Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horsham and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,458 in Horsham, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Horsham
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Horsham Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Horsham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,458

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,458 in Horsham versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Horsham $2,458
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,507 in Horsham versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Horsham $3,507
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,557 in Horsham versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Horsham $4,557
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Horsham is roughly 98% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Horsham is 82% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.71 A$19.73

$4.56 ¥30.47

200.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 A$99.4

$30.21 ¥202

128.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.34 A$17.76

$5.25 ¥35.13

135.05%

Cappuccino

$3.55 A$5.10

$3.28 ¥21.94

8.23%

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

$3.12 A$4.49

$0.57 ¥3.84

447.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 A$2.93

$0.36 ¥2.39

463.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 A$14.34

$1.23 ¥8.23

710.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.27 ¥15.18

277.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.14

$1.84 ¥12.30

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 A$4.27

$1.96 ¥13.08

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$1.03 ¥6.87

146.60%

Eggs

$5.56 A$8.00

$1.67 ¥11.16

232.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.25

$16.96 ¥113

-37.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 A$14.43

$3.19 ¥21.33

214.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 A$21.50

$12.90 ¥86.3

15.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.68

$2.24 ¥15.00

76.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.41

$1.66 ¥11.13

84.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.02 ¥13.54

58.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 A$6.67

$1.66 ¥11.08

179.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$0.77 ¥5.17

296.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$0.93 ¥6.21

177.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.53

$0.63 ¥4.19

288.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.28

$0.60 ¥3.99

163.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.07 A$64.9

$3.80 ¥25.44

1086.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.40 A$14.96

$10.87 ¥72.7

-4.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.85

$0.82 ¥5.51

564.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$1.61 ¥10.76

224.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.61 ¥4.11

372.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.2 A$123

$29.40 ¥197

189.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 A$6.48

$2.11 ¥14.11

113.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.43 ¥2.87

216.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 A$42.32

$9.06 ¥60.6

224.61%

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)

$28.3K A$40.7K

$19.0K ¥127.2K

48.84%

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

$26.8K A$38.5K

$18.7K ¥125.1K

43.02%

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

$234 A$337

$57.8 ¥387

304.67%

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

$14.01 A$20.16

$8.09 ¥54.1

73.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 A$74.0

$10.48 ¥70.0

390.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 A$80.9

$65.7 ¥439

-14.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 A$27.61

$17.82 ¥119

7.69%

Cinema Ticket

$15.50 A$22.31

$8.95 ¥59.9

73.18%

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

$2,340 A$3,367

$1,414 ¥9,451

65.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K A$42.6K

$27.9K ¥186.2K

6.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.9 A$116

$54.0 ¥361

49.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.96 A$70.5

$37.09 ¥248

32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$174

$74.3 ¥496

62.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

$106 ¥706

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 A$1,770

$1,055 ¥7,056

16.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 A$1,632

$585 ¥3,910

93.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 A$3,022

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-15.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 A$2,441

$1,232 ¥8,240

37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,279 A$9,036

$13.9K ¥93.1K

-54.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,906 A$7,060

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-21.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

3.36

63.69%

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

Last update for Horsham: 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

Horsham

$1.1K 46.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 48.5% $550

Groceries & Markets

Horsham

$379 15.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 38.1% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Horsham

$299 12.2%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 74.5% $223

Eating Out

Horsham

$277 11.3%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 61.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Horsham

$172 7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 29.3% $51

Getting Around

Horsham

$108 4.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 66.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Horsham

$87 3.6%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 4.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,230 in Horsham and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69.0 in Horsham vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Horsham

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

23:49 11:49 PM

3 h behind Horsham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,543

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 19, 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 19, 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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Horsham Shanghai 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Horsham
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

Horsham vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 98% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,686 in Horsham 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: $1,230 in Horsham versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 190% less than in Horsham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,340 in Horsham versus $1,414 in Shanghai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,458 in Horsham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Horsham. 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, Horsham 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 98% less than in Horsham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.