-52.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.62 ¥98.0

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.10 ¥332

-41.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.24 ¥354

1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.48 ¥233

24.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.31 ¥207

49.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$5.53 ¥874

-81.37%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.04 ¥322

-18.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$12.85 ¥2,030

31.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.61 ¥1,518

-66.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$32.52 ¥5,138

-60.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.70 ¥585

-39.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.34 ¥369

-29.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$6.44 ¥1,017

-68.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.09 ¥646

-59.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.84 ¥607

-79.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.45 ¥544

-73.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.30 ¥205

-51.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.01 ¥160

-40.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.45 ¥545

10.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$7.99 ¥1,262

36.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.03 ¥321

-59.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.51 ¥239

6.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.30 ¥205

-53.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$54.6 ¥8,619

-46.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.13 ¥495

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.06 ¥484

-85.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$26.40 ¥4,171

-65.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.09 ¥172

22.02%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

-6.48%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.6K ¥2.6M

12.97%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$142 ¥22.5K

-59.35%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.62 ¥3,731

-65.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$43.51 ¥6,875

-75.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$52.0 ¥8,211

26.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$9.70 ¥1,532

-7.73%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$319 ¥50.3K

343.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$6,212 ¥981.4K

348.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.66 ¥7,845

8.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$25.32 ¥4,000

46.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$45.94 ¥7,258

61.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$66.2 ¥10.5K

59.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$531 ¥83.9K

98.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$357 ¥56.4K

63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,239 ¥195.7K

100.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$663 ¥104.7K

86.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,681 ¥739.6K

197.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,743 ¥275.4K

258.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.28

47.37%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Okazaki: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Okazaki

$357 27.2% 38.9% $228

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Okazaki

$386 29.4% 64.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Okazaki

$84 6.4% 30.9% $38

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Okazaki

$127 9.7% 19.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Okazaki

$71 5.4% 14.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Okazaki

$209 16% 174% $133

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Okazaki

$78 6% 117% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $531 in Okazaki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $31.00 in Okazaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $386 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Okazaki

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

382,846

💱 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 Okazaki 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Okazaki

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 Okazaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okazaki is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $1,969 in Okazaki. 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 $30.00 in Shanghai and $31.00 in Okazaki. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $1,313 in Okazaki. That's a gap of about 6%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Okazaki at $1,313. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okazaki 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, Okazaki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.