Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blacktown and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,495 in Blacktown, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
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Blacktown Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,495

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Blacktown 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 Blacktown and in Shanghai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,495 in Blacktown versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Blacktown $2,495
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,772 in Blacktown versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Blacktown $3,772
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,049 in Blacktown versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Blacktown $5,049
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Blacktown is roughly 101% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Blacktown is 85% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 A$30.36

$4.56 ¥30.47

362.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.0 A$127

$30.21 ¥202

191.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.19

$5.25 ¥35.13

101.14%

Cappuccino

$4.19 A$6.03

$3.28 ¥21.94

27.74%

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

$3.02 A$4.35

$0.57 ¥3.84

429.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.57

$0.36 ¥2.39

588.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 A$11.68

$1.23 ¥8.23

560.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 A$13.86

$2.27 ¥15.18

324.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.84 ¥12.30

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.62

$1.96 ¥13.08

63.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.64

$1.03 ¥6.87

145.63%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.60

$1.67 ¥11.16

216.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 A$18.99

$16.96 ¥113

-22.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.37

$3.19 ¥21.33

212.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 A$22.23

$12.90 ¥86.3

19.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 A$5.83

$2.24 ¥15.00

80.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.63

$1.66 ¥11.13

93.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.17

$2.02 ¥13.54

77.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 A$7.39

$1.66 ¥11.08

209.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.42

$0.77 ¥5.17

298.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$0.93 ¥6.21

192.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.63 ¥4.19

290.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$0.60 ¥3.99

131.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.16 A$65.0

$3.80 ¥25.44

1088.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 A$19.80

$10.87 ¥72.7

26.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$6.79

$0.82 ¥5.51

475.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 A$8.14

$1.61 ¥10.76

251.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 A$4.27

$0.61 ¥4.11

386.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 A$100

$29.40 ¥197

137.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 A$5.71

$2.11 ¥14.11

88.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.43 ¥2.87

267.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.07 A$62.0

$9.06 ¥60.6

375.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.33 ¥8.89

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

$27.3K A$39.3K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

43.71%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

58.87%

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

$182 A$262

$57.8 ¥387

214.63%

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

$26.93 A$38.75

$8.09 ¥54.1

232.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$81.3

$10.48 ¥70.0

438.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 A$79.2

$65.7 ¥439

-16.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 A$24.67

$17.82 ¥119

-3.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.45 A$22.24

$8.95 ¥59.9

72.63%

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

$2,320 A$3,338

$1,414 ¥9,451

64.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.7K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-26.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 A$108

$54.0 ¥361

38.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 A$79.2

$37.09 ¥248

48.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$156

$74.3 ¥496

45.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$188

$106 ¥706

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,070

$1,055 ¥7,056

36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 A$1,660

$585 ¥3,910

97.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 A$2,920

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-18.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 A$2,860

$1,232 ¥8,240

61.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,902 A$8,492

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-57.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,575 A$6,583

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-26.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

3.36

77.08%

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

Last update for Blacktown: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blacktown

$1.2K 46.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 49.3% $569

Groceries & Markets

Blacktown

$398 16%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 41% $163

Eating Out

Blacktown

$333 13.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 68.1% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blacktown

$265 10.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.2% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Blacktown

$166 6.7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 26.5% $44

Getting Around

Blacktown

$94 3.8%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 61.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Blacktown

$86 3.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 2.7% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,439 in Blacktown and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $88.0 in Blacktown vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

3 h behind Blacktown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,942

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 →

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Blacktown Shanghai 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Blacktown
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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

Blacktown vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,743 in Blacktown 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: $1,439 in Blacktown versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 138% less than in Blacktown. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,320 in Blacktown versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,495 in Blacktown, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Blacktown. 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, Blacktown 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 101% less than in Blacktown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.