Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Double Bay and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,632 in Double Bay, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Double Bay
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Double Bay Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Double Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,632

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,632 per month in Double Bay vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Double Bay $2,632
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Double Bay vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Double Bay $3,645
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in Double Bay vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Double Bay $4,658
Shanghai $2,755

Double Bay costs about 112% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Double Bay sits 95% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 A$24.53

$4.56 ¥30.46

274.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 A$127

$30.21 ¥202

192.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.28

$5.25 ¥35.12

102.48%

Cappuccino

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.28 ¥21.93

19.21%

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

$2.86 A$4.11

$0.57 ¥3.84

401.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.25

$0.36 ¥2.39

527.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 A$10.91

$1.23 ¥8.23

517.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.38 A$10.60

$2.27 ¥15.17

225.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.19

$1.84 ¥12.29

-17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.18

$1.96 ¥13.07

48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.47

$1.03 ¥6.87

133.98%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.65

$1.67 ¥11.16

218.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 A$17.01

$16.96 ¥113

-30.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.71 A$13.96

$3.19 ¥21.32

204.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 A$21.62

$12.90 ¥86.2

16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 A$5.59

$2.24 ¥15.00

73.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.40

$1.66 ¥11.13

84.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.88

$2.02 ¥13.53

68.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 A$6.41

$1.66 ¥11.08

168.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$0.77 ¥5.17

296.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.46

$0.93 ¥6.21

159.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.25

$0.63 ¥4.19

258.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 A$1.68

$0.60 ¥3.98

95.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.16 A$64.9

$3.80 ¥25.43

1088.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.16 A$20.36

$10.87 ¥72.6

30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.01 A$5.77

$0.82 ¥5.51

389.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 A$5.64

$1.61 ¥10.76

144.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.59 A$3.72

$0.61 ¥4.11

324.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.5 A$131

$29.40 ¥196

211.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 A$4.95

$2.11 ¥14.10

63.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.43 ¥2.87

279.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.42 A$56.7

$9.06 ¥60.6

335.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.97

$1.33 ¥8.89

3.01%

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

$27.2K A$39.1K

$19.0K ¥127.1K

42.86%

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

$30.2K A$43.4K

$18.7K ¥125.0K

61.38%

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

$179 A$257

$57.8 ¥386

209.65%

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

$26.22 A$37.69

$8.09 ¥54.1

224.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 A$79.3

$10.48 ¥70.0

426.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 A$83.2

$65.7 ¥439

-11.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.07 A$28.85

$17.82 ¥119

12.63%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 A$22.23

$8.95 ¥59.8

72.85%

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

$2,224 A$3,196

$1,414 ¥9,447

57.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.4K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-26.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$54.0 ¥361

43.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 A$81.1

$37.09 ¥248

52.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$157

$74.3 ¥496

46.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$106 ¥706

25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 A$2,243

$1,055 ¥7,052

47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 A$1,926

$585 ¥3,908

129.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 A$2,740

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-23.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 A$2,439

$1,232 ¥8,236

37.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,994 A$8,614

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-56.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,428 A$6,364

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-29.18%

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 Double Bay: 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

Double Bay

$1.3K 50.9%

Shanghai

$585 47% 56.4% $755

Groceries & Markets

Double Bay

$371 14.1%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 36.8% $137

Eating Out

Double Bay

$289 11%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 63.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Double Bay

$260 9.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 70.7% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Double Bay

$169 6.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 27.8% $47

Getting Around

Double Bay

$113 4.3%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 68.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Double Bay

$89 3.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 5.9% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Double Bay 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 $88.0 in Double Bay versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Double Bay

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

3 h behind Double Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,651

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Double Bay Shanghai 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Double Bay
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

Double Bay vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Double Bay is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,947 per month in Double Bay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Double Bay and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,632 in Double Bay and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 112%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Double Bay at $2,632. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Double Bay 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, Double Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.