Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Romsey and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,503 in Romsey, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Romsey
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Romsey Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index

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Romsey

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,503

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,503 in Romsey versus $1,244 in Shanghai.

Romsey $2,503
Shanghai $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,715 in Romsey versus $1,999 in Shanghai.

Romsey $3,715
Shanghai $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,927 in Romsey versus $2,755 in Shanghai.

Romsey $4,927
Shanghai $2,755

Living in Romsey is roughly 101% more expensive than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Romsey is 85% above, Shanghai is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 A$25.15

$4.56 ¥30.43

283.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.7 A$119

$30.21 ¥202

173.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.48 A$17.96

$5.25 ¥35.08

137.71%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.68

$3.28 ¥21.91

20.12%

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

$3.18 A$4.58

$0.57 ¥3.84

457.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.36 ¥2.38

597.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.99 A$14.38

$1.23 ¥8.22

712.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.38 A$12.05

$2.27 ¥15.16

269.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.15

$1.84 ¥12.28

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 A$4.26

$1.96 ¥13.06

51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.77

$1.03 ¥6.86

154.37%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.67

$1.67 ¥11.15

219.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 A$15.27

$16.96 ¥113

-37.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.21

$3.19 ¥21.30

209.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.55

$12.90 ¥86.1

16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.94

$2.24 ¥14.98

84.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.35

$1.66 ¥11.12

82.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.46

$2.02 ¥13.52

53.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$1.66 ¥11.07

186.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 A$4.21

$0.77 ¥5.17

280.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.68

$0.93 ¥6.20

174.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.41

$0.63 ¥4.18

276.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.60 ¥3.98

165.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.27 A$63.7

$3.80 ¥25.40

1065.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.29 A$17.68

$10.87 ¥72.6

13.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.84

$0.82 ¥5.50

564.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.43

$1.61 ¥10.75

220.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 A$4.41

$0.61 ¥4.11

403.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.2 A$117

$29.40 ¥196

176.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 A$6.39

$2.11 ¥14.09

110.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.05

$0.43 ¥2.86

230.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 A$43.69

$9.06 ¥60.5

235.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.06

$1.33 ¥8.88

7.52%

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

$28.5K A$41.0K

$19.0K ¥127.0K

49.90%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$18.7K ¥124.9K

38.90%

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

$231 A$333

$57.8 ¥386

300.16%

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

$27.97 A$40.25

$8.09 ¥54.0

245.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$80.2

$10.48 ¥69.9

431.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$77.8

$65.7 ¥439

-17.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.02 A$25.93

$17.82 ¥119

1.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 A$21.87

$8.95 ¥59.8

69.72%

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

$2,369 A$3,409

$1,414 ¥9,438

67.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K A$42.5K

$27.9K ¥186.0K

6.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.9 A$116

$54.0 ¥360

49.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.28 A$70.9

$37.09 ¥248

32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$74.3 ¥496

58.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$194

$106 ¥705

27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 A$2,210

$1,055 ¥7,046

45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,626

$585 ¥3,904

93.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 A$2,967

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-17.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 A$2,731

$1,232 ¥8,228

54.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,391 A$9,196

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-54.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,239 A$6,100

$6,253 ¥41.7K

-32.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Romsey: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Romsey

$1.1K 45.2%

Shanghai

$585 47% 48.3% $545

Groceries & Markets

Romsey

$382 15.3%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 38.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Romsey

$315 12.6%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 75.8% $239

Eating Out

Romsey

$314 12.6%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 66.2% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Romsey

$172 6.9%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 29.3% $50

Getting Around

Romsey

$105 4.2%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 65.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Romsey

$84 3.4%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 1% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Romsey and $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Romsey vs $30.00 in Shanghai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $235 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Romsey

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

05:03 5:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

3 h behind Romsey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,400

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Romsey Shanghai 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Romsey vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Romsey and Shanghai differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($2,503 vs $1,244 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,754 in Romsey 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: $1,536 in Romsey versus $1,055 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,503 per month in Romsey versus $1,244 in Shanghai – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 176% less than in Romsey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,503 in Romsey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Romsey. 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, Romsey 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 101% less than in Romsey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.