Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Penrith

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Penrith

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $2,604 in Penrith, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Penrith $2,604

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $3,652 in Penrith, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Penrith $3,652

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $4,701 in Penrith, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Penrith $4,701

Shanghai is about 52% cheaper than Penrith, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Penrith is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.45

$21.03 A$30.13

-78.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$89.7 A$128

-66.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.10

$10.56 A$15.12

-50.28%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.92

$2.04 A$2.92

60.78%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.16 A$4.52

-81.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.56 A$3.67

-85.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$8.57 A$12.27

-85.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$4.96 A$7.10

-54.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.29

$1.57 A$2.25

17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.07

$3.32 A$4.76

-40.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.54 A$3.64

-59.45%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$5.16 A$7.39

-67.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$13.08 A$18.73

29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.31

$9.74 A$13.95

-67.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$15.40 A$22.06

-16.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.99

$3.93 A$5.62

-43.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$3.08 A$4.41

-46.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$3.50 A$5.01

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$5.31 A$7.61

-68.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$3.17 A$4.54

-75.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.80 A$4.00

-66.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.48 A$3.56

-74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.34 A$1.92

-55.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.42

$45.42 A$65.1

-91.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$14.07 A$20.15

-22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.62 A$6.62

-82.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.64 A$8.08

-71.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$3.17 A$4.55

-80.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$78.5 A$112

-62.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.10

$4.11 A$5.89

-48.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.57 A$2.25

-72.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$42.63 A$61.1

-78.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.18 A$1.69

12.71%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$27.1K A$38.8K

-29.78%

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

$18.7K ¥125.0K

$30.0K A$43.0K

-37.67%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$183 A$262

-68.36%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$26.16 A$37.48

-69.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$55.4 A$79.3

-81.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$51.0 A$73.1

28.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$17.66 A$25.30

0.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$15.88 A$22.75

-43.64%

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

$1,414 ¥9,444

$2,390 A$3,424

-40.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.1K

$19.9K A$28.5K

39.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$75.3 A$108

-28.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$56.1 A$80.4

-33.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$108 A$154

-31.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$134 A$192

-21.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,050

$1,371 A$1,964

-23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,906

$1,289 A$1,847

-54.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,142 A$3,068

16.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,233

$1,686 A$2,416

-26.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$4,992 A$7,152

178.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$4,361 A$6,247

43.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

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 12, 2026

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5% 121% $704

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Penrith

$396 15.2% 68.7% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Penrith

$168 6.5% 37.9% $46

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Penrith

$300 11.5% 183% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Penrith

$83 3.2% 1% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Penrith

$264 10.2% 246% $188

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Penrith

$103 4% 186% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,371 in Penrith. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Shanghai versus $90.0 in Penrith. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $396 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Penrith

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

13,343

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Penrith 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Penrith

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 Penrith: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penrith costs about 109% more than Shanghai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $3,905 in Penrith. 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.

Public transport costs about 167% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,414 per month in Shanghai and $2,390 in Penrith. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Penrith at $2,604. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penrith 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, Penrith makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.