Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Baiquan

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $731 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Baiquan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Baiquan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $731 in Baiquan.

Austin, TX $2,698
Baiquan $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,177 in Baiquan.

Austin, TX $4,160
Baiquan $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,623 in Baiquan.

Austin, TX $5,622
Baiquan $1,623

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 269% more expensive than in Baiquan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Baiquan is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.93 ¥19.60

604.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.30 ¥149

279.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.12 ¥34.22

135.74%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.80 ¥18.71

95.71%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.51 ¥3.38

645.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.29 ¥1.92

751.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.07 ¥7.12

652.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.12 ¥14.16

318.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.81 ¥12.10

-38.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.58 ¥10.53

135.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.01 ¥6.74

233.66%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.68 ¥11.26

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.20 ¥88.3

-0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.45 ¥23.04

310.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.23 ¥75.1

45.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.83 ¥12.24

148.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 ¥8.62

13.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.54 ¥10.33

205.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.32 ¥8.79

214.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.69 ¥4.63

273.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.90 ¥6.01

161.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.63 ¥4.18

180.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.59 ¥3.94

262.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.77 ¥25.18

167.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.46 ¥76.6

32.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.88 ¥5.91

220.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.55 ¥10.38

121.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.29 ¥1.91

431.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$18.19 ¥122

125.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.45 ¥9.72

93.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.36 ¥2.39

344.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.01 ¥46.87

389.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.31 ¥8.74

-28.24%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

75.18%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

52.22%

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

$223 $223

$58.6 ¥392

280.01%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$8.58 ¥57.4

586.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.38 ¥76.1

520.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$41.43 ¥277

39.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$15.06 ¥101

9.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.32 ¥42.23

125.63%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$414 ¥2,767

265.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$17.1K ¥114.6K

21.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$42.47 ¥284

20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.93 ¥227

30.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$73.4 ¥491

18.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$75.1 ¥502

38.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$302 ¥2,022

541.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$181 ¥1,208

628.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$635 ¥4,248

476.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$382 ¥2,555

571.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,478 ¥23.3K

111.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,913 ¥12.8K

63.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.36

102.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Baiquan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Baiquan

$181 24.7% 86.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Baiquan

$209 28.5% 48.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Baiquan

$79 10.8% 77.7% $274

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Baiquan

$85 11.7% 75.7% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Baiquan

$101 13.9% 21.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Baiquan

$54 7.4% 37.3% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Baiquan

$23 3.1% 61% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $302 in Baiquan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Baiquan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $209 per month, with Baiquan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Baiquan 11,990 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Baiquan

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

Austin, TX vs Baiquan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baiquan wins on cost – living expenses run 269% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Baiquan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,096 in Baiquan 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $302 in Baiquan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $731 in Baiquan – a 269% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Baiquan runs roughly 125% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $731 in Baiquan versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan 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, Austin, TX and Baiquan 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 Baiquan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 269% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.