Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,287 in Carlton, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,287 in Carlton.

Shanghai $1,244
Carlton $2,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,321 in Carlton.

Shanghai $1,999
Carlton $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $4,355 in Carlton.

Shanghai $2,755
Carlton $4,355

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 46% less than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Carlton is 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$17.71 A$25.48

-74.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$68.7 A$98.9

-56.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$9.96 A$14.34

-47.29%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$2.92 A$4.21

12.33%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.63 A$3.78

-78.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.13 A$3.06

-83.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$6.76 A$9.73

-81.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$6.54 A$9.41

-65.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.32 A$1.90

39.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.05 A$2.95

-4.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.32 A$1.90

-21.97%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.20 A$4.60

-47.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.28 A$14.79

64.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.99 A$14.38

-68.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.28 A$21.98

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.32 A$4.78

-32.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.81 A$4.05

-40.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.20 A$4.60

-36.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.48 A$6.44

-62.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.46 A$3.54

-68.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.22 A$3.19

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.13 A$3.07

-70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.90 A$1.29

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$25.25 A$36.33

-84.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$10.62 A$15.28

2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$5.74 A$8.26

-85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.12 A$7.37

-68.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$3.05 A$4.38

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$80.9 A$116

-63.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.72 A$5.36

-43.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.26 A$1.82

-65.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$26.18 A$37.68

-65.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.36 A$1.95

-2.21%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$18.4K A$26.5K

3.33%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$13.8K A$19.9K

35.28%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$89.5 A$129

-35.43%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$27.31 A$39.31

-70.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$45.80 A$65.9

-77.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$31.60 A$45.47

107.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$17.32 A$24.92

2.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$12.96 A$18.64

-30.94%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,061 A$2,965

-31.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$12.6K A$18.1K

121.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$79.1 A$114

-31.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$49.37 A$71.1

-24.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$70.0 A$101

6.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$134 A$193

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,391 A$2,001

-24.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,204 A$1,732

-51.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,150 A$3,093

15.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,829 A$2,631

-32.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,647 A$8,126

146.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,209 A$7,496

20.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$5,717 A$8,227

-70.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.9

-43.05%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6% 106% $619

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Carlton

$338 14.8% 44.1% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Carlton

$150 6.5% 22.7% $28

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Carlton

$273 11.9% 157% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Carlton

$58 2.5% 31.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Carlton

$163 7.1% 113% $86

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Carlton

$103 4.5% 186% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,391 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 234% 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 $69.0 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $338 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

19,001

💱 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 Carlton 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Carlton

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Carlton differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,287 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 234% lower in Carlton. 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,391 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $2,061 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Carlton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,287 in Carlton, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Carlton. 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 Carlton 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 84% less than in Carlton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.