Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tsu

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Tsu: $1,244 and $1,269 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
Learn more

Tsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tsu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,269 in Tsu.

Shanghai $1,244
Tsu $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,979 in Tsu.

Shanghai $1,999
Tsu $1,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,688 in Tsu.

Shanghai $2,755
Tsu $2,688

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 2% less than in Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Tsu 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.48 ¥1,023

-29.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$17.81 ¥2,814

69.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$3.84 ¥606

36.72%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.34 ¥370

40.17%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.19 ¥188

-52.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.63 ¥98.8

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.00 ¥317

-38.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$2.34 ¥369

-2.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.51 ¥238

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.26 ¥199

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$5.42 ¥856

-81.00%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.99 ¥315

-16.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$12.71 ¥2,008

33.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.73 ¥1,537

-67.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$32.13 ¥5,076

-59.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.78 ¥596

-40.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.28 ¥361

-27.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$6.23 ¥985

-67.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.19 ¥661

-60.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.86 ¥610

-80.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.53 ¥558

-73.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.28 ¥202

-50.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.01 ¥159

-40.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.52 ¥557

7.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$8.02 ¥1,266

35.54%

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

$1.45 ¥230

11.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.50 ¥236

-59.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$52.4 ¥8,283

-43.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.17 ¥502

-33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$3.08 ¥486

-86.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$26.27 ¥4,151

-65.51%

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

$19.0K ¥3.0M

0.28%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$16.3K ¥2.6M

14.75%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$147 ¥23.3K

-60.78%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.31 ¥3,840

-66.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$43.93 ¥6,940

-76.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.9 ¥8,195

26.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$12.83 ¥2,028

38.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$8.17 ¥1,290

9.55%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$318 ¥50.3K

344.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$6,203 ¥980.0K

349.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.88 ¥7,880

8.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$24.95 ¥3,941

48.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$44.99 ¥7,108

65.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$66.1 ¥10.4K

59.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$521 ¥82.4K

102.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$327 ¥51.7K

78.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,113 ¥175.9K

123.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$726 ¥114.7K

69.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,165 ¥658.0K

234.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,745 ¥275.8K

258.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,509 ¥238.4K

13.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.9

76.84%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Tsu

$327 25.8% 44.1% $258

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Tsu

$384 30.2% 63.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Tsu

$84 6.6% 31.4% $38

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Tsu

$113 8.9% 6.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Tsu

$68 5.4% 18.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Tsu

$216 17% 182% $139

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Tsu

$77 6.1% 113% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $521 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 13% 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 $18.00 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $384, with Shanghai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

279,241

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Tsu 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Tsu differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,269 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $521 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $318 in Tsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Tsu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,269 in Tsu, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Tsu. 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 Tsu 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 2% less than in Tsu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.