Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Ipswich

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,037 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Ipswich

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $2,037 in Ipswich, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Ipswich $2,037

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $2,901 in Ipswich, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Ipswich $2,901

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $3,766 in Ipswich, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Ipswich $3,766

Shanghai is about 39% cheaper than Ipswich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Ipswich is 51% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$31.50 A$45.33

-85.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$74.1 A$107

-59.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$9.98 A$14.36

-47.39%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$4.54 A$6.53

-27.75%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.92 A$5.64

-85.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.50 A$3.60

-85.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$9.04 A$13.01

-86.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$7.61 A$10.94

-70.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$2.42 A$3.48

-23.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.37 A$3.41

-17.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.22 A$3.19

-53.60%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$7.14 A$10.27

-76.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$7.32 A$10.53

131.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$8.24 A$11.86

-61.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.05 A$20.22

-8.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.37 A$4.86

-33.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.57 A$3.70

-35.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.85 A$4.10

-29.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.76 A$5.41

-55.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$1.99 A$2.87

-61.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.05 A$2.95

-54.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.46 A$3.54

-74.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.78 A$2.56

-66.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$44.60 A$64.2

-91.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$22.31 A$32.11

-51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$6.21 A$8.93

-86.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$7.15 A$10.28

-77.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.36 A$0.52

69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$2.18 A$3.14

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.56 A$2.25

-72.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$36.12 A$52.0

-74.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.47 A$2.11

-9.52%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

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

$57.8 ¥387

$90.9 A$131

-36.37%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$30.70 A$44.18

-73.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$63.2 A$90.9

-83.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$17.21 A$24.76

281.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,026 A$1,476

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,016 A$1,463

-42.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,416 A$2,038

75.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,402 A$2,018

-12.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$4,146 A$5,966

-58.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.98

-43.81%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ipswich: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Ipswich

$1K 49.9% 73.8% $432

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Ipswich

$384 18.9% 63.7% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Ipswich

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Ipswich

$423 20.8% 299% $316

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9% 79.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Ipswich

$185 9.1% 142% $108

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6% 68.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,026 in Ipswich. 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 142% higher in Ipswich, 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 $74.0 in Ipswich. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $384 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

229,208

💱 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Ipswich 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Ipswich

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 Ipswich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ipswich is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $3,055 in Ipswich. 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.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Ipswich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai and $74.0 in Ipswich. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Ipswich at $2,037. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich 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, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.