Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,456 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Forster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,456 in Forster.

Shanghai $1,244
Forster $2,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,696 in Forster.

Shanghai $1,999
Forster $3,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $4,937 in Forster.

Shanghai $2,755
Forster $4,937

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 49% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Forster is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$17.41 A$25.05

-73.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$90.1 A$130

-66.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$10.28 A$14.80

-48.93%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.93 A$5.66

-16.54%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.88 A$4.14

-80.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.16 A$3.11

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$7.11 A$10.23

-82.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$5.51 A$7.93

-58.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.68 A$2.42

9.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.77 A$3.99

-29.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.36 A$3.40

-56.36%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$5.41 A$7.78

-69.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$12.05 A$17.34

40.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.36 A$13.47

-65.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$16.51 A$23.77

-21.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.91 A$5.63

-42.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.24 A$4.66

-48.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.45 A$4.96

-41.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.40 A$6.34

-62.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.18 A$4.57

-75.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.33 A$3.35

-60.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.36 A$3.40

-73.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.19 A$1.71

-49.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$44.21 A$63.6

-91.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$13.74 A$19.77

-20.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$3.87 A$5.56

-78.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$3.91 A$5.63

-58.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.88 A$4.14

-78.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$80.8 A$116

-63.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$3.49 A$5.03

-39.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.56 A$2.24

-72.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$40.50 A$58.3

-77.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.45 A$2.09

-8.28%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$28.7K A$41.2K

-33.62%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$30.0K A$43.1K

-37.61%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$222 A$319

-73.94%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$27.32 A$39.31

-70.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$56.5 A$81.3

-81.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$57.2 A$82.3

14.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$19.94 A$28.69

-10.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$17.15 A$24.67

-47.81%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,227 A$3,205

-36.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$27.9K A$40.1K

-0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$80.0 A$115

-32.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$68.9 A$99.1

-46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$111 A$159

-32.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$134 A$193

-21.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,533 A$2,206

-31.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,118 A$1,609

-47.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,440 A$3,512

1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,911 A$2,750

-35.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,666 A$8,154

145.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,657 A$8,140

10.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 Forster: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Forster

$1.1K 45.5% 91.3% $534

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Forster

$376 15.3% 59.9% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Forster

$177 7.2% 45.4% $55

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Forster

$284 11.6% 168% $178

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Forster

$91 3.7% 9.4% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Forster

$306 12.4% 300% $229

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Forster

$104 4.2% 187% $68

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,533 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $90.0 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $376 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

20,554

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Forster 7,770 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Forster differ by about 98% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,456 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,865 in Shanghai and $3,684 in Forster 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,533 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai versus $2,227 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,456 in Forster, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Forster. 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 Forster 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 98% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.