Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $741 in Changzhou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 260% more expensive than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Changzhou is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.92 ¥19.51

611.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.54 ¥191

196.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.51 ¥30.16

173.17%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.22 ¥14.82

153.60%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.38 ¥2.55

878.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.23 ¥1.53

986.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.62 ¥4.15

1198.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.45 ¥9.69

521.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.86 ¥12.47

-39.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.28 ¥8.59

192.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.00 ¥6.66

226.00%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.72 ¥11.54

142.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.41 ¥49.55

74.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.82 ¥18.86

402.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.35 ¥82.6

31.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.16 ¥14.44

100.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.73 ¥11.58

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.97 ¥13.14

128.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.04 ¥6.97

317.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.77 ¥5.13

235.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.99 ¥6.63

137.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.39 ¥2.60

356.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.62 ¥4.18

258.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.29 ¥22.03

200.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.58 ¥70.8

42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.82 ¥5.49

256.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.56 ¥10.45

121.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.33 ¥2.20

351.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$14.32 ¥95.8

191.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.51 ¥10.09

80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.31 ¥2.08

435.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.93 ¥19.57

1104.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.31 ¥8.74

-27.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

111.22%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$13.8K ¥92.3K

96.10%

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

$229 $229

$57.5 ¥385

298.17%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.13 ¥54.3

630.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.66 ¥71.3

555.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$40.60 ¥272

40.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.75 ¥98.7

10.71%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.57 ¥30.53

212.47%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$251 ¥1,681

499.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.1K ¥101.1K

41.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.3 ¥370

-4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$22.58 ¥151

94.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.0 ¥508

11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$76.2 ¥510

35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$285 ¥1,908

568.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$229 ¥1,529

457.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$917 ¥6,133

299.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$495 ¥3,312

412.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,942 ¥19.7K

158.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,613 ¥10.8K

95.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,067 ¥7,132

380.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.35

102.69%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 82.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 52.6% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 78.7% $282

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 79.7% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Changzhou

$104 14% 19.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 42% $36

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 68.1% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 380% 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 $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $192 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

16:52 4:52 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

5,278,121

💱 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 Changzhou 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Changzhou

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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 260% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Changzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 380% 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 $285 in Changzhou. 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 $741 in Changzhou – a 260% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Changzhou runs roughly 191% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.