Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubbo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,503 in Dubbo, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Dubbo
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Dubbo Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Dubbo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,503

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,503 per month in Dubbo vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dubbo $2,503
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,617 per month in Dubbo vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dubbo $3,617
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Dubbo vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Dubbo $4,732
Shanghai $2,755

Dubbo costs about 101% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubbo sits 85% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.46 A$25.13

$4.56 ¥30.43

282.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$30.21 ¥202

175.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.80

$5.25 ¥35.08

95.81%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.69

$3.28 ¥21.91

20.73%

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

$2.89 A$4.15

$0.57 ¥3.84

407.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 A$3.18

$0.36 ¥2.38

513.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 A$12.05

$1.23 ¥8.22

580.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.16

$2.27 ¥15.16

272.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.27

$1.84 ¥12.28

-14.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 A$3.94

$1.96 ¥13.06

39.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.30

$1.03 ¥6.86

123.30%

Eggs

$4.79 A$6.89

$1.67 ¥11.15

186.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.25

$16.96 ¥113

-45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 A$13.29

$3.19 ¥21.30

189.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 A$20.66

$12.90 ¥86.1

11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.68

$2.24 ¥14.98

45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$3.86 A$5.56

$1.66 ¥11.12

132.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.92

$2.02 ¥13.52

35.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 A$8.26

$1.66 ¥11.07

245.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.77 ¥5.17

211.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.39

$0.93 ¥6.20

152.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.32

$0.63 ¥4.18

266.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.60 ¥3.98

176.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.59 A$46.90

$3.80 ¥25.40

757.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 A$20.40

$10.87 ¥72.6

30.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.55 A$6.54

$0.82 ¥5.50

454.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 A$7.19

$1.61 ¥10.75

209.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.07

$0.61 ¥4.11

363.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$29.40 ¥196

179.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.98

$2.11 ¥14.09

63.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 A$2.63

$0.43 ¥2.86

325.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.60 A$65.6

$9.06 ¥60.5

403.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 A$1.81

$1.33 ¥8.88

-5.26%

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

$27.3K A$39.3K

$19.0K ¥127.0K

43.42%

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

$29.2K A$42.0K

$18.7K ¥124.9K

55.97%

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

$200 A$288

$57.8 ¥386

246.62%

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

$27.29 A$39.27

$8.09 ¥54.0

237.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.1 A$120

$10.48 ¥69.9

692.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$81.2

$65.7 ¥439

-14.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.53 A$25.22

$17.82 ¥119

-1.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.54 A$20.92

$8.95 ¥59.8

62.46%

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

$2,309 A$3,323

$1,414 ¥9,438

63.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K A$31.2K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

-22.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 A$109

$54.0 ¥360

40.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$78.0

$37.09 ¥248

46.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$156

$74.3 ¥496

45.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$106 ¥705

15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,375

$1,055 ¥7,046

-9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 A$1,687

$585 ¥3,904

100.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 A$2,297

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-35.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 A$2,562

$1,232 ¥8,228

44.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,746 A$2,512

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-87.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,570 A$6,576

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-26.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,142 A$3,082

$1,711 ¥11.4K

25.19%

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 Dubbo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubbo

$1.2K 46.8%

Shanghai

$585 47% 50.1% $587

Groceries & Markets

Dubbo

$370 14.8%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 36.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubbo

$311 12.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 75.4% $234

Eating Out

Dubbo

$297 11.9%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 64.3% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Dubbo

$162 6.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 24.7% $40

Getting Around

Dubbo

$106 4.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 66% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Dubbo

$85 3.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 2.2% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $956 in Dubbo 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.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Dubbo, 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 $83.0 in Dubbo versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Dubbo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

3 h behind Dubbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,808

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 →

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Between locations

Dubbo Shanghai 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubbo
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

Dubbo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,503 in Dubbo, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,755 per month in Dubbo 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.

Kindergarten costs $2,309 per month in Dubbo and $1,414 in Shanghai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Dubbo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Dubbo at $2,503. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubbo 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, Dubbo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.