Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,791 per month in Canberra vs $1,250 in Shanghai, rent included.

Canberra $2,791
Shanghai $1,250

A couple spends around $3,958 per month in Canberra vs $2,019 in Shanghai, rent included.

Canberra $3,958
Shanghai $2,019

A family of three spends $5,125 per month in Canberra vs $2,789 in Shanghai, rent included.

Canberra $5,125
Shanghai $2,789

Canberra costs about 123% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Canberra sits 108% above the global median, while Shanghai is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.14 A$24.53

$4.55 ¥30.40

276.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$126

$29.52 ¥197

199.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 A$15.03

$5.10 ¥34.08

105.88%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.63

$3.42 ¥22.88

15.20%

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

$3.17 A$4.54

$0.61 ¥4.11

419.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.76

$0.36 ¥2.40

630.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.90

$1.21 ¥8.07

587.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.73 A$13.93

$2.29 ¥15.31

324.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.14

$1.86 ¥12.46

-19.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.60

$2.01 ¥13.45

59.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.78

$1.02 ¥6.83

158.82%

Eggs

$5.25 A$7.51

$1.72 ¥11.46

205.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 A$18.71

$17.19 ¥115

-23.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.54

$3.35 ¥22.39

203.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.15

$12.80 ¥85.5

20.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.63

$2.17 ¥14.51

81.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.43

$1.74 ¥11.65

77.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.14

$1.94 ¥12.96

85.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 A$7.28

$1.68 ¥11.23

202.98%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$0.77 ¥5.17

296.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$0.93 ¥6.21

197.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.51

$0.62 ¥4.16

296.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.34

$0.58 ¥3.88

182.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.29 A$63.4

$3.83 ¥25.60

1056.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.28

$10.94 ¥73.1

29.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.87

$0.84 ¥5.59

471.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 A$8.08

$1.60 ¥10.71

253.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 A$4.09

$0.59 ¥3.92

384.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$133

$30.27 ¥202

207.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 A$5.67

$2.06 ¥13.77

92.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.47 ¥3.13

246.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.39 A$60.7

$8.80 ¥58.8

381.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.27 ¥8.51

3.15%

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

$27.4K A$39.3K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

40.04%

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

$29.3K A$41.9K

$18.6K ¥124.2K

57.63%

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

$179 A$256

$57.2 ¥382

212.95%

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

$26.92 A$38.53

$8.06 ¥53.8

234.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$78.5

$10.52 ¥70.3

421.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.2 A$119

$64.6 ¥432

28.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.11 A$38.80

$17.63 ¥118

53.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.51 A$22.20

$8.84 ¥59.1

75.45%

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

$2,382 A$3,410

$1,437 ¥9,605

65.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.7K

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$54.7 ¥365

40.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 A$79.3

$36.43 ¥243

52.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$164

$75.4 ¥504

52.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$104 ¥695

27.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 A$2,449

$1,039 ¥6,945

64.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,100

$589 ¥3,933

149.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 A$4,433

$2,487 ¥16.6K

24.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 A$2,816

$1,237 ¥8,268

59.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.2K A$16.0K

$13.6K ¥90.8K

-17.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,417 A$10.6K

$6,191 ¥41.4K

19.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,310 A$6,168

$1,715 ¥11.5K

151.28%

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 Canberra: October 3, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Shanghai

$589 47.1% 59.9% $879

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$401 14.2%

Shanghai

$237 19% 40.9% $164

Eating Out

Canberra

$300 10.6%

Shanghai

$107 8.6% 64.2% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$261 9.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.9% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$171 6%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 28.6% $49

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Shanghai

$37 3% 68.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$114 4%

Shanghai

$82 6.6% 27.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,711 in Canberra 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 151% higher in Canberra, 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 $88.0 in Canberra versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $401 vs $237 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

3 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canberra Shanghai 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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

Canberra vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,791 in Canberra, $1,250 in Shanghai – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,187 per month in Canberra 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,791 in Canberra and $1,250 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 123%.

Public transport costs about 207% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra 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, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.