Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
Learn more

Sale Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,445 per month in Sale vs $1,244 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sale $2,445
Shanghai $1,244

A couple spends around $3,589 per month in Sale vs $1,999 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sale $3,589
Shanghai $1,999

A family of three spends $4,732 per month in Sale vs $2,755 in Shanghai, rent included.

Sale $4,732
Shanghai $2,755

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 A$21.72

$4.56 ¥30.45

232.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 A$118

$30.21 ¥202

172.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 A$16.45

$5.25 ¥35.10

118.67%

Cappuccino

$3.80 A$5.44

$3.28 ¥21.92

15.85%

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

$3.10 A$4.44

$0.57 ¥3.84

443.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$3.02

$0.36 ¥2.39

483.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.47 A$12.13

$1.23 ¥8.22

588.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.25

$2.27 ¥15.17

246.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 A$2.29

$1.84 ¥12.29

-13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 A$3.56

$1.96 ¥13.07

27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.26

$1.03 ¥6.87

120.39%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.94

$1.67 ¥11.15

231.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.15

$16.96 ¥113

-45.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 A$12.85

$3.19 ¥21.31

181.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 A$22.05

$12.90 ¥86.2

19.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.15

$2.24 ¥14.99

60.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.15

$1.66 ¥11.12

74.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.02 ¥13.53

48.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.02

$1.66 ¥11.07

153.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.94

$0.77 ¥5.17

257.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.28

$0.93 ¥6.21

146.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.04

$0.63 ¥4.19

236.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.95

$0.60 ¥3.98

126.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.03 A$63.1

$3.80 ¥25.42

1058.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 A$21.52

$10.87 ¥72.6

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.56

$0.82 ¥5.51

458.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.49

$1.61 ¥10.76

224.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 A$4.17

$0.61 ¥4.11

377.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.6 A$121

$29.40 ¥196

187.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 A$5.62

$2.11 ¥14.10

85.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.13

$0.43 ¥2.86

246.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.41 A$65.1

$9.06 ¥60.6

401.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.64

$1.33 ¥8.88

-13.53%

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

$26.1K A$37.4K

$19.0K ¥127.1K

37.31%

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

$28.3K A$40.5K

$18.7K ¥125.0K

51.05%

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

$210 A$301

$57.8 ¥386

263.07%

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

$31.51 A$45.14

$8.09 ¥54.0

289.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 A$86.7

$10.48 ¥70.0

477.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 A$90.1

$65.7 ¥439

-4.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$24.17

$17.82 ¥119

-5.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.72

$8.95 ¥59.8

77.21%

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

$2,317 A$3,319

$1,414 ¥9,444

63.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K A$31.2K

$27.9K ¥186.1K

-21.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 A$106

$54.0 ¥361

36.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.4

$37.09 ¥248

36.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$74.3 ¥496

38.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 A$153

$106 ¥705

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 A$2,151

$1,055 ¥7,050

42.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 A$1,648

$585 ¥3,906

96.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,440 A$3,496

$2,485 ¥16.6K

-1.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,657

$1,232 ¥8,233

50.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,605 A$9,462

$13.9K ¥93.0K

-52.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,309 A$6,173

$6,253 ¥41.8K

-31.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥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 Sale: 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

Sale

$1.2K 47.1%

Shanghai

$585 47% 49.2% $565

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$360 14.7%

Shanghai

$235 18.9% 34.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$302 12.4%

Shanghai

$76 6.1% 74.7% $226

Eating Out

Sale

$280 11.5%

Shanghai

$106 8.5% 62.2% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$150 6.1%

Shanghai

$122 9.8% 18.8% $28

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.4%

Shanghai

$36 2.9% 66.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$95 3.9%

Shanghai

$84 6.7% 11.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,502 in Sale 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale versus $30.00 in Shanghai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $235 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

3 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sale Shanghai 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
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

Sale vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,445 in Sale, $1,244 in Shanghai – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,667 per month in Sale 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.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Sale, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Sale and $30.00 in Shanghai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Sale at $2,445. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale 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, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.