Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Okinawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,399 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Okinawa despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
Learn more

Okinawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Okinawa

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Shanghai vs $1,399 in Okinawa, rent included.

Shanghai $1,250
Okinawa $1,399

A couple spends around $2,019 per month in Shanghai vs $2,189 in Okinawa, rent included.

Shanghai $2,019
Okinawa $2,189

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Shanghai vs $2,979 in Okinawa, rent included.

Shanghai $2,789
Okinawa $2,979

Shanghai is about 11% cheaper than Okinawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shanghai sits 7% below the global median, while Okinawa is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$10.13 ¥1,603

-55.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$39.78 ¥6,295

-25.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$7.04 ¥1,114

-27.56%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$4.26 ¥675

-19.72%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.47 ¥233

-58.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$1.00 ¥158

-64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$2.01 ¥318

-39.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$4.55 ¥720

-49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.64 ¥259

13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$2.15 ¥341

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$3.84 ¥607

-73.44%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.75 ¥277

-1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$17.94 ¥2,839

-4.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$4.87 ¥771

-31.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$22.16 ¥3,507

-42.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$3.62 ¥573

-40.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$2.63 ¥417

-33.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$2.14 ¥338

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$5.18 ¥820

-67.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.41 ¥381

-68.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.58 ¥408

-63.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.31 ¥208

-52.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.74 ¥117

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$3.99 ¥631

-4.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$6.42 ¥1,016

70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.87 ¥295

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$3.19 ¥505

-49.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.47 ¥233

-59.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$67.2 ¥10.6K

-54.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.97 ¥628

-48.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$3.56 ¥564

-86.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$11.44 ¥1,810

-23.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.09 ¥173

16.51%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$21.3K ¥3.4M

-7.78%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

20.59%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$162 ¥25.6K

-64.66%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$24.91 ¥3,943

-67.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$53.8 ¥8,513

-80.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$71.3 ¥11.3K

-9.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$54.9 ¥8,689

-67.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.17 ¥1,927

-27.36%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$329 ¥52.1K

336.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$5,538 ¥876.3K

406.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$50.1 ¥7,923

9.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$23.29 ¥3,685

56.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$78.8 ¥12.5K

-4.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$94.6 ¥15.0K

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$404 ¥63.9K

157.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$328 ¥51.9K

79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$826 ¥130.6K

201.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$663 ¥105.0K

86.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$8,594 ¥1.4M

58.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,206 ¥190.8K

413.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$1,849 ¥292.6K

-7.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.23

50.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Okinawa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 44.2% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Okinawa

$328 23.8% 38.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Okinawa

$111 8% 8.8% $11

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Okinawa

$182 13.2% 70% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Okinawa

$96 6.9% 16.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Okinawa

$241 17.4% 217% $165

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Okinawa

$95 6.9% 156% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,039 in Shanghai versus $404 in Okinawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 8% higher in Okinawa, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $40.00 in Okinawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $328 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🕒 Local time

14:26 2:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

142,752

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.32 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.32 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Shanghai Okinawa 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Okinawa

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 Okinawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Okinawa is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,874 per month in Shanghai and $2,098 in Okinawa. 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 $40.00 in Okinawa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,250 in Shanghai and $1,399 in Okinawa. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Okinawa at $1,399. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Okinawa 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, Okinawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.