Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,400 in Osaka, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Osaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Shanghai $1,250
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Shanghai $2,019
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Shanghai $2,789
Osaka $2,582

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 11% less than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Osaka is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$6.19 ¥978

-26.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$31.80 ¥5,026

-7.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$4.93 ¥780

3.45%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$3.00 ¥474

14.00%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$1.45 ¥228

-57.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.72 ¥113

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$2.62 ¥415

-53.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$3.91 ¥618

-41.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.46 ¥230

27.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$1.31 ¥207

53.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$5.25 ¥830

-80.57%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$2.03 ¥321

-15.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$9.77 ¥1,544

75.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$9.22 ¥1,458

-63.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$17.95 ¥2,838

-28.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$3.29 ¥519

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$2.00 ¥317

-13.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$2.11 ¥333

-8.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$4.11 ¥649

-59.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.51 ¥239

-49.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.19 ¥187

-21.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$1.30 ¥206

-52.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$0.86 ¥137

-32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$3.82 ¥604

0.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$9.74 ¥1,540

12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$1.87 ¥296

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$3.15 ¥498

-49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.34 ¥211

-55.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$32.68 ¥5,165

-7.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.85 ¥609

-46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$3.19 ¥504

-85.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$21.93 ¥3,466

-59.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$1.10 ¥173

15.45%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

-8.90%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

22.78%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$140 ¥22.1K

-59.14%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$24.14 ¥3,816

-66.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$30.58 ¥4,834

-65.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$49.41 ¥7,810

30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$18.41 ¥2,910

-4.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.27 ¥1,939

-27.95%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$511 ¥80.8K

181.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

114.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$47.50 ¥7,508

15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$30.12 ¥4,761

20.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$73.4 ¥11.6K

2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$91.0 ¥14.4K

14.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$704 ¥111.2K

47.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$508 ¥80.3K

15.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,751 ¥276.8K

42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$765 ¥120.9K

61.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$6,208 ¥981.2K

118.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$1,938 ¥306.4K

219.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$2,346 ¥370.8K

-26.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.21

52.04%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 13.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 27.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 10.5% $13

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 21% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 10.2% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 157% $119

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 56.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Osaka pays 37% 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $32.00 in Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $301 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Osaka 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Osaka

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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Osaka differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $1,400 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Osaka. 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $704 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 8% less than in Osaka. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,400 in Osaka, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Osaka. 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 Osaka 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 12% less than in Osaka. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.