Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Yokosuka

For one person, living costs are similar in Shanghai and in Yokosuka: $1,244 and $1,193 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Yokosuka
Learn more

Yokosuka Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Yokosuka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Yokosuka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $1,193 in Yokosuka.

Shanghai $1,244
Yokosuka $1,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $2,146 in Yokosuka.

Shanghai $1,999
Yokosuka $2,146

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $3,099 in Yokosuka.

Shanghai $2,755
Yokosuka $3,099

Living in Shanghai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Yokosuka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Yokosuka 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$6.24 ¥987

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$31.79 ¥5,023

-4.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$5.05 ¥798

3.96%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.81 ¥445

16.73%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$1.28 ¥203

-55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.87 ¥137

-58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$2.54 ¥402

-51.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$3.19 ¥504

-28.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.45 ¥229

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.55 ¥245

26.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$4.19 ¥663

-75.42%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.98 ¥312

-15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.29 ¥1,626

64.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$6.20 ¥980

-48.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$17.37 ¥2,745

-25.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$5.68 ¥897

-60.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.79 ¥441

-40.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.17 ¥501

-36.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.21 ¥665

-60.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.54 ¥401

-69.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.53 ¥400

-63.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$1.25 ¥197

-49.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.87 ¥137

-31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$3.71 ¥586

2.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$6.34 ¥1,001

71.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$2.45 ¥388

-66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.01 ¥317

-19.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.25 ¥355

-72.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$62.3 ¥9,849

-52.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.07 ¥485

-31.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$2.79 ¥441

-84.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$15.84 ¥2,502

-42.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.06 ¥167

25.47%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$21.2K ¥3.3M

-10.27%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

25.41%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$132 ¥20.9K

-56.33%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$24.18 ¥3,820

-66.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$31.00 ¥4,897

-66.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$43.60 ¥6,888

50.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$11.48 ¥1,813

-22.04%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$575 ¥90.8K

145.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

87.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$49.42 ¥7,807

9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$35.20 ¥5,561

5.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$59.6 ¥9,408

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$96.6 ¥15.3K

9.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$539 ¥85.2K

95.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$311 ¥49.2K

87.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$958 ¥151.3K

159.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,207 ¥190.7K

2.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$3,026 ¥478.0K

-43.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

2.23

50.67%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yokosuka: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Yokosuka

$311 26.1% 46.8% $273

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Yokosuka

$305 25.5% 29.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Yokosuka

$108 9.1% 11.1% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Yokosuka

$127 10.6% 19.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Yokosuka

$67 5.6% 20.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Yokosuka

$188 15.7% 146% $111

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Yokosuka

$88 7.4% 145% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $539 in Yokosuka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yokosuka pays 77% 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 $32.00 in Yokosuka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $305 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇯🇵 Yokosuka

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

11:07 11:07 AM

1 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

388,078

💱 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 Yokosuka 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Yokosuka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Yokosuka differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $1,193 including rent). Yokosuka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Yokosuka. 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 $539 in Yokosuka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $575 in Yokosuka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Shanghai pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,193 in Yokosuka versus $1,244 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yokosuka but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Yokosuka 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 Yokosuka 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 Yokosuka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.