Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Redland City

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,300 in Redland City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
111

Cost of Living Index in Redland City
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Redland City Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Redland City

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Redland City

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $2,300 in Redland City, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Redland City $2,300

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $3,289 in Redland City, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Redland City $3,289

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $4,278 in Redland City, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Redland City $4,278

Shanghai is about 46% cheaper than Redland City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Redland City is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$15.46 A$22.25

-70.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$62.6 A$90.1

-51.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$9.48 A$13.64

-44.62%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.79 A$5.45

-13.46%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$2.75 A$3.95

-79.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.06 A$2.97

-82.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$7.58 A$10.91

-83.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$6.11 A$8.80

-62.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.50 A$2.16

22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.69 A$3.87

-27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.34 A$3.36

-55.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$4.84 A$6.97

-65.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$8.23 A$11.84

106.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.15 A$13.16

-65.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.63 A$21.05

-11.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.42 A$4.92

-34.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.80 A$4.03

-40.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$2.15 A$3.09

-6.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$3.52 A$5.07

-52.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.57 A$3.70

-70.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.79 A$2.58

-48.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.10 A$3.02

-70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.50 A$2.16

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$33.93 A$48.83

-88.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$11.04 A$15.88

-1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.81 A$6.92

-82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$4.23 A$6.08

-61.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.34 A$0.48

79.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$84.5 A$122

-65.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$2.18 A$3.14

-3.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.63 A$2.35

-73.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$35.53 A$51.1

-74.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.30 A$1.87

2.31%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$26.5K A$38.1K

-28.18%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$33.2K A$47.7K

-43.58%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$88.9 A$128

-34.95%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$30.63 A$44.07

-73.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$53.4 A$76.8

-80.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$58.9 A$84.8

11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$19.11 A$27.49

-6.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$6.93 A$9.97

29.15%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$512 A$737

176.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$4,189 A$6,028

564.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$75.0 A$108

-28.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$55.2 A$79.4

-32.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$103 A$148

-27.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$96.9 A$139

9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,361 A$1,959

-22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,205 A$1,734

-51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,138 A$3,077

16.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,778 A$2,558

-30.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$6,207 A$8,932

124.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$5,209 A$7,496

20.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.69

-40.95%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Redland City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Redland City

$1.2K 52.4% 106% $621

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Redland City

$337 14.7% 43.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Redland City

$149 6.5% 21.9% $27

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Redland City

$267 11.6% 152% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Redland City

$73 3.2% 12.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Redland City

$173 7.5% 126% $96

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Redland City

$96 4.2% 167% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,361 in Redland City. 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 $63.0 in Redland City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $337 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Redland City

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

00:46 12:46 AM

2 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

159,222

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Redland City 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Redland City

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 Redland City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Redland City is pricier by about 85%, 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 $3,450 in Redland City. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,244 in Shanghai and $2,300 in Redland City. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 188% less in Shanghai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shanghai, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Redland City at $2,300. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Redland City 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, Redland City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.