Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Tsushima Island

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Tsushima Island: $1,244 and $1,243 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Tsushima Island
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Tsushima Island Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,243

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Tsushima Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,243 in Tsushima Island.

Shanghai $1,244
Tsushima Island $1,243

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,932 in Tsushima Island.

Shanghai $1,999
Tsushima Island $1,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $2,621 in Tsushima Island.

Shanghai $2,755
Tsushima Island $2,621

Monthly costs are close between Shanghai and Tsushima Island; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Tsushima Island 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$7.05 ¥1,115

-35.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$34.88 ¥5,511

-13.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.41 ¥855

-2.96%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.10 ¥489

5.81%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.09 ¥172

-47.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.76 ¥121

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.14 ¥338

-42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.04 ¥480

-25.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.51 ¥239

21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.65 ¥261

18.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.90 ¥774

-78.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$2.32 ¥366

-28.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.15 ¥1,604

67.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.14 ¥970

-48.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.73 ¥2,485

-17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.23 ¥826

-57.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.55 ¥402

-34.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$4.07 ¥644

-50.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.65 ¥735

-64.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.31 ¥523

-76.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.68 ¥424

-65.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.38 ¥218

-54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.88 ¥139

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$4.21 ¥665

-9.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.52 ¥1,031

66.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.01 ¥317

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.30 ¥364

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.67 ¥264

-63.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$55.2 ¥8,717

-46.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.45 ¥546

-38.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.91 ¥460

-85.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$21.07 ¥3,329

-57.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.24 ¥196

7.26%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$23.1K ¥3.6M

-17.53%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

8.87%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$139 ¥21.9K

-58.39%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$26.86 ¥4,244

-69.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$34.31 ¥5,420

-69.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$58.7 ¥9,269

11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$13.77 ¥2,176

29.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$13.36 ¥2,111

-33.01%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$283 ¥44.7K

399.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$13.3K ¥2.1M

108.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$42.68 ¥6,742

26.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$29.86 ¥4,717

24.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$59.3 ¥9,365

25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$90.5 ¥14.3K

16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$463 ¥73.1K

128.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$334 ¥52.8K

74.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$877 ¥138.6K

183.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$657 ¥103.8K

87.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$2,841 ¥448.8K

390.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$1,775 ¥280.5K

252.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

1.81

85.64%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Tsushima Island

$334 26.9% 42.8% $250

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Tsushima Island

$309 24.9% 31.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.1% 17.9% $22

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.8% 26.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 2.1% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Tsushima Island

$200 16.1% 162% $124

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Tsushima Island

$80 6.4% 121% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $463 in Tsushima Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $35.00 in Tsushima Island for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $309 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

16:47 4:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

28,000

💱 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 →

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Shanghai Tsushima Island 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $1,864 in Tsushima Island to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $463 in Tsushima Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tsushima Island runs roughly 88% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 32% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,243 in Tsushima Island versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tsushima Island but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Tsushima Island 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 Tsushima Island are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Tsushima Island wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.