Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Gladstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,222 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Gladstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $2,533 in Gladstone.

Shanghai $1,222
Gladstone $2,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $3,459 in Gladstone.

Shanghai $1,971
Gladstone $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $4,385 in Gladstone.

Shanghai $2,720
Gladstone $4,385

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 52% less than in Gladstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 10% below, Gladstone is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.16

$17.68 A$25.14

-74.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$81.1 A$115

-62.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.09

$11.89 A$16.91

-57.02%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.74

$4.13 A$5.87

-17.43%

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

$0.58 ¥3.86

$3.10 A$4.41

-81.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$2.75 A$3.91

-87.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$7.52 A$10.69

-83.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.40

$9.28 A$13.20

-75.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.54

$1.52 A$2.17

23.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.90

$2.73 A$3.88

-28.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$2.30 A$3.27

-57.39%

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.32

$4.85 A$6.90

-64.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$9.23 A$13.13

84.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.45

$9.21 A$13.09

-65.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.2

$14.50 A$20.61

-10.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.33

$3.83 A$5.45

-43.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.50

$3.12 A$4.44

-44.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.53

$3.30 A$4.69

-38.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.56

$4.67 A$6.64

-62.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.52

$2.63 A$3.75

-68.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$2.38 A$3.38

-61.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$2.41 A$3.42

-72.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.61 A$2.29

-63.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.14

$41.88 A$59.6

-91.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.5

$13.91 A$19.78

-20.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.01

$4.85 A$6.90

-81.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$5.35 A$7.61

-70.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$2.83 A$4.02

-79.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$84.8 A$121

-65.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.27

$4.02 A$5.72

-46.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.11

$1.39 A$1.98

-66.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.3

$44.05 A$62.6

-80.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.95

$1.27 A$1.80

5.51%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$26.9K A$38.2K

-28.38%

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

$18.3K ¥121.8K

$24.9K A$35.4K

-26.67%

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

$58.9 ¥393

$205 A$291

-71.23%

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

$7.90 ¥52.6

$27.56 A$39.19

-71.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.7

$54.4 A$77.3

-80.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥432

$56.1 A$79.8

15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

$17.63 A$25.07

-0.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.4

$13.90 A$19.77

-34.82%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$1,958 A$2,785

-18.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥188.2K

$20.4K A$28.9K

38.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥364

$70.3 A$100

-22.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$62.5 A$88.8

-40.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥497

$98.6 A$140

-24.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥708

$123 A$174

-13.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,837

$1,381 A$1,964

-25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,728

$1,223 A$1,739

-54.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.5K

$1,370 A$1,948

91.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,939

$1,465 A$2,083

-18.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.1K

$5,583 A$7,939

139.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.5K

$4,980 A$7,081

31.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$5,599 A$7,962

-69.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.25

-36.00%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3% 119% $664

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Gladstone

$367 14.5% 55.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Gladstone

$159 6.3% 29.9% $37

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Gladstone

$306 12.1% 186% $199

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Gladstone

$84 3.3% 1.2% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Gladstone

$287 11.3% 270% $209

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Gladstone

$107 4.2% 194% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,026 in Shanghai and $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $81 in Gladstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $367 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

34,703

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Gladstone 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Gladstone

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 Gladstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Gladstone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shanghai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Shanghai. 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: $1,026 in Shanghai versus $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,222 per month in Shanghai versus $2,533 in Gladstone – a 107% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 65% less than in Gladstone. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,222 in Shanghai versus $2,533 in Gladstone, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Gladstone. The gap between the two cities makes Shanghai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shanghai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gladstone, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Shanghai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.