Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Changshu

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $707 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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 Changshu
Learn more

Changshu Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $707 in Changshu.

Austin, TX $2,704
Changshu $707

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,120 in Changshu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Changshu $1,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,532 in Changshu.

Austin, TX $5,562
Changshu $1,532

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 282% more expensive than in Changshu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Changshu is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.71 ¥18.12

646.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$21.35 ¥143

298.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.98 ¥33.30

147.99%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.09 ¥20.67

77.02%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.43 ¥2.88

788.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ¥1.80

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$0.94 ¥6.27

757.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.06 ¥13.78

336.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.87 ¥12.49

-39.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.56 ¥10.44

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.90 ¥6.03

261.11%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.54 ¥10.31

168.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.88 ¥86.1

1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.17 ¥21.16

351.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.11 ¥67.5

57.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.82 ¥12.19

140.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.25 ¥8.33

16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.54 ¥10.29

194.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.14 ¥7.64

267.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.69 ¥4.60

281.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.89 ¥5.98

165.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.56 ¥3.76

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.50 ¥3.37

332.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.04 ¥20.35

222.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.65 ¥71.2

38.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.74 ¥4.97

275.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.63 ¥10.91

113.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.27 ¥1.78

451.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$16.85 ¥113

140.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.37 ¥9.16

94.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.35 ¥2.35

351.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$6.82 ¥45.56

417.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.14 ¥7.61

-13.16%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

84.98%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$16.9K ¥113.2K

60.49%

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

$219 $219

$44.92 ¥300

388.13%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.95 ¥66.5

482.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$11.63 ¥77.7

487.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$42.26 ¥282

37.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.67 ¥91.3

8.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.88 ¥39.29

140.31%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$340 ¥2,272

343.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

25.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$43.35 ¥290

19.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$30.09 ¥201

46.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$70.8 ¥473

20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$73.3 ¥490

43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$277 ¥1,853

596.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$192 ¥1,281

563.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$596 ¥3,986

515.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$355 ¥2,370

612.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,056 ¥20.4K

149.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,007 ¥13.4K

59.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.89

74.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Changshu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Changshu

$192 26.8% 84.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Changshu

$198 27.7% 50.9% $205

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Changshu

$85 12% 75.5% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Changshu

$67 9.3% 80.8% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Changshu

$98 13.7% 24% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Changshu

$54 7.6% 37.3% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Changshu

$21 3% 63.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $277 in Changshu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Changshu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $198 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Changshu

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

15:43 3:43 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,677,050

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 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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Austin, TX Changshu 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Changshu

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 Changshu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu wins on cost – living expenses run 282% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Changshu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,061 in Changshu 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $277 in Changshu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $707 in Changshu – a 282% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Changshu runs roughly 140% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $707 in Changshu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu 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 Changshu 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.