Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankston and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,361 in Frankston, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Frankston
Learn more

Frankston Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Frankston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,361

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,361 per month in Frankston vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Frankston $2,361
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,320 per month in Frankston vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Frankston $3,320
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,278 per month in Frankston vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Frankston $4,278
Shanghai $2,755

Frankston costs about 90% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Frankston sits 75% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.79 A$21.28

$4.56 ¥30.47

224.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 A$86.4

$30.21 ¥202

98.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 A$14.74

$5.25 ¥35.13

95.05%

Cappuccino

$2.74 A$3.95

$3.28 ¥21.94

-16.46%

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

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.57 ¥3.84

435.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 A$3.03

$0.36 ¥2.39

486.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.51 A$13.69

$1.23 ¥8.23

673.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 A$10.06

$2.27 ¥15.18

207.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.84 ¥12.30

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 A$3.68

$1.96 ¥13.08

30.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 A$3.02

$1.03 ¥6.87

103.88%

Eggs

$3.79 A$5.45

$1.67 ¥11.16

126.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 A$15.15

$16.96 ¥113

-37.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 A$13.91

$3.19 ¥21.33

202.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 A$11.30

$12.90 ¥86.3

-39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.77

$2.24 ¥15.00

16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.33

$1.66 ¥11.13

81.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.91

$2.02 ¥13.54

34.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$1.66 ¥11.08

69.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.30

$0.77 ¥5.17

288.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.64

$0.93 ¥6.21

172.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.44

$0.63 ¥4.19

279.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.02

$0.60 ¥3.99

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.29 A$60.9

$3.80 ¥25.44

1012.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 A$8.90

$10.87 ¥72.7

-43.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.45

$0.82 ¥5.51

276.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.91

$1.61 ¥10.76

155.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 A$4.91

$0.61 ¥4.11

459.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 A$117

$29.40 ¥197

177.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 A$6.42

$2.11 ¥14.11

111.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.97

$0.43 ¥2.87

218.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.40 A$43.74

$9.06 ¥60.6

235.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 A$1.73

$1.33 ¥8.89

-9.77%

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

$28.7K A$41.3K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

50.95%

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

$26.2K A$37.7K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

39.99%

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

$228 A$328

$57.8 ¥387

294.81%

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

$10.55 A$15.18

$8.09 ¥54.1

30.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 A$79.1

$10.48 ¥70.0

424.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 A$79.2

$65.7 ¥439

-16.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.76

$17.82 ¥119

0.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 A$22.34

$8.95 ¥59.9

73.41%

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

$2,391 A$3,441

$1,414 ¥9,451

69.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.0K A$43.2K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

7.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 A$114

$54.0 ¥361

46.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.82 A$71.7

$37.09 ¥248

34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 A$124

$74.3 ¥496

15.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.85 A$70.3

$106 ¥706

-53.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 A$1,978

$1,055 ¥7,056

30.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 A$1,714

$585 ¥3,910

103.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 A$3,118

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-12.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,578

$1,232 ¥8,240

45.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,300 A$9,066

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-54.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,043 A$7,257

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-19.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,335 A$6,237

$1,711 ¥11.4K

153.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.36

75.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Frankston: 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

Frankston

$1.2K 50.5%

Shanghai

$585 47% 50.9% $607

Groceries & Markets

Frankston

$301 12.7%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 21.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankston

$294 12.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 74% $217

Eating Out

Frankston

$264 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 59.9% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Frankston

$119 5%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 2.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Frankston

$106 4.5%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 66.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Frankston

$86 3.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 2.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,374 in Frankston 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 153% higher in Frankston, 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 $60.0 in Frankston versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Frankston

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

3 h behind Frankston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,331

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

Frankston Shanghai 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Frankston
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

Frankston vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Frankston is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,541 per month in Frankston 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.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Frankston, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Frankston and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Frankston at $2,361. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Frankston 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, Frankston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.