Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,666 in Denver, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Denver
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Denver Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

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Denver

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,666

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,666 per month in Denver vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Denver $2,666
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,649 per month in Denver vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Denver $3,649
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,631 per month in Denver vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Denver $4,631
Shanghai $2,755

Denver costs about 114% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Denver sits 98% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.94 A$24.37

$4.56 ¥30.43

271.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.2 A$137

$30.21 ¥202

215.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.43

$5.25 ¥35.08

104.19%

Cappuccino

$4.40 A$6.33

$3.28 ¥21.91

34.15%

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

$2.80 A$4.03

$0.57 ¥3.84

391.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.68

$0.36 ¥2.38

611.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.27

$1.23 ¥8.22

536.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 A$10.74

$2.27 ¥15.16

228.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.92

$1.84 ¥12.28

-27.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.31

$1.96 ¥13.06

52.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.65

$1.03 ¥6.86

145.63%

Eggs

$5.49 A$7.89

$1.67 ¥11.15

228.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 A$14.02

$16.96 ¥113

-42.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 A$15.16

$3.19 ¥21.30

230.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.60 A$18.12

$12.90 ¥86.1

-2.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 A$5.48

$2.24 ¥14.98

70.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.49

$1.66 ¥11.12

87.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.37

$2.02 ¥13.52

50.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 A$7.31

$1.66 ¥11.07

206.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$0.77 ¥5.17

268.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$0.93 ¥6.20

134.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.63 ¥4.18

280.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 A$2.07

$0.60 ¥3.98

140.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.07 A$62.0

$3.80 ¥25.40

1033.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.42 A$20.76

$10.87 ¥72.6

32.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.92 A$7.08

$0.82 ¥5.50

500.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.86

$1.61 ¥10.75

239.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 A$3.82

$0.61 ¥4.11

334.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 A$128

$29.40 ¥196

202.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.73

$2.11 ¥14.09

88.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$0.43 ¥2.86

279.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.09 A$54.8

$9.06 ¥60.5

320.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.07

$1.33 ¥8.88

8.27%

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

$29.0K A$41.7K

$19.0K ¥127.0K

52.39%

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

$31.1K A$44.8K

$18.7K ¥124.9K

66.29%

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

$210 A$302

$57.8 ¥386

262.46%

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

$27.33 A$39.33

$8.09 ¥54.0

237.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.3

$10.48 ¥69.9

459.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 A$76.7

$65.7 ¥439

-18.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.34 A$26.39

$17.82 ¥119

2.92%

Cinema Ticket

$16.27 A$23.41

$8.95 ¥59.8

81.79%

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

$2,199 A$3,165

$1,414 ¥9,438

55.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K A$32.6K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-18.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.2

$54.0 ¥360

26.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.94 A$70.4

$37.09 ¥248

31.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$150

$74.3 ¥496

40.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$181

$106 ¥705

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 A$1,846

$1,055 ¥7,046

21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 A$1,938

$585 ¥3,904

130.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-22.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,630 A$2,345

$1,232 ¥8,228

32.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,692

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-56.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,705 A$6,770

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-24.75%

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 Denver: 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

Denver

$1.3K 50.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 56.6% $762

Groceries & Markets

Denver

$375 14.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 37.3% $140

Eating Out

Denver

$296 11.1%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 64.2% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver

$295 11.1%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 74.2% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Denver

$156 5.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 22.1% $34

Getting Around

Denver

$112 4.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 67.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Denver

$86 3.2%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 2.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,283 in Denver versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95.0 in Denver versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Denver

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

3 h behind Denver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Denver Shanghai 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Denver vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,666 in Denver, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 114% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,000 per month in Denver and $1,865 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.

Public transport costs about 203% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,199 per month in Denver and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Denver at $2,666. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Denver 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, Denver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.