Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tokushima

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Tokushima: $1,256 and $1,274 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tokushima
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Tokushima Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Tokushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tokushima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,274 in Tokushima.

Shanghai $1,256
Tokushima $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,039 in Tokushima.

Shanghai $1,999
Tokushima $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,743 in Shanghai versus $2,804 in Tokushima.

Shanghai $2,743
Tokushima $2,804

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 1% less than in Tokushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 7% lower, Tokushima 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 ¥29.78

$7.05 ¥1,115

-36.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.29 ¥203

$31.38 ¥4,958

-3.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 ¥34.01

$5.08 ¥803

0.20%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.96

$2.44 ¥386

40.57%

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

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.29 ¥204

-51.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.81 ¥128

-51.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$3.13 ¥495

-60.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.81

$3.09 ¥489

-28.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.37

$1.49 ¥235

24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 ¥13.02

$1.50 ¥237

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.67

$4.05 ¥641

-75.31%

Eggs

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.21 ¥349

-22.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ¥117

$15.82 ¥2,499

10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$6.99 ¥1,105

-53.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$17.41 ¥2,751

-25.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.98

$8.19 ¥1,293

-72.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$3.02 ¥477

-44.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$5.08 ¥803

-61.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.60

$6.12 ¥967

-71.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$3.72 ¥588

-79.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$3.79 ¥599

-75.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ¥4.41

$1.14 ¥179

-42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥4.00

$0.84 ¥132

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.65

$3.96 ¥626

-6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 ¥73.0

$9.68 ¥1,530

12.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.85

$2.50 ¥395

-65.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.87

$2.07 ¥327

-21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ¥4.13

$1.52 ¥240

-59.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 ¥203

$53.7 ¥8,487

-43.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.21 ¥507

-35.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.08

$2.90 ¥459

-84.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ¥59.1

$31.93 ¥5,045

-72.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.86

$1.10 ¥174

20.91%

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

$19.3K ¥128.7K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-11.69%

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

$18.2K ¥122.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

22.43%

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

$57.1 ¥382

$114 ¥18.1K

-50.03%

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

$8.07 ¥53.9

$23.74 ¥3,750

-66.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ¥71.5

$31.53 ¥4,981

-66.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$60.5 ¥9,559

6.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.29 ¥116

$24.82 ¥3,922

-30.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ¥60.5

$11.34 ¥1,792

-20.19%

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

$1,441 ¥9,638

$578 ¥91.3K

149.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.4K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

90.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ¥358

$49.24 ¥7,779

8.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.05 ¥248

$35.51 ¥5,610

4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥515

$60.6 ¥9,579

26.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥694

$98.6 ¥15.6K

5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ¥6,841

$522 ¥82.5K

96.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 ¥3,971

$334 ¥52.8K

77.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,563 ¥17.1K

$1,083 ¥171.1K

136.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 ¥8,107

$731 ¥115.4K

65.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.5K ¥90.4K

$4,217 ¥666.3K

220.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 ¥41.8K

$1,734 ¥274.0K

260.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥11.4K

$1,386 ¥219.0K

22.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.02

66.34%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tokushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$594 47.3%

Tokushima

$334 26.2% 43.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$238 18.9%

Tokushima

$369 29% 55.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Tokushima

$110 8.6% 10.1% $12

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.5%

Tokushima

$131 10.3% 23% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.6%

Tokushima

$83 6.5% 0.6% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6%

Tokushima

$170 13.3% 124% $94

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Tokushima

$78 6.1% 108% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,023 in Shanghai and $522 in Tokushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $31.00 in Tokushima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $369 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Tokushima

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

252,391

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Shanghai Tokushima 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Tokushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tokushima differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,256 vs $1,274 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,023 in Shanghai versus $522 in Tokushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,441 in Shanghai versus $578 in Tokushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Tokushima. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,256 in Shanghai versus $1,274 in Tokushima, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Tokushima. 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.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Tokushima. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.