Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Goulburn and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,474 in Goulburn, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Goulburn
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Goulburn Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Goulburn

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,474

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,474 per month in Goulburn vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Goulburn $2,474
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,599 per month in Goulburn vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Goulburn $3,599
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,725 per month in Goulburn vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Goulburn $4,725
Shanghai $2,755

Goulburn costs about 99% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Goulburn sits 83% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 A$25.39

$4.56 ¥30.47

287.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$129

$30.21 ¥202

196.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 A$12.35

$5.25 ¥35.13

63.43%

Cappuccino

$3.17 A$4.57

$3.28 ¥21.94

-3.35%

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

$2.85 A$4.10

$0.57 ¥3.84

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.21

$0.36 ¥2.39

519.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.56 A$10.89

$1.23 ¥8.23

514.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 A$10.29

$2.27 ¥15.18

214.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 A$1.43

$1.84 ¥12.30

-46.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 A$2.44

$1.96 ¥13.08

-13.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.21

$1.03 ¥6.87

116.50%

Eggs

$5.11 A$7.35

$1.67 ¥11.16

205.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 A$17.33

$16.96 ¥113

-29.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 A$13.01

$3.19 ¥21.33

183.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.55 A$23.81

$12.90 ¥86.3

28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$2.24 ¥15.00

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 A$2.48

$1.66 ¥11.13

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 A$2.55

$2.02 ¥13.54

-12.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.93

$1.66 ¥11.08

106.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.57

$0.77 ¥5.17

222.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 A$1.93

$0.93 ¥6.21

44.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 A$2.04

$0.63 ¥4.19

125.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 A$1.47

$0.60 ¥3.99

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.56 A$64.1

$3.80 ¥25.44

1072.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 A$11.68

$10.87 ¥72.7

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 A$5.87

$0.82 ¥5.51

397.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 A$5.65

$1.61 ¥10.76

144.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.51 A$3.62

$0.61 ¥4.11

311.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 A$115

$29.40 ¥197

171.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 A$4.06

$2.11 ¥14.11

33.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.43 ¥2.87

267.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.05 A$57.6

$9.06 ¥60.6

342.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.08

$1.33 ¥8.89

8.27%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

52.97%

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

$29.3K A$42.1K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

56.55%

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

$106 A$152

$57.8 ¥387

82.74%

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

$27.03 A$38.90

$8.09 ¥54.1

234.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$81.3

$10.48 ¥70.0

439.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$88.1

$65.7 ¥439

-6.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.67 A$23.98

$17.82 ¥119

-6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 A$11.66

$8.95 ¥59.9

-9.50%

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

$2,202 A$3,168

$1,414 ¥9,451

55.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K A$41.3K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

3.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$54.0 ¥361

43.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.8 A$102

$37.09 ¥248

90.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$162

$74.3 ¥496

51.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$106 ¥706

25.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 A$1,964

$1,055 ¥7,056

29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,343 A$1,932

$585 ¥3,910

129.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 A$2,919

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-18.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,019 A$2,905

$1,232 ¥8,240

63.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,255 A$7,563

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-62.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,288 A$6,171

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-31.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,998 A$5,753

$1,711 ¥11.4K

133.66%

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 Goulburn: 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

Goulburn

$1.3K 54.3%

Shanghai

$585 47% 56.5% $758

Groceries & Markets

Goulburn

$310 12.5%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 24.2% $75

Eating Out

Goulburn

$277 11.2%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 61.8% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Goulburn

$189 7.7%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 59.6% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Goulburn

$177 7.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 31% $55

Getting Around

Goulburn

$101 4.1%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 64.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Goulburn

$77 3.1%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 8% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,365 in Goulburn 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 134% higher in Goulburn, 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 $90.0 in Goulburn versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Goulburn

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

3 h behind Goulburn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,963

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 →

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Between locations

Goulburn Shanghai 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Goulburn
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

Goulburn vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Goulburn is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,711 per month in Goulburn 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 32% more in Goulburn, 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 $90.0 in Goulburn 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 Goulburn at $2,474. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Goulburn 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, Goulburn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.