Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $2,791 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Canberra

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

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Shanghai vs $2,791 in Canberra, rent included.

Shanghai $1,250
Canberra $2,791

A couple spends around $2,019 per month in Shanghai vs $3,958 in Canberra, rent included.

Shanghai $2,019
Canberra $3,958

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Shanghai vs $5,125 in Canberra, rent included.

Shanghai $2,789
Canberra $5,125

Shanghai is about 55% cheaper than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 7% below the global median, while Canberra is 108% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.40

$17.14 A$24.53

-73.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥197

$88.3 A$126

-66.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.08

$10.50 A$15.03

-51.43%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.88

$3.94 A$5.63

-13.20%

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

$0.61 ¥4.11

$3.17 A$4.54

-80.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$2.63 A$3.76

-86.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$8.32 A$11.90

-85.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.31

$9.73 A$13.93

-76.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.46

$1.50 A$2.14

24.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.45

$3.21 A$4.60

-37.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.83

$2.64 A$3.78

-61.36%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$5.25 A$7.51

-67.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$13.07 A$18.71

31.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.39

$10.16 A$14.54

-67.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.5

$15.48 A$22.15

-17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.51

$3.93 A$5.63

-44.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$3.09 A$4.43

-43.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$3.59 A$5.14

-45.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$5.09 A$7.28

-66.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.05 A$4.36

-74.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.77 A$3.96

-66.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.46 A$3.51

-74.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.64 A$2.34

-64.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.60

$44.29 A$63.4

-91.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.1

$14.17 A$20.28

-22.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$4.80 A$6.87

-82.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$5.65 A$8.08

-71.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$2.86 A$4.09

-79.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥202

$93.0 A$133

-67.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.77

$3.96 A$5.67

-47.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.63 A$2.33

-71.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.8

$42.39 A$60.7

-79.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.51

$1.31 A$1.87

-3.05%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$27.4K A$39.3K

-28.59%

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

$18.6K ¥124.2K

$29.3K A$41.9K

-36.56%

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

$57.2 ¥382

$179 A$256

-68.05%

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

$8.06 ¥53.8

$26.92 A$38.53

-70.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.3

$54.9 A$78.5

-80.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥432

$83.2 A$119

-22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$27.11 A$38.80

-34.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$15.51 A$22.20

-43.00%

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

$1,437 ¥9,605

$2,382 A$3,410

-39.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.5K

$20.0K A$28.7K

40.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥365

$76.6 A$110

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥243

$55.4 A$79.3

-34.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$115 A$164

-34.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥695

$132 A$189

-21.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,945

$1,711 A$2,449

-39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,933

$1,467 A$2,100

-59.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$3,098 A$4,433

-19.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,268

$1,968 A$2,816

-37.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.8K

$11.2K A$16.0K

21.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$7,417 A$10.6K

-16.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$4,310 A$6,168

-60.20%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 149% $879

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Canberra

$401 14.2% 69.3% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Canberra

$171 6% 40.1% $49

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Canberra

$300 10.6% 180% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Canberra

$114 4% 38.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Canberra

$261 9.2% 244% $185

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 215% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,039 in Shanghai versus $1,711 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 151% higher in Canberra, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $88.0 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $401 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Canberra 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai, $2,791 in Canberra – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,874 per month in Shanghai and $4,187 in Canberra. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,250 in Shanghai and $2,791 in Canberra. That's a gap of about 123%.

Public transport costs about 207% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,250, than in Canberra at $2,791. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra 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, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.