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Australians in Shanghai

Everything you need to move to, rent in and enjoy Shanghai as an Australian.

Official Australia

Australian Consulate-General Shanghai

Australia's consulate in Shanghai: passports, notarial services, consular help

Level 22, CITIC Square, 1168 Nanjing West Road, Shanghai

Website · Map · +86 21 2215 5200

Your Cooee group

Cooee China

Free Facebook group for Australians in China: questions, flatmates, footy and meetups.

Opening soon

Shanghai

Moving to Shanghai from Australia: visas, first weeks and where to live

Visa-free entry gets you in the door, but not into a job. Here's the visa path, the paperwork for your first weeks and where Australians live in Shanghai.

Shanghai

Renting in Shanghai: deposits, contracts and the police station visit

Three months up front, a Chinese-language lease and a trip to the police station. Here's how renting in Shanghai really works for Australians.

Shanghai

Cost of living in Shanghai: cheaper than Sydney, until you live like an expat

Rent and the metro are cheaper than Sydney or Melbourne. Imported food, private healthcare and international schools are not. Here's how the numbers stack up.

Shanghai

Aussie life in Shanghai: where to find footy, cricket and your people

Shanghai has a small but busy Australian crowd. Here's where to find footy, cricket, Anzac Day drinks, a taste of home and a few mates who get it.

Shanghai

Daily life in China: the visa rules, the apps and paying with WeChat and Alipay

China runs on your phone. Here's which visa lets you do what, the apps to set up before you land and how to pay with WeChat and Alipay on an Australian card.

Shanghai

Australian restaurants, cafés and bars in Shanghai: a short list, honestly

Shanghai has very few Australian venues, and we won't pad the list. Here are the ones we could verify for 2026, plus where the footy and Anzac drinks happen.

Shanghai

Nightlife in Shanghai: Bund views, laneway bars and a DiDi home

Shanghai does skyline bars, hidden cocktail dens and clubs that run until sunrise. Here's where to go, what it costs and the rules Australians need to take seriously.

Shanghai

Buying in Shanghai vs back home: one flat, many conditions

Shanghai's deed tax is tiny next to NSW stamp duty, but foreigners can usually buy only one home, to live in. Here's the full side-by-side for Australians.

The inner move

Moving to Shanghai is more than boxes

Saying goodbye to friends, starting a new school, and a partner who is suddenly working long hours: that is the move nobody plans for. In Shanghai, apps, firewalls and a new language make even simple things hard at first, and calls home need planning. Katharina Bergauer (innsicht) walks with families through that part of the move: from the goodbyes before you leave until you have settled in.

Book a first conversation Read: the inner move

Psychotherapist in training under supervision (Psychotherapeutin in Fachausbildung unter Lehrsupervision), systemic family therapy · Vienna and online, German or English. Our partner for your move.