Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $813 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
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Dongguan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $813 in Dongguan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Dongguan $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,291 in Dongguan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Dongguan $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,768 in Dongguan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Dongguan $1,768

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 227% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Dongguan is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.57 ¥17.18

708.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.04 ¥147

283.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.26 ¥35.16

134.22%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.56 ¥17.14

119.92%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ¥3.15

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.93

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.92 ¥6.18

775.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.21 ¥14.80

307.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.60 ¥10.69

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.56 ¥10.42

140.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.03 ¥6.90

216.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.66 ¥11.12

151.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$20.79 ¥139

-37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.44 ¥22.99

311.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$14.23 ¥95.2

13.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.27 ¥15.17

90.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ¥10.51

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.94 ¥12.95

132.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.42 ¥9.47

205.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.08 ¥7.19

138.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.24 ¥8.32

89.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.56 ¥3.72

217.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 ¥3.68

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.49 ¥30.04

120.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.89 ¥79.5

26.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.86 ¥5.76

239.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.75 ¥11.68

97.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.35 ¥2.35

325.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$22.79 ¥152

83.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.18 ¥7.91

131.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.39 ¥2.59

325.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.36 ¥29.14

709.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.28 ¥8.53

-25.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.5K ¥130.7K

84.42%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.6K ¥124.6K

45.35%

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

$229 $229

$63.8 ¥426

259.14%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.24 ¥61.8

542.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$13.08 ¥87.5

434.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$51.1 ¥341

12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.01 ¥107

2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.67 ¥51.3

86.18%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$533 ¥3,566

182.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.2K ¥161.6K

-11.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$46.76 ¥313

12.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.41 ¥270

8.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$73.3 ¥490

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$39.10 ¥262

163.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$372 ¥2,490

412.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$218 ¥1,459

483.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$662 ¥4,427

453.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$431 ¥2,883

488.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$5,714 ¥38.2K

33.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$3,066 ¥20.5K

2.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$858 ¥5,736

497.08%

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 Dongguan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Dongguan

$218 26.8% 82.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Dongguan

$246 30.3% 39.1% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Dongguan

$86 10.6% 76% $272

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Dongguan

$79 9.7% 77.6% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Dongguan

$90 11% 29.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Dongguan

$66 8.2% 22.6% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Dongguan

$27 3.4% 53.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $372 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 497% 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 Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $246 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,254,100

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Dongguan 13,200 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan wins on cost – living expenses run 227% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dongguan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 497% 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 $372 in Dongguan. 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 $813 in Dongguan – a 227% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 83% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $813 in Dongguan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.