Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Otsu

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Otsu: $1,244 and $1,300 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
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Otsu Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Otsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,300 in Otsu.

Shanghai $1,244
Otsu $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,886 in Otsu.

Shanghai $1,999
Otsu $1,886

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,472 in Otsu.

Shanghai $2,755
Otsu $2,472

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 4% less than in Otsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Otsu 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$8.63 ¥1,364

-47.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$32.03 ¥5,061

-5.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.00 ¥790

5.00%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.24 ¥511

1.23%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.23 ¥195

-53.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.88 ¥139

-59.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$3.17 ¥501

-61.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$4.29 ¥678

-47.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.51 ¥239

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.54 ¥243

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.52 ¥714

-77.21%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.12 ¥334

-21.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$15.86 ¥2,506

6.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.89 ¥1,089

-53.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$17.02 ¥2,689

-24.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$4.90 ¥775

-54.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.47 ¥390

-32.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$4.88 ¥771

-58.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.36 ¥689

-61.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.18 ¥344

-64.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.92 ¥303

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.14 ¥181

-44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.94 ¥149

-36.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.89 ¥614

-2.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$9.69 ¥1,530

12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$1.96 ¥310

-58.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.17 ¥343

-25.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.49 ¥235

-59.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.6 ¥8,303

-44.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.13 ¥494

-32.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.80 ¥442

-84.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$28.90 ¥4,566

-68.65%

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

$21.6K ¥3.4M

-11.84%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$15.2K ¥2.4M

22.84%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$115 ¥18.2K

-49.81%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$23.03 ¥3,639

-64.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$30.88 ¥4,878

-66.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.2 ¥8,082

28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$9.67 ¥1,528

84.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.33 ¥1,948

-27.41%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$569 ¥89.9K

148.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

124.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$56.7 ¥8,955

-4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.70 ¥5,639

3.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$69.3 ¥10.9K

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$98.8 ¥15.6K

6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$450 ¥71.1K

134.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$376 ¥59.4K

55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$625 ¥98.7K

297.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$461 ¥72.8K

167.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,259 ¥672.9K

227.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,749 ¥276.3K

257.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,814 ¥286.6K

-5.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.1

60.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Otsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Otsu

$376 28.9% 35.7% $209

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Otsu

$331 25.4% 40.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Otsu

$117 9% 3.9% $4.7

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Otsu

$156 12% 46.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Otsu

$76 5.8% 9.3% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Otsu

$169 13% 121% $93

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Otsu

$76 5.8% 109% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $450 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays 6% 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 Otsu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $331 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Otsu

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

341,314

💱 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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Shanghai Otsu 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Otsu

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 Otsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Otsu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Otsu. 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 $450 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $569 in Otsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Otsu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,300 in Otsu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Otsu. 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 Otsu 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 5% less than in Otsu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.