Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,450 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,450 per month in Port Macquarie vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Macquarie $2,450
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,487 per month in Port Macquarie vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Macquarie $3,487
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,525 per month in Port Macquarie vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Port Macquarie $4,525
Shanghai $2,755

Port Macquarie costs about 97% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port Macquarie sits 81% above the global median, while Shanghai is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 A$25.39

$4.56 ¥30.45

288.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 A$125

$30.21 ¥202

188.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 A$14.82

$5.25 ¥35.10

96.95%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.59

$3.28 ¥21.92

18.90%

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

$2.49 A$3.57

$0.57 ¥3.84

336.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 A$2.39

$0.36 ¥2.39

363.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 A$8.87

$1.23 ¥8.22

403.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.38 A$9.13

$2.27 ¥15.17

181.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 A$2.91

$1.84 ¥12.29

10.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 A$4.20

$1.96 ¥13.07

49.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.93

$1.03 ¥6.87

166.02%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.58

$1.67 ¥11.15

216.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.12 A$7.34

$16.96 ¥113

-69.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.57 A$15.15

$3.19 ¥21.31

231.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 A$17.12

$12.90 ¥86.2

-7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.50

$2.24 ¥14.99

40.18%

Banana (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.17

$1.66 ¥11.12

159.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$2.02 ¥13.53

18.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.09

$1.66 ¥11.07

198.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$0.77 ¥5.17

210.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.42

$0.93 ¥6.21

156.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.29

$0.63 ¥4.19

153.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 A$2.15

$0.60 ¥3.98

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$60.9

$3.80 ¥25.42

1018.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.41 A$14.91

$10.87 ¥72.6

-4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 A$5.92

$0.82 ¥5.51

403.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.39

$1.61 ¥10.76

220.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.14

$0.61 ¥4.11

373.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$116

$29.40 ¥196

174.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.24

$2.11 ¥14.10

73.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.43 ¥2.86

269.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.84 A$61.4

$9.06 ¥60.6

372.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.33 ¥8.88

-2.26%

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

$26.2K A$37.5K

$19.0K ¥127.1K

37.50%

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

$22.0K A$31.5K

$18.7K ¥125.0K

17.44%

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

$198 A$284

$57.8 ¥386

242.57%

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

$30.80 A$44.13

$8.09 ¥54.0

280.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$87.9

$10.48 ¥70.0

485.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 A$73.7

$65.7 ¥439

-21.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 A$13.67

$17.82 ¥119

-46.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 A$15.64

$8.95 ¥59.8

22.01%

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

$1,823 A$2,612

$1,414 ¥9,444

28.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K A$26.6K

$27.9K ¥186.1K

-33.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$54.0 ¥361

30.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.6

$37.09 ¥248

47.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$149

$74.3 ¥496

40.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$106 ¥705

1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 A$2,016

$1,055 ¥7,050

33.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,721

$585 ¥3,906

105.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 A$3,055

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-14.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 A$2,426

$1,232 ¥8,233

37.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,785 A$8,287

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-58.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,938 A$7,074

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-21.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,769 A$3,966

$1,711 ¥11.4K

61.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.36

58.63%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: 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

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49%

Shanghai

$585 47% 51.3% $617

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$350 14.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 32.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$290 11.9%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 73.7% $214

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$280 11.4%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 62.1% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$151 6.2%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 19.4% $29

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$104 4.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 65.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 3%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 14% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,408 in Port Macquarie 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 62% higher in Port Macquarie, 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 $87.0 in Port Macquarie versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

3 h behind Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

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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Port Macquarie Shanghai 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Macquarie
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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

Port Macquarie vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,450 in Port Macquarie, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,675 per month in Port Macquarie 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $87.0 in Port Macquarie and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,450 in Port Macquarie and $1,244 in Shanghai. That's a gap of about 97%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Port Macquarie at $2,450. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Macquarie 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, Port Macquarie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.