Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moe and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,477 in Moe, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Moe
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Moe Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,477

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,477 in Moe versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Moe $2,477
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,599 in Moe versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Moe $3,599
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,720 in Moe versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Moe $4,720
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Moe is roughly 99% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moe is 83% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 A$19.66

$4.56 ¥30.45

200.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 A$110

$30.21 ¥202

153.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$14.36

$5.25 ¥35.10

90.86%

Cappuccino

$3.87 A$5.54

$3.28 ¥21.92

17.99%

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

$3.06 A$4.38

$0.57 ¥3.84

436.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 A$2.04

$0.36 ¥2.39

297.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.20 A$7.45

$1.23 ¥8.22

322.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.81

$2.27 ¥15.17

109.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 A$1.08

$1.84 ¥12.29

-58.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.17

$1.96 ¥13.07

48.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$1.03 ¥6.87

159.22%

Eggs

$3.50 A$5.01

$1.67 ¥11.15

109.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.28

$16.96 ¥113

-37.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 A$11.79

$3.19 ¥21.31

157.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 A$21.67

$12.90 ¥86.2

17.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.09

$2.24 ¥14.99

27.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.02

$1.66 ¥11.12

69.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.11

$2.02 ¥13.53

42.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.38

$1.66 ¥11.07

168.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 A$2.91

$0.77 ¥5.17

163.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.56

$0.93 ¥6.21

166.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.43

$0.63 ¥4.19

279.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.01

$0.60 ¥3.98

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.94 A$44.32

$3.80 ¥25.42

714.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 A$17.86

$10.87 ¥72.6

14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 A$5.07

$0.82 ¥5.51

331.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.09

$1.61 ¥10.76

120.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.23

$0.61 ¥4.11

383.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 A$114

$29.40 ¥196

171.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 A$3.22

$2.11 ¥14.10

6.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.43 ¥2.86

216.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.81 A$35.54

$9.06 ¥60.6

173.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 A$1.67

$1.33 ¥8.88

-12.03%

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

$28.3K A$40.5K

$19.0K ¥127.1K

48.67%

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

$26.7K A$38.3K

$18.7K ¥125.0K

42.84%

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

$153 A$220

$57.8 ¥386

165.40%

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

$27.73 A$39.73

$8.09 ¥54.0

242.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.3

$10.48 ¥70.0

448.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.3

$65.7 ¥439

-14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 A$22.40

$17.82 ¥119

-12.29%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 A$21.75

$8.95 ¥59.8

69.72%

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

$2,416 A$3,461

$1,414 ¥9,444

70.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K A$41.9K

$27.9K ¥186.1K

5.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 A$114

$54.0 ¥361

47.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 A$71.9

$37.09 ¥248

35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$174

$74.3 ¥496

63.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$191

$106 ¥705

26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 A$1,925

$1,055 ¥7,050

27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 A$1,871

$585 ¥3,906

123.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 A$3,146

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-11.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,059 A$2,949

$1,232 ¥8,233

67.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,745 A$8,230

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-58.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,931 A$7,063

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,403 A$2,010

$1,711 ¥11.4K

-17.98%

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 Moe: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moe

$1.3K 52.7%

Shanghai

$585 47% 55.2% $722

Groceries & Markets

Moe

$332 13.4%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 29.3% $97

Eating Out

Moe

$240 9.7%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 55.8% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moe

$239 9.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 68% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Moe

$173 7%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 29.6% $51

Getting Around

Moe

$101 4.1%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 64.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Moe

$86 3.5%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 3.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,344 in Moe and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $76.0 in Moe vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Moe

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

3 h behind Moe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,700

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Moe Shanghai 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Moe
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

Moe vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Moe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Shanghai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,344 in Moe versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Moe. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $76.0 in Moe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,477 in Moe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Moe. 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, Moe 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 99% less than in Moe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.