Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Burnie

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $1,614 in Burnie, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Burnie
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Burnie Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Burnie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Burnie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,614 in Burnie.

Shanghai $1,250
Burnie $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $2,472 in Burnie.

Shanghai $2,019
Burnie $2,472

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $3,330 in Burnie.

Shanghai $2,789
Burnie $3,330

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 23% less than in Burnie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Burnie is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$18.28 A$26.26

-75.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$90.6 A$130

-67.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$5.42 A$7.78

-5.90%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$3.96 A$5.68

-13.64%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$3.52 A$5.05

-82.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$1.69 A$2.43

-78.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$4.17 A$5.99

-70.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$5.97 A$8.57

-61.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.84 A$2.64

1.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$2.50 A$3.59

-19.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$1.91 A$2.74

-46.60%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$4.88 A$7.00

-64.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$9.64 A$13.85

78.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$6.16 A$8.84

-45.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$17.17 A$24.66

-25.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$2.80 A$4.03

-22.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$2.80 A$4.02

-37.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$2.07 A$2.98

-6.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$2.75 A$3.95

-38.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$2.64 A$3.79

-70.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$2.11 A$3.03

-55.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.06 A$2.96

-69.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.61 A$2.31

-63.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$35.56 A$51.1

-89.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$14.28 A$20.52

-23.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$3.46 A$4.97

-75.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$5.55 A$7.97

-71.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.88 A$2.70

-68.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$2.67 A$3.83

-22.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$2.13 A$3.05

-77.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$42.27 A$60.7

-79.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$1.29 A$1.86

-1.55%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$26.4K A$38.0K

-25.88%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$31.4K A$45.0K

-40.76%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$212 A$304

-72.94%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$20.99 A$30.14

-61.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$48.19 A$69.2

-78.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$14.01 A$20.13

-36.90%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$2,000 A$2,873

-28.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$20.8K A$29.9K

34.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$78.7 A$113

-30.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$24.16 A$34.70

50.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$107 A$153

-29.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$92.8 A$133

12.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$799 A$1,148

29.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$575 A$826

2.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$1,128 A$1,620

120.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$838 A$1,203

47.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$5,051 A$7,256

-66.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.6

-40.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 4, 2026

Last update for Burnie: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Burnie

$575 35.2% 2.3% $13

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Burnie

$331 20.2% 39.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Burnie

$136 8.3% 11.8% $14

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Burnie

$264 16.1% 146% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Burnie

$28 * 1.7% 65.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Burnie

$281 17.2% 270% $205

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Burnie

$21 * 1.3% 43.7% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $799 in Burnie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnie pays 195% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $91.0 in Burnie for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $331 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Burnie

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

20,267

💱 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 = 7.5 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Burnie 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Burnie

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 Burnie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 195% lower in Burnie. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $799 in Burnie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Burnie. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,250 per month in Shanghai versus $1,614 in Burnie – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $1,614 in Burnie, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Burnie. 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 Burnie 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 29% less than in Burnie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.