Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Changchun

For one person, living is cheaper in Changchun: $912 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $912 in Changchun.

Austin, TX $2,663
Changchun $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,335 in Changchun.

Austin, TX $4,133
Changchun $1,335

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,757 in Changchun.

Austin, TX $5,603
Changchun $1,757

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 192% more expensive than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Changchun is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.95 ¥19.71

604.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.24 ¥149

280.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.19 ¥34.69

137.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.49 ¥16.66

126.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.48 ¥3.20

675.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.94

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.17 ¥7.82

588.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.82 ¥12.19

395.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.90 ¥12.70

-41.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.22 ¥8.16

207.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.45 ¥9.72

124.83%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.84 ¥12.33

126.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$34.91 ¥233

-63.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$5.88 ¥39.33

140.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.55 ¥70.6

53.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.71 ¥11.44

153.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.46 ¥9.79

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.78 ¥11.88

153.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.90 ¥12.68

128.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.88 ¥5.87

193.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.61 ¥4.10

191.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.48 ¥9.89

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.65 ¥24.44

170.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$20.59 ¥138

-26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.93 ¥6.21

213.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.14 ¥7.60

203.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.44 ¥2.92

238.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.23 ¥8.26

121.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.31 ¥2.11

435.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.93 ¥19.57

1104.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.24 ¥8.30

-23.39%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

84.10%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.0K ¥120.1K

50.78%

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

$229 $229

$75.1 ¥502

204.83%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.52 ¥30.24

1213.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$14.87 ¥99.5

370.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$38.44 ¥257

48.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.21 ¥28.18

287.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.86 ¥45.91

108.16%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$546 ¥3,650

175.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.4K ¥143.2K

0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$74.2 ¥496

-28.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$45.27 ¥303

-3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$60.9 ¥407

39.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$71.0 ¥475

45.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$218 ¥1,459

774.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$251 ¥1,679

407.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$575 ¥3,847

536.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$310 ¥2,073

718.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,661 ¥11.1K

358.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,015 ¥6,789

211.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$965 ¥6,451

430.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.37

55.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Changchun: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Changchun

$251 27.5% 80.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Changchun

$315 * 34.6% 22.1% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Changchun

$95 10.4% 73.6% $264

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Changchun

$82 9% 76.9% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Changchun

$113 12.4% 11.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Changchun

$52 5.7% 39.2% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5% 92.2% $54

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $218 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 431% 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 $22.00 in Changchun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $315 per month, with Changchun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

9,066,906

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Changchun 10,680 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Changchun

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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changchun wins on cost – living expenses run 192% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Changchun the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 431% 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 $218 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $546 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Changchun – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $912 in Changchun versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changchun but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Changchun 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 Changchun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.