Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,250 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
Learn more

Sydney Living Index

Jump to prices

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,250

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Shanghai versus $3,182 in Sydney.

Shanghai $1,250
Sydney $3,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,019 in Shanghai versus $4,696 in Sydney.

Shanghai $2,019
Sydney $4,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,789 in Shanghai versus $6,210 in Sydney.

Shanghai $2,789
Sydney $6,210

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 61% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 7% below, Sydney is 137% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ¥30.45

$17.66 A$25.37

-74.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.52 ¥198

$97.1 A$139

-69.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.10 ¥34.13

$11.94 A$17.15

-57.29%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ¥22.92

$4.00 A$5.75

-14.50%

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

$0.61 ¥4.12

$2.84 A$4.07

-78.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$2.27 A$3.26

-84.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 ¥8.08

$7.89 A$11.33

-84.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.33

$7.13 A$10.24

-67.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.48

$1.66 A$2.39

12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$2.79 A$4.01

-27.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.84

$2.32 A$3.34

-56.03%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.48

$5.53 A$7.94

-68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.19 ¥115

$12.08 A$17.35

42.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.43

$9.84 A$14.14

-65.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 ¥85.7

$16.61 A$23.87

-22.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ¥14.54

$4.02 A$5.78

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ¥11.67

$3.15 A$4.53

-44.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.99

$3.50 A$5.03

-44.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.25

$4.47 A$6.42

-62.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$3.32 A$4.77

-76.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$2.30 A$3.31

-59.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$2.34 A$3.37

-73.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.88

$1.15 A$1.66

-49.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 ¥25.64

$45.02 A$64.7

-91.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 ¥73.2

$13.96 A$20.05

-21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.60

$3.98 A$5.72

-78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$4.07 A$5.84

-60.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$3.16 A$4.54

-81.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 ¥203

$150 A$215

-79.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ¥13.79

$3.45 A$4.96

-40.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.13

$1.63 A$2.34

-71.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ¥58.9

$39.98 A$57.4

-77.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.53

$1.40 A$2.01

-9.29%

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

$19.6K ¥131.2K

$28.4K A$40.8K

-31.05%

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

$18.6K ¥124.4K

$29.4K A$42.2K

-36.82%

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

$57.2 ¥383

$220 A$316

-73.97%

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

$8.06 ¥53.9

$27.70 A$39.79

-70.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ¥70.4

$55.5 A$79.8

-81.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.6 ¥433

$74.3 A$107

-13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 ¥118

$23.95 A$34.41

-26.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.84 ¥59.1

$17.73 A$25.46

-50.14%

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

$1,437 ¥9,620

$2,157 A$3,098

-33.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.1K ¥187.9K

$28.3K A$40.6K

-0.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ¥366

$78.4 A$113

-30.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.43 ¥244

$70.5 A$101

-48.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$111 A$160

-32.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ¥696

$132 A$189

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 ¥6,956

$2,514 A$3,612

-58.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ¥3,940

$1,732 A$2,487

-66.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 ¥16.6K

$4,889 A$7,022

-49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 ¥8,282

$3,039 A$4,365

-59.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥90.9K

$13.2K A$19.0K

2.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,191 ¥41.4K

$8,117 A$11.7K

-23.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,715 ¥11.5K

$4,082 A$5,864

-57.98%

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 4, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$589 47.1%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 194% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19%

Sydney

$380 12% 60.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.7%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 45% $55

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.6%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 179% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$82 6.6%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 33.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 300% $227

Getting Around

Shanghai

$37 3%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 371% $137

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,039 in Shanghai and $2,514 in Sydney. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays 138% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $97.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $380 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.149 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shanghai Sydney 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Sydney differ by about 155% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $3,182 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 138% lower in Sydney. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,039 in Shanghai versus $2,514 in Sydney. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,437 in Shanghai versus $2,157 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Shanghai versus $3,182 in Sydney, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 Sydney 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 155% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.