Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Blacktown

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,495 in Blacktown, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Blacktown
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Blacktown Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Blacktown

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Blacktown

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shanghai and in Blacktown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,495 in Blacktown.

Shanghai $1,244
Blacktown $2,495

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,772 in Blacktown.

Shanghai $1,999
Blacktown $3,772

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $5,049 in Blacktown.

Shanghai $2,755
Blacktown $5,049

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 50% less than in Blacktown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$21.10 A$30.36

-78.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$88.0 A$127

-65.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$10.56 A$15.19

-50.28%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$4.19 A$6.03

-21.72%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.02 A$4.35

-81.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.48 A$3.57

-85.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$8.12 A$11.68

-84.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$9.63 A$13.86

-76.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.56 A$2.24

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$3.21 A$4.62

-38.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.53 A$3.64

-59.29%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$5.28 A$7.60

-68.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$13.20 A$18.99

28.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.98 A$14.37

-68.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.45 A$22.23

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$4.05 A$5.83

-44.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.22 A$4.63

-48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.59 A$5.17

-43.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$5.14 A$7.39

-67.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.07 A$4.42

-74.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.72 A$3.92

-65.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.46 A$3.54

-74.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.39 A$2.00

-56.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$45.16 A$65.0

-91.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$13.76 A$19.80

-21.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.72 A$6.79

-82.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.66 A$8.14

-71.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.97 A$4.27

-79.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$69.8 A$100

-57.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.97 A$5.71

-46.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.58 A$2.27

-72.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$43.07 A$62.0

-78.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.33 A$1.91

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$27.3K A$39.3K

-30.42%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$29.7K A$42.8K

-37.06%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$182 A$262

-68.22%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$26.93 A$38.75

-69.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$56.5 A$81.3

-81.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$55.1 A$79.2

19.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$17.15 A$24.67

3.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$15.45 A$22.24

-42.07%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,320 A$3,338

-39.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$20.6K A$29.7K

35.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$75.0 A$108

-27.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$55.0 A$79.2

-32.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$108 A$156

-31.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$131 A$188

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,439 A$2,070

-26.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,154 A$1,660

-49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,029 A$2,920

22.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,987 A$2,860

-37.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,902 A$8,492

136.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$4,575 A$6,583

36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.95

-43.53%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Blacktown: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Blacktown

$1.2K 46.2% 97.3% $569

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Blacktown

$398 16% 69.5% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Blacktown

$166 6.7% 36.1% $44

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Blacktown

$333 13.3% 214% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Blacktown

$86 3.5% 2.8% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Blacktown

$265 10.6% 247% $189

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Blacktown

$94 3.8% 159% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,439 in Blacktown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $88.0 in Blacktown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $398 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Blacktown

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

46,942

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Blacktown 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Blacktown

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

Shanghai vs Blacktown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $3,743 in Blacktown 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,439 in Blacktown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 138% less than in Blacktown. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $2,320 in Blacktown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,495 in Blacktown, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Blacktown. 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, Shanghai and Blacktown 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 Blacktown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.