Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Romsey

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,503 in Romsey, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Romsey
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Romsey Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Romsey

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Romsey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,503 in Romsey.

Shanghai $1,244
Romsey $2,503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,715 in Romsey.

Shanghai $1,999
Romsey $3,715

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $4,927 in Romsey.

Shanghai $2,755
Romsey $4,927

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 50% less than in Romsey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Romsey is 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$17.48 A$25.15

-73.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$82.7 A$119

-63.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$12.48 A$17.96

-57.93%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.94 A$5.68

-16.75%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.18 A$4.58

-82.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.51 A$3.61

-85.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$9.99 A$14.38

-87.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$8.38 A$12.05

-72.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.49 A$2.15

23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.96 A$4.26

-33.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.62 A$3.77

-60.69%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$5.33 A$7.67

-68.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.61 A$15.27

59.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.87 A$14.21

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$14.98 A$21.55

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$4.13 A$5.94

-45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$3.03 A$4.35

-45.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.10 A$4.46

-34.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.75 A$6.84

-65.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.93 A$4.21

-73.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.55 A$3.68

-63.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.37 A$3.41

-73.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.59 A$2.28

-62.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$44.27 A$63.7

-91.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$12.29 A$17.68

-11.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$5.45 A$7.84

-84.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.16 A$7.43

-68.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$3.07 A$4.41

-80.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$81.2 A$117

-63.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$4.44 A$6.39

-52.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.42 A$2.05

-69.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$30.36 A$43.69

-70.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.43 A$2.06

-6.99%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$28.5K A$41.0K

-33.29%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$26.0K A$37.4K

-28.01%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$231 A$333

-75.01%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$27.97 A$40.25

-71.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$55.7 A$80.2

-81.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$54.0 A$77.8

21.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$18.02 A$25.93

-1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$15.19 A$21.87

-41.08%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,369 A$3,409

-40.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$29.5K A$42.5K

-5.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$80.9 A$116

-33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$49.28 A$70.9

-24.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$118 A$170

-37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$135 A$194

-21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,536 A$2,210

-31.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,130 A$1,626

-48.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,062 A$2,967

20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,898 A$2,731

-35.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$6,391 A$9,196

117.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$4,239 A$6,100

47.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.9

-43.05%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Romsey: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Romsey

$1.1K 45.2% 93.3% $545

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Romsey

$382 15.3% 62.7% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Romsey

$172 6.9% 41.4% $50

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Romsey

$314 12.6% 196% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Romsey

$84 3.4% 1% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Romsey

$315 12.6% 313% $239

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Romsey

$105 4.2% 191% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,536 in Romsey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $83.0 in Romsey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $382 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Romsey

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,400

💱 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

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Between locations

Shanghai Romsey 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Romsey

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 Romsey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Romsey differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,503 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 $3,754 in Romsey 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 $1,536 in Romsey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $2,503 in Romsey – a 101% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shanghai runs roughly 176% less than in Romsey. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,503 in Romsey, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Romsey. 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 Romsey 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 101% less than in Romsey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.