Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bengbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $666 in Bengbu.

Austin, TX $2,663
Bengbu $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,043 in Bengbu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bengbu $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,420 in Bengbu.

Austin, TX $5,603
Bengbu $1,420

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 300% more expensive than in Bengbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Bengbu is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.31 ¥15.42

799.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$10.50 ¥70.2

705.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.76 ¥31.81

158.82%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.15 ¥21.09

78.73%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ¥3.16

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 ¥1.66

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.45 ¥9.67

455.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.21 ¥14.75

307.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.18 ¥14.57

-48.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.02 ¥6.82

267.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.72 ¥4.85

352.78%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.32 ¥8.83

215.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.42 ¥69.7

23.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.04 ¥20.30

365.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.00 ¥60.2

80.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.50 ¥10.03

188.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.07 ¥7.13

36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.52 ¥10.16

196.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.78 ¥5.22

456.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.62 ¥4.16

316.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.63 ¥4.20

273.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.76 ¥5.09

134.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 ¥2.90

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.93 ¥19.57

237.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.10 ¥40.82

147.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.76 ¥5.11

284.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.47 ¥9.86

135.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.31 ¥2.09

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$20.48 ¥137

103.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.61 ¥10.76

69.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.38 ¥2.57

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.15 ¥61.2

285.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 ¥8.66

-26.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

87.73%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.6K ¥111.3K

62.73%

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

$229 $229

$36.70 ¥245

523.95%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$5.39 ¥36.02

1001.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.07 ¥47.25

888.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.28 ¥276

38.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.25 ¥109

0.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.99 ¥40.08

138.40%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$417 ¥2,789

261.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.1K ¥148.0K

-3.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$43.41 ¥290

21.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$33.77 ¥226

29.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$66.1 ¥442

28.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$88.5 ¥592

16.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$294 ¥1,969

547.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$181 ¥1,209

604.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$586 ¥3,921

525.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$349 ¥2,335

627.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,507 ¥23.5K

117.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,194 ¥14.7K

43.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$668 ¥4,469

666.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.42

98.54%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Bengbu

$181 27.2% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Bengbu

$168 25.2% 58.5% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Bengbu

$49 7.4% 86.3% $309

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Bengbu

$85 12.8% 76% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Bengbu

$104 15.7% 18.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Bengbu

$53 8% 37.9% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Bengbu

$25 3.8% 57% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $294 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 666% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $11.00 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $168 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🕒 Local time

00:45 12:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,296,408

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Bengbu 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bengbu

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 Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu wins on cost – living expenses run 300% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bengbu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 666% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $294 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $666 in Bengbu – a 300% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bengbu runs roughly 104% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu 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.

Expats usually find Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 300% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.