Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $2,528 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $2,528 in Broken Hill.

Shanghai $1,250
Broken Hill $2,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $3,595 in Broken Hill.

Shanghai $2,019
Broken Hill $3,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $4,662 in Broken Hill.

Shanghai $2,789
Broken Hill $4,662

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 51% less than in Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Broken Hill is 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$19.24 A$27.63

-76.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$87.4 A$126

-66.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$10.70 A$15.37

-52.34%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$4.39 A$6.30

-22.10%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$2.84 A$4.08

-78.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$2.18 A$3.14

-83.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$6.53 A$9.37

-81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$8.79 A$12.62

-73.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.42 A$2.04

30.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$2.48 A$3.57

-18.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$2.33 A$3.34

-56.22%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$5.02 A$7.21

-65.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$8.78 A$12.62

95.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$8.33 A$11.97

-59.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$15.89 A$22.83

-19.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$4.43 A$6.36

-51.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$2.63 A$3.78

-33.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$3.65 A$5.24

-46.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$4.95 A$7.10

-66.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.37 A$3.41

-67.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$2.23 A$3.20

-58.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.50 A$3.59

-75.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.75 A$2.51

-66.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$43.62 A$62.7

-91.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$12.81 A$18.40

-14.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$4.54 A$6.51

-81.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$4.72 A$6.79

-66.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.88 A$4.14

-79.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$89.0 A$128

-65.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.17 A$4.55

-35.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.39 A$2.00

-66.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$44.43 A$63.8

-80.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$1.34 A$1.92

-5.22%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$25.2K A$36.2K

-22.15%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$29.3K A$42.1K

-36.61%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$218 A$313

-73.73%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$31.10 A$44.68

-74.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$50.2 A$72.1

-79.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$61.3 A$88.0

5.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$19.54 A$28.07

-9.77%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$12.84 A$18.44

-31.15%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$2,450 A$3,519

-41.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$22.1K A$31.7K

27.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$81.2 A$117

-32.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$62.4 A$89.7

-41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$107 A$153

-29.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$135 A$194

-22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$1,464 A$2,103

-29.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$1,124 A$1,614

-47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,828 A$2,625

36.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$1,954 A$2,807

-36.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$5,374 A$7,720

152.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$5,529 A$7,941

11.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.84

-42.47%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Broken Hill: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.6% 90.9% $535

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Broken Hill

$362 14.7% 52.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Broken Hill

$173 7% 42.5% $52

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Broken Hill

$309 12.5% 188% $202

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Broken Hill

$87 3.5% 5.6% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Broken Hill

$299 12.1% 295% $223

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Broken Hill

$111 4.5% 199% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $1,464 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $87.0 in Broken Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $362 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

14:24 2:24 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

17,456

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Shanghai Broken Hill 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,874 in Shanghai and $3,792 in Broken Hill 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: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $1,464 in Broken Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $2,450 in Broken Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Broken Hill. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $2,528 in Broken Hill, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Broken Hill. 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 Broken Hill 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 102% less than in Broken Hill. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.