Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,445 in Sale, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sale

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Shanghai vs $2,445 in Sale, rent included.

Shanghai $1,244
Sale $2,445

A couple spends around $1,999 per month in Shanghai vs $3,589 in Sale, rent included.

Shanghai $1,999
Sale $3,589

A family of three spends $2,755 per month in Shanghai vs $4,732 in Sale, rent included.

Shanghai $2,755
Sale $4,732

Shanghai is about 49% cheaper than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shanghai sits 8% below the global median, while Sale is 81% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.45

$15.16 A$21.72

-69.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$82.4 A$118

-63.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.10

$11.48 A$16.45

-54.27%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.92

$3.80 A$5.44

-13.68%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.10 A$4.44

-81.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.10 A$3.02

-82.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$8.47 A$12.13

-85.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.17

$7.86 A$11.25

-71.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.29

$1.60 A$2.29

15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.07

$2.49 A$3.56

-21.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.27 A$3.26

-54.63%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.15

$5.54 A$7.94

-69.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$9.18 A$13.15

84.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.31

$8.97 A$12.85

-64.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.2

$15.39 A$22.05

-16.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥14.99

$3.60 A$5.15

-37.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.12

$2.89 A$4.15

-42.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.53

$2.99 A$4.28

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$4.20 A$6.02

-60.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.75 A$3.94

-72.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.29 A$3.28

-59.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.12 A$3.04

-70.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.98

$1.36 A$1.95

-55.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.42

$44.03 A$63.1

-91.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.6

$15.02 A$21.52

-27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.58 A$6.56

-82.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$5.23 A$7.49

-69.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$2.91 A$4.17

-79.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥196

$84.6 A$121

-65.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.10

$3.92 A$5.62

-46.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.86

$1.49 A$2.13

-71.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$45.41 A$65.1

-80.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.15 A$1.64

15.65%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$26.1K A$37.4K

-27.17%

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

$18.7K ¥125.0K

$28.3K A$40.5K

-33.80%

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

$57.8 ¥386

$210 A$301

-72.46%

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

$8.09 ¥54.0

$31.51 A$45.14

-74.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$60.5 A$86.7

-82.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$62.9 A$90.1

4.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$16.87 A$24.17

5.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.8

$15.86 A$22.72

-43.57%

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

$1,414 ¥9,444

$2,317 A$3,319

-38.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.1K

$21.8K A$31.2K

27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$73.7 A$106

-26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$50.6 A$72.4

-26.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$102 A$147

-27.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥705

$107 A$153

-1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,050

$1,502 A$2,151

-29.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,906

$1,150 A$1,648

-49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$2,440 A$3,496

1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,233

$1,855 A$2,657

-33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.0K

$6,605 A$9,462

110.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$4,309 A$6,173

45.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.84

-42.47%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Sale

$1.2K 47.1% 96.7% $565

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Sale

$360 14.7% 53.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Sale

$150 6.1% 23.2% $28

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Sale

$280 11.5% 164% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Sale

$95 3.9% 13.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Sale

$302 12.4% 295% $226

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Sale

$108 4.4% 198% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,502 in Sale. 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 $82.0 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $360 – making Shanghai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Sale

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

09:19 9:19 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

13,673

💱 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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Shanghai Sale 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai, $2,445 in Sale – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,865 per month in Shanghai and $3,667 in Sale. 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 53% more in Sale, 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 $82.0 in Sale. 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 Sale at $2,445. In Shanghai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sale 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, Sale makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.