Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Brookvale

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,494 in Brookvale, 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
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Brookvale
Learn more

Brookvale Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Brookvale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,494

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Brookvale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,494 in Brookvale.

Shanghai $1,244
Brookvale $2,494

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,614 in Brookvale.

Shanghai $1,999
Brookvale $3,614

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $4,735 in Brookvale.

Shanghai $2,755
Brookvale $4,735

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$17.59 A$25.32

-74.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$89.7 A$129

-66.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$10.27 A$14.78

-48.88%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$4.03 A$5.80

-18.61%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.89 A$4.16

-80.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.20 A$3.16

-83.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$7.77 A$11.18

-84.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$7.39 A$10.63

-69.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.56 A$2.24

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.77 A$3.99

-29.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.44 A$3.51

-57.79%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$5.30 A$7.62

-68.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$11.66 A$16.78

45.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.84 A$14.16

-67.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.48 A$22.27

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.87 A$5.57

-42.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.21 A$4.62

-48.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.39 A$4.87

-40.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$5.29 A$7.62

-68.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.19 A$4.59

-75.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.81 A$4.04

-66.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.26 A$3.25

-72.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.33 A$1.92

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$44.16 A$63.6

-91.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$13.65 A$19.64

-20.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.04 A$5.82

-79.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$4.08 A$5.87

-60.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.95 A$4.25

-79.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$77.0 A$111

-61.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.41 A$4.90

-38.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.55 A$2.23

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$39.18 A$56.4

-76.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.30 A$1.88

2.31%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$26.9K A$38.8K

-29.37%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$29.6K A$42.7K

-36.89%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$185 A$266

-68.69%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$26.75 A$38.49

-69.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$57.3 A$82.5

-81.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$50.7 A$73.0

29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$17.56 A$25.27

1.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$15.52 A$22.33

-42.33%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,158 A$3,105

-34.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$20.2K A$29.0K

38.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$76.9 A$111

-29.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$57.1 A$82.2

-35.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$107 A$154

-30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$131 A$188

-19.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$974 A$1,402

8.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,203 A$1,731

-51.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,148 A$3,091

15.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,773 A$2,552

-30.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,763 A$8,293

141.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,012 A$7,212

24.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$1,381 A$1,988

23.87%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Brookvale: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Brookvale

$1.2K 48.2% 106% $618

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Brookvale

$379 15.2% 61.6% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Brookvale

$167 6.7% 37.2% $45

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Brookvale

$294 11.8% 177% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Brookvale

$82 3.3% 2.2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Brookvale

$269 10.8% 252% $192

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Brookvale

$100 4% 177% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $974 in Brookvale. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $90.0 in Brookvale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $379 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Brookvale

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,127

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Brookvale 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Brookvale

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 Brookvale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Brookvale differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,494 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Shanghai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $974 in Brookvale. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $2,494 in Brookvale – 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 162% less than in Brookvale. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,494 in Brookvale, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Brookvale. 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 Brookvale 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 Brookvale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.