Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Chaozhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
Learn more

Chaozhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Austin, TX $2,698
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Austin, TX $4,160
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Austin, TX $5,622
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 320% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Chaozhou is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.26 ¥15.10

812.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$23.63 ¥158

257.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$3.54 ¥23.65

240.96%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$1.52 ¥10.18

260.53%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.49 ¥3.29

675.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.29 ¥1.93

751.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.17 ¥7.83

588.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.87 ¥19.20

209.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.52 ¥10.19

-26.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.48 ¥9.88

151.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.73 ¥4.87

361.64%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.16 ¥7.74

272.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$9.61 ¥64.2

36.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$2.52 ¥16.85

461.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.99 ¥80.1

36.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.20 ¥14.74

106.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.94 ¥6.29

55.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$0.92 ¥6.16

411.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.76 ¥11.77

135.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.62 ¥4.15

316.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.47 ¥3.15

400.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.43 ¥2.88

311.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.31 ¥2.08

590.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$2.95 ¥19.76

242.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.03 ¥73.8

37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.72 ¥4.84

291.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.17 ¥7.84

194.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.29 ¥1.92

431.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$18.02 ¥121

127.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.00 ¥6.71

180.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.29 ¥1.91

451.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.03 ¥47.02

388.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.24 ¥8.26

-24.19%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

75.31%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.7K ¥118.1K

51.53%

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

$223 $223

$43.79 ¥293

408.45%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$4.32 ¥28.86

1263.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.32 ¥75.7

523.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$41.24 ¥276

39.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$15.04 ¥101

9.91%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.36 ¥42.53

124.21%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$483 ¥3,231

212.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$24.7K ¥165.0K

-15.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$13.41 ¥89.7

282.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$28.46 ¥190

55.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$88.1 ¥589

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$60.0 ¥401

74.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$300 ¥2,003

547.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$179 ¥1,200

633.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$624 ¥4,169

487.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$376 ¥2,513

582.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,524 ¥23.6K

108.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,951 ¥13.0K

60.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$490 ¥3,279

977.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.46

96.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 86.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 55.6% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 83.1% $293

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 82.4% $288

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 33.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 37.4% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 62.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 978% 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $180 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,568,387

💱 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 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 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 Chaozhou 12,990 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Chaozhou

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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chaozhou wins on cost – living expenses run 320% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaozhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 978% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $300 in Chaozhou. 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 $642 in Chaozhou – a 320% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chaozhou runs roughly 127% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 320% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.