Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penshurst, NSW and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,256 a month against $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Penshurst, NSW
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Penshurst, NSW Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Penshurst, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,478

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW versus $1,256 in Shanghai.

Penshurst, NSW $2,478
Shanghai $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,587 in Penshurst, NSW versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Penshurst, NSW $3,587
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,696 in Penshurst, NSW versus $2,743 in Shanghai.

Penshurst, NSW $4,696
Shanghai $2,743

Living in Penshurst, NSW is roughly 97% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Penshurst, NSW is 83% above, Shanghai is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.50

$4.45 ¥29.78

298.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$121

$30.29 ¥203

177.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 A$14.84

$5.09 ¥34.01

102.55%

Cappuccino

$4.08 A$5.87

$3.43 ¥22.96

18.95%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$0.62 ¥4.15

366.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 A$3.22

$0.39 ¥2.58

474.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 A$11.23

$1.23 ¥8.25

534.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.70

$2.21 ¥14.81

236.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.85 ¥12.37

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$3.79

$1.95 ¥13.02

34.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$1.00 ¥6.67

122.00%

Eggs

$4.96 A$7.14

$1.71 ¥11.43

190.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.99

$17.47 ¥117

-48.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.20

$3.24 ¥21.66

183.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.85 A$21.37

$12.99 ¥86.8

14.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.53

$2.24 ¥14.98

71.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.29

$1.68 ¥11.25

77.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.71

$1.95 ¥13.03

67.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.52

$1.73 ¥11.60

161.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.93

$0.76 ¥5.10

259.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.46

$0.92 ¥6.15

160.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 A$3.39

$0.66 ¥4.41

257.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.22

$0.60 ¥4.00

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.48 A$59.7

$3.69 ¥24.65

1024.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 A$20.28

$10.92 ¥73.0

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.87

$0.87 ¥5.85

449.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$1.63 ¥10.87

214.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 A$4.06

$0.62 ¥4.13

354.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.9 A$118

$30.38 ¥203

169.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 A$4.92

$2.06 ¥13.79

66.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$0.46 ¥3.08

243.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.61 A$57.0

$8.84 ¥59.1

348.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.95

$1.33 ¥8.86

1.50%

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

$27.1K A$39.0K

$19.3K ¥128.7K

40.59%

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

$29.2K A$42.1K

$18.2K ¥122.0K

60.20%

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

$204 A$293

$57.1 ¥382

256.52%

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

$27.94 A$40.20

$8.07 ¥53.9

246.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 A$81.2

$10.70 ¥71.5

427.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$64.6 ¥432

-14.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.31 A$24.91

$17.29 ¥116

0.12%

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 A$21.39

$9.05 ¥60.5

64.20%

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

$2,170 A$3,123

$1,441 ¥9,638

50.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K A$28.8K

$28.2K ¥188.4K

-29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$112

$53.5 ¥358

44.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 A$76.4

$37.05 ¥248

43.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$153

$77.0 ¥515

37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$173

$104 ¥694

15.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 A$1,964

$1,023 ¥6,841

33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 A$1,697

$594 ¥3,971

98.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 A$3,047

$2,563 ¥17.1K

-17.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 A$2,565

$1,213 ¥8,107

47.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,918 A$8,517

$13.5K ¥90.4K

-56.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,848 A$6,977

$6,247 ¥41.8K

-22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,699 ¥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 Penshurst, NSW: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penshurst, NSW

$1.2K 47.6%

Shanghai

$594 47.3% 49.7% $586

Groceries & Markets

Penshurst, NSW

$364 14.7%

Shanghai

$238 18.9% 34.8% $127

Eating Out

Penshurst, NSW

$296 12%

Shanghai

$107 8.5% 64% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penshurst, NSW

$288 11.6%

Shanghai

$76 6% 73.7% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Penshurst, NSW

$161 6.5%

Shanghai

$122 9.7% 24% $39

Getting Around

Penshurst, NSW

$105 4.2%

Shanghai

$37 3% 64.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Penshurst, NSW

$85 3.4%

Shanghai

$83 6.6% 2.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW and $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $84.0 in Penshurst, NSW vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $238 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Penshurst, NSW

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

3 h behind Penshurst, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,673

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 20, 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 20, 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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Penshurst, NSW Shanghai 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Penshurst, NSW
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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

Penshurst, NSW vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,717 in Penshurst, NSW and $1,884 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: $1,365 in Penshurst, NSW versus $1,023 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,478 per month in Penshurst, NSW versus $1,256 in Shanghai – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 170% less than in Penshurst, NSW. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,256 in Shanghai versus $2,478 in Penshurst, NSW, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Penshurst, 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, Penshurst, 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 97% less than in Penshurst, NSW. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.