Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eden NSW and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,359 in Eden NSW, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Eden NSW
Learn more

Eden NSW Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Eden NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,359

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,359 in Eden NSW versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Eden NSW $2,359
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,467 in Eden NSW versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Eden NSW $3,467
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,575 in Eden NSW versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Eden NSW $4,575
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Eden NSW is roughly 90% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Eden NSW is 75% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 A$28.70

$4.56 ¥30.47

337.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 A$118

$30.21 ¥202

171.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.80

$5.25 ¥35.13

109.14%

Cappuccino

$3.53 A$5.08

$3.28 ¥21.94

7.62%

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

$2.75 A$3.95

$0.57 ¥3.84

382.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.68

$0.36 ¥2.39

611.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.40 A$10.65

$1.23 ¥8.23

501.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 A$11.12

$2.27 ¥15.18

240.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 A$2.15

$1.84 ¥12.30

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 A$3.35

$1.96 ¥13.08

18.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.03 ¥6.87

135.92%

Eggs

$4.83 A$6.95

$1.67 ¥11.16

189.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 A$14.75

$16.96 ¥113

-39.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.86

$3.19 ¥21.33

158.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 A$20.55

$12.90 ¥86.3

10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.24 ¥15.00

48.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.66 ¥11.13

67.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$2.02 ¥13.54

68.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.97 A$7.15

$1.66 ¥11.08

199.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.55

$0.77 ¥5.17

219.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.83

$0.93 ¥6.21

186.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 A$3.91

$0.63 ¥4.19

330.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 A$2.37

$0.60 ¥3.99

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$35.82 A$51.5

$3.80 ¥25.44

842.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 A$21.06

$10.87 ¥72.7

34.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.83

$0.82 ¥5.51

479.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.87

$1.61 ¥10.76

196.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.97 A$4.28

$0.61 ¥4.11

386.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 A$117

$29.40 ¥197

177.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.16

$2.11 ¥14.11

70.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 A$2.09

$0.43 ¥2.87

237.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.96 A$64.7

$9.06 ¥60.6

396.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.79

$1.33 ¥8.89

-6.77%

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

$26.5K A$38.1K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

39.34%

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

$29.2K A$42.0K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

56.03%

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

$206 A$296

$57.8 ¥387

256.20%

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

$31.31 A$45.05

$8.09 ¥54.1

287.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 A$76.0

$10.48 ¥70.0

404.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 A$91.2

$65.7 ¥439

-3.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 A$27.14

$17.82 ¥119

5.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 A$21.72

$8.95 ¥59.9

68.60%

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

$1,852 A$2,665

$1,414 ¥9,451

31.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$25.9K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

-35.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 A$126

$54.0 ¥361

61.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 A$87.9

$37.09 ¥248

64.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$74.3 ¥496

45.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$106 ¥706

25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 A$1,912

$1,055 ¥7,056

25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 A$1,479

$585 ¥3,910

75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,464 A$3,545

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-0.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 A$2,305

$1,232 ¥8,240

29.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,593 A$8,048

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-59.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,955 A$7,131

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-20.75%

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 Eden NSW: 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

Eden NSW

$1K 43.6%

Shanghai

$585 47% 43.1% $443

Groceries & Markets

Eden NSW

$360 15.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 34.7% $125

Eating Out

Eden NSW

$309 13.1%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 65.6% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eden NSW

$290 12.3%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 73.7% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Eden NSW

$175 7.4%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 30.3% $53

Getting Around

Eden NSW

$104 4.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 65.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Eden NSW

$94 4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 10.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Eden NSW and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Eden NSW vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Eden NSW

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

3 h behind Eden NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,118

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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eden NSW Shanghai 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Eden NSW
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

Eden NSW vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,538 in Eden NSW and $1,865 in Shanghai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,329 in Eden NSW versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $82.0 in Eden NSW. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,359 per month in Eden NSW versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 90% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,359 in Eden NSW, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Eden NSW. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Eden NSW and Shanghai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Eden NSW. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.