Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Port Douglas

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,559 in Port Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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 Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Port Douglas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,559 in Port Douglas.

Shanghai $1,244
Port Douglas $2,559

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,834 in Port Douglas.

Shanghai $1,999
Port Douglas $3,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $5,110 in Port Douglas.

Shanghai $2,755
Port Douglas $5,110

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 51% less than in Port Douglas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Port Douglas is 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.45

$17.13 A$24.54

-73.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$99.0 A$142

-69.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.10

$12.57 A$18.01

-58.23%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.92

$4.47 A$6.40

-26.62%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.12 A$4.46

-81.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.64 A$3.79

-86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$7.00 A$10.03

-82.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$8.12 A$11.63

-72.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.29

$1.86 A$2.66

-1.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.07

$2.65 A$3.80

-26.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.52 A$3.61

-59.13%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$5.34 A$7.66

-68.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.19 A$13.17

84.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.31

$13.57 A$19.44

-76.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$14.86 A$21.29

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.99

$4.13 A$5.92

-45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.84 A$4.08

-41.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$3.67 A$5.26

-44.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$5.64 A$8.07

-70.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.47 A$3.54

-68.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.53 A$3.63

-63.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.76 A$3.95

-77.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$2.59 A$3.72

-76.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.42

$44.97 A$64.4

-91.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$13.83 A$19.81

-21.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$3.65 A$5.23

-77.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.36 A$7.68

-69.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.67 A$3.83

-77.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$80.1 A$115

-63.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.10

$2.54 A$3.64

-16.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$2.00 A$2.86

-78.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$42.60 A$61.0

-78.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.24 A$1.78

7.26%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$30.4K A$43.6K

-37.47%

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

$18.7K ¥125.0K

$40.3K A$57.8K

-53.63%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$162 A$232

-64.31%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$35.15 A$50.4

-76.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$66.4 A$95.1

-84.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$58.3 A$83.5

12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$17.90 A$25.64

-0.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$13.65 A$19.56

-34.43%

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

$1,414 ¥9,444

$2,041 A$2,923

-30.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.1K

$13.9K A$19.9K

100.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$89.1 A$128

-39.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$70.5 A$101

-47.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$125 A$179

-40.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$132 A$189

-20.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,050

$1,463 A$2,096

-27.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,906

$1,208 A$1,730

-51.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,047 A$2,932

21.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,233

$1,965 A$2,815

-37.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$6,639 A$9,510

109.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,060 A$7,249

23.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.32

-46.84%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Douglas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.2% 107% $623

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Port Douglas

$409 16% 74% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Port Douglas

$187 7.3% 53.8% $66

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Port Douglas

$303 11.8% 186% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Port Douglas

$86 3.4% 2.4% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Port Douglas

$263 10.3% 245% $187

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Port Douglas

$103 4% 186% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,463 in Port Douglas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $99.0 in Port Douglas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $409 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

3,500

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Shanghai Port Douglas 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Shanghai
Port Douglas

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 Port Douglas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Port Douglas differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,559 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 $3,838 in Port Douglas 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 $1,463 in Port Douglas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Port Douglas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $99.0 in Port Douglas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,559 in Port Douglas, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Port Douglas. 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 Port Douglas 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 106% less than in Port Douglas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.