Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berwick and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,633 in Berwick, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Berwick
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Berwick Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Berwick

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,633

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berwick and in Shanghai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Berwick and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,633 in Berwick versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Berwick $2,633
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,679 in Berwick versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Berwick $3,679
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,726 in Berwick versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Berwick $4,726
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Berwick is roughly 112% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Berwick is 95% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 A$24.54

$4.56 ¥30.47

273.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 A$120

$30.21 ¥202

175.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 A$15.26

$5.25 ¥35.13

102.10%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.55

$3.28 ¥21.94

38.72%

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

$2.82 A$4.06

$0.57 ¥3.84

394.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 A$3.18

$0.36 ¥2.39

513.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 A$10.71

$1.23 ¥8.23

504.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.80

$2.27 ¥15.18

230.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.84 ¥12.30

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 A$3.59

$1.96 ¥13.08

27.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 A$2.99

$1.03 ¥6.87

101.94%

Eggs

$4.25 A$6.11

$1.67 ¥11.16

154.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 A$12.40

$16.96 ¥113

-49.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.11 A$14.55

$3.19 ¥21.33

216.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 A$18.24

$12.90 ¥86.3

-1.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.06

$2.24 ¥15.00

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.06

$1.66 ¥11.13

69.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.02 ¥13.54

48.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$7.08

$1.66 ¥11.08

196.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.40

$0.77 ¥5.17

297.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.58

$0.93 ¥6.21

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 A$3.11

$0.63 ¥4.19

242.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$0.60 ¥3.99

131.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$40.63 A$58.5

$3.80 ¥25.44

969.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 A$19.85

$10.87 ¥72.7

26.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.00 A$5.75

$0.82 ¥5.51

387.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 A$7.00

$1.61 ¥10.76

201.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 A$3.71

$0.61 ¥4.11

322.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.4 A$117

$29.40 ¥197

176.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.39

$2.11 ¥14.11

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 A$2.08

$0.43 ¥2.87

237.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.87 A$51.6

$9.06 ¥60.6

295.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.33 ¥8.89

2.26%

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

$25.8K A$37.2K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

35.73%

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

$32.2K A$46.3K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

72.09%

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

$217 A$312

$57.8 ¥387

275.32%

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

$31.64 A$45.53

$8.09 ¥54.1

291.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 A$88.6

$10.48 ¥70.0

487.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 A$91.5

$65.7 ¥439

-3.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.69 A$24.02

$17.82 ¥119

-6.34%

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 A$20.07

$8.95 ¥59.9

55.75%

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

$1,927 A$2,773

$1,414 ¥9,451

36.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.6K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-28.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.9 A$116

$54.0 ¥361

49.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 A$73.8

$37.09 ¥248

38.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$74.3 ¥496

52.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$162

$106 ¥706

6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 A$1,747

$1,055 ¥7,056

15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 A$1,906

$585 ¥3,910

126.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,223

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-9.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 A$2,620

$1,232 ¥8,240

47.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,328 A$7,667

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-61.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,547 A$7,982

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-11.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.36

73.81%

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

Last update for Berwick: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berwick

$1.3K 50.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 55.9% $740

Groceries & Markets

Berwick

$348 13.2%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 32.6% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berwick

$310 11.8%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 75.4% $234

Eating Out

Berwick

$295 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 64.1% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Berwick

$161 6.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 24.3% $39

Getting Around

Berwick

$102 3.9%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 64.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Berwick

$92 3.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 8.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,214 in Berwick and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Berwick vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Berwick

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

3 h behind Berwick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,674

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berwick Shanghai 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Berwick
Shanghai

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

Berwick vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,949 in Berwick and $1,865 in Shanghai 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: $1,214 in Berwick versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $83.0 in Berwick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,633 per month in Berwick versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 112% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,633 in Berwick, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Berwick. 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, Berwick and Shanghai 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 112% less than in Berwick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.