Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $715 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 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 Datong
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Datong Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $715 in Datong.

Austin, TX $2,698
Datong $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,133 in Datong.

Austin, TX $4,160
Datong $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,551 in Datong.

Austin, TX $5,622
Datong $1,551

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 277% more expensive than in Datong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Datong is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.77 ¥18.50

644.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.44 ¥143

294.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.93 ¥32.98

144.83%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.05 ¥20.42

79.67%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.47 ¥3.11

708.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.27 ¥1.80

814.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.94 ¥6.31

756.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.06 ¥13.76

331.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.82 ¥12.16

-39.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.62 ¥10.80

129.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.89 ¥5.92

278.65%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.55 ¥10.36

178.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.59 ¥84.2

4.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.23 ¥21.62

338.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.12 ¥67.7

61.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.87 ¥12.52

143.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.26 ¥8.39

15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.47 ¥9.83

220.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.15 ¥7.68

260.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 ¥4.89

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.92 ¥6.13

155.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.56 ¥3.77

216.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 ¥3.44

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.17 ¥21.22

218.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.71 ¥71.6

41.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.79 ¥5.29

256.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.60 ¥10.69

115.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.27 ¥1.80

470.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$16.82 ¥112

143.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.42 ¥9.48

97.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.33 ¥2.19

384.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.87 ¥45.96

399.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.17 ¥7.83

-19.66%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

75.29%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.4K ¥116.3K

53.86%

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

$223 $223

$44.62 ¥298

398.99%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$9.53 ¥63.7

518.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.92 ¥79.7

492.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$42.32 ¥283

36.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$13.88 ¥92.8

19.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.84 ¥39.05

144.18%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$329 ¥2,198

359.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$16.5K ¥110.5K

26.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.27 ¥296

15.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$30.48 ¥204

44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$71.5 ¥478

21.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$70.7 ¥473

47.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$283 ¥1,890

586.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$193 ¥1,289

582.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$598 ¥3,999

512.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$363 ¥2,424

607.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,069 ¥20.5K

139.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,036 ¥13.6K

53.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

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 19, 2026

Last update for Datong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Datong

$193 27% 85.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Datong

$198 27.7% 51.2% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Datong

$66 9.2% 81.2% $286

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Datong

$85 11.9% 75.6% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Datong

$98 13.7% 24.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Datong

$54 7.6% 37.4% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Datong

$21 2.9% 63.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $283 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $198 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Datong

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

08:43 8:43 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,318,057

💱 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Datong 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Datong

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 277% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,072 in Datong 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $283 in Datong. 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 $715 in Datong – a 277% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Datong runs roughly 144% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $715 in Datong versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.