Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $2,529 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,529

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,529 per month in Cairns vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cairns $2,529
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $3,731 per month in Cairns vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cairns $3,731
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $4,933 per month in Cairns vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Cairns $4,933
Shanghai $2,789

Cairns costs about 102% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairns sits 89% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 A$25.40

$4.55 ¥30.45

288.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.6 A$140

$29.52 ¥198

230.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.79 A$18.37

$5.10 ¥34.13

150.78%

Cappuccino

$4.32 A$6.20

$3.42 ¥22.92

26.32%

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

$3.14 A$4.51

$0.61 ¥4.12

414.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.93

$0.36 ¥2.41

661.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 A$9.83

$1.21 ¥8.08

465.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 A$11.98

$2.29 ¥15.33

264.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 A$2.79

$1.86 ¥12.48

4.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.78

$2.01 ¥13.47

30.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.02 ¥6.84

151.96%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.74

$1.72 ¥11.48

213.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.17

$17.19 ¥115

-46.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.48 A$19.36

$3.35 ¥22.43

302.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.26 A$21.91

$12.80 ¥85.7

19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$2.17 ¥14.54

92.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.95

$1.74 ¥11.67

58.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.08

$1.94 ¥12.99

82.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 A$8.11

$1.68 ¥11.25

236.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.68

$0.77 ¥5.18

232.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$0.93 ¥6.22

177.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 A$3.89

$0.62 ¥4.17

337.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.72

$0.58 ¥3.88

346.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.78 A$62.9

$3.83 ¥25.64

1043.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$20.05

$10.94 ¥73.2

27.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.10

$0.84 ¥5.60

322.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.49

$1.60 ¥10.73

226.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.12

$0.59 ¥3.92

503.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.43 A$22.16

$30.27 ¥203

-49.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 A$3.81

$2.06 ¥13.79

28.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.96 A$2.82

$0.47 ¥3.13

317.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 A$60.6

$8.80 ¥58.9

379.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.84

$1.27 ¥8.53

0.79%

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

$31.3K A$45.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

59.88%

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

$40.8K A$58.6K

$18.6K ¥124.4K

119.74%

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

$164 A$235

$57.2 ¥383

185.97%

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

$34.95 A$50.2

$8.06 ¥53.9

333.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 A$93.3

$10.52 ¥70.4

517.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.38 A$63.7

$64.6 ¥433

-31.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.37 A$39.31

$17.63 ¥118

55.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$20.07

$8.84 ¥59.1

58.03%

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

$2,069 A$2,972

$1,437 ¥9,620

43.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K A$20.3K

$28.1K ¥187.9K

-49.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$128

$54.7 ¥366

62.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.7 A$103

$36.43 ¥244

96.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$175

$75.4 ¥504

61.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$104 ¥696

24.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 A$2,106

$1,039 ¥6,956

41.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,757

$589 ¥3,940

107.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 A$3,232

$2,487 ¥16.6K

-9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,793

$1,237 ¥8,282

57.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,629 A$9,523

$13.6K ¥90.9K

-51.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,015 A$7,204

$6,191 ¥41.4K

-18.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,289 A$6,160

$1,715 ¥11.5K

150.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

3.36

88.10%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 5, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 51.9% $635

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.3%

Shanghai

$237 19% 42.1% $172

Eating Out

Cairns

$306 12.2%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 64.9% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$264 10.5%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 71.2% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$185 7.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 34.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$72 2.9%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 13.8% $10

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Shanghai

$37 3% 12.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,466 in Cairns versus $1,039 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 150% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Cairns versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

2 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Cairns Shanghai 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
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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

Cairns vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 102% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,793 per month in Cairns and $1,874 in Shanghai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shanghai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98.0 in Cairns and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Cairns at $2,529. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shanghai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Shanghai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.