Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Wollongong

For one person, living is cheaper in Shanghai: $1,244 a month against $2,251 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
110

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
Learn more

Wollongong Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shanghai and in Wollongong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,251 in Wollongong.

Shanghai $1,244
Wollongong $2,251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $3,295 in Wollongong.

Shanghai $1,999
Wollongong $3,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $4,339 in Wollongong.

Shanghai $2,755
Wollongong $4,339

Living in Shanghai costs roughly 45% less than in Wollongong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shanghai is 8% below, Wollongong is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$16.72 A$24.06

-72.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$83.9 A$121

-64.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$10.27 A$14.78

-48.88%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$3.49 A$5.03

-6.02%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.16 A$4.54

-81.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$2.17 A$3.12

-83.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$7.09 A$10.20

-82.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$6.93 A$9.97

-67.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.19 A$1.72

54.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$2.92 A$4.20

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$2.11 A$3.04

-51.18%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$3.93 A$5.65

-57.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.40 A$14.96

63.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$9.47 A$13.62

-66.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$15.48 A$22.27

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$2.90 A$4.17

-22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$2.54 A$3.65

-34.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$3.30 A$4.74

-38.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$4.53 A$6.51

-63.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$2.31 A$3.33

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$2.58 A$3.71

-63.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$2.56 A$3.68

-75.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$1.33 A$1.91

-54.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$44.92 A$64.6

-91.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$13.90 A$20.00

-21.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$4.38 A$6.31

-81.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$4.67 A$6.72

-65.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.97 A$2.84

-69.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$4.11 A$5.92

-48.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.55 A$2.23

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$42.79 A$61.6

-78.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$1.32 A$1.90

0.76%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$26.6K A$38.2K

-28.36%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$24.8K A$35.6K

-24.49%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$185 A$267

-68.82%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$27.08 A$38.97

-70.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$51.1 A$73.5

-79.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$81.8 A$118

-19.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$14.07 A$20.24

26.65%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$13.02 A$18.73

-31.26%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$2,148 A$3,091

-34.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$20.5K A$29.5K

35.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$68.2 A$98.1

-20.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$55.0 A$79.2

-32.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$105 A$152

-29.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$108 A$155

-1.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$1,246 A$1,793

-15.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$1,079 A$1,552

-45.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$1,947 A$2,802

27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$1,666 A$2,398

-26.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$4,438 A$6,386

213.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$3,676 A$5,290

70.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$5,130 A$7,382

-66.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.23

-35.76%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wollongong: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Wollongong

$1.1K 47.9% 84.5% $494

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Wollongong

$353 15.7% 50.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Wollongong

$151 6.7% 24.1% $29

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Wollongong

$277 12.3% 161% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Wollongong

$108 4.8% 29% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Wollongong

$264 11.7% 245% $187

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Wollongong

$20 * 0.9% 45.3% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wollongong pays 200% 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 $84.0 in Wollongong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $353 per month, with Shanghai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

01:10 1:10 AM

3 h ahead of Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

280,153

💱 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 Wollongong 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
Wollongong

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 Wollongong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Wollongong differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $2,251 including rent). Shanghai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 200% lower in Wollongong. 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: $1,055 in Shanghai versus $1,246 in Wollongong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Wollongong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,244 per month in Shanghai versus $2,251 in Wollongong – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,244 in Shanghai versus $2,251 in Wollongong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shanghai but tight or insufficient in Wollongong. 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 Wollongong 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 81% less than in Wollongong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.