Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $734 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $734 in Chengdu.

Austin, TX $2,704
Chengdu $734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,211 in Chengdu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Chengdu $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,688 in Chengdu.

Austin, TX $5,562
Chengdu $1,688

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 268% more expensive than in Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Chengdu is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.86 ¥19.11

606.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$22.31 ¥149

281.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.89 ¥32.71

152.56%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.99 ¥19.96

82.94%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.51 ¥3.40

649.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.28 ¥1.89

792.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.46 ¥9.74

452.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.18 ¥14.55

312.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.84 ¥12.28

-38.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.55 ¥10.36

143.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.98 ¥6.58

231.63%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.57 ¥10.47

163.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$14.17 ¥94.7

-7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.71 ¥24.76

285.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.12 ¥74.3

43.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.87 ¥12.52

134.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 ¥8.73

10.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.10 ¥7.34

312.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.14 ¥7.59

267.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.75 ¥5.03

250.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.68 ¥4.56

247.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.63 ¥4.19

179.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.55 ¥3.66

292.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.83 ¥25.59

156.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.60 ¥30.71

220.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.82 ¥5.45

239.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.46 ¥9.77

138.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.44 ¥2.93

238.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$24.70 ¥165

64.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.36 ¥9.09

96.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.31 ¥2.09

409.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$4.38 ¥29.26

705.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.30 ¥8.69

-23.85%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.5K ¥130.6K

83.24%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

59.21%

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

$219 $219

$47.43 ¥317

362.30%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.39 ¥62.8

517.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$12.51 ¥83.6

446.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$27.41 ¥183

111.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$11.30 ¥75.5

31.15%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.14 ¥41.05

130.13%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$376 ¥2,516

300.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.9K ¥99.8K

43.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$25.02 ¥167

106.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$28.00 ¥187

57.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$57.3 ¥383

48.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$52.7 ¥352

99.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$471 ¥3,145

310.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$257 ¥1,716

395.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$819 ¥5,472

348.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$536 ¥3,580

371.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,708 ¥24.8K

105.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,928 ¥12.9K

65.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,277 ¥8,531

299.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.38

100.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Chengdu

$257 34.2% 79.8% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Chengdu

$195 25.9% 51.7% $208

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Chengdu

$88 11.7% 74.7% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Chengdu

$69 9.2% 79.9% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Chengdu

$73 9.8% 43.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Chengdu

$40 5.3% 53.9% $46

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 48.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $471 in Chengdu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 300% 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 Chengdu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $195 per month, with Chengdu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

20,937,757

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Chengdu 12,860 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chengdu wins on cost – living expenses run 268% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chengdu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 300% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $471 in Chengdu. 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 $734 in Chengdu – a 268% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chengdu runs roughly 64% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $734 in Chengdu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chengdu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chengdu 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 Chengdu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 268% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.