Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Foshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Foshan: $777 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Foshan
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Foshan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Foshan

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $777 in Foshan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Foshan $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,242 in Foshan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Foshan $1,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,708 in Foshan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Foshan $1,708

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 243% more expensive than in Foshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Foshan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.78 ¥25.26

449.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.79 ¥152

271.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.11 ¥34.20

141.10%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.07 ¥20.51

83.39%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.52 ¥3.49

615.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 ¥2.09

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.22 ¥8.17

559.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.89 ¥12.61

376.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.66 ¥11.11

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.12 ¥7.48

234.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.92 ¥6.16

254.35%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.70 ¥11.38

145.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$16.68 ¥112

-22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.92 ¥26.18

261.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.69 ¥71.5

51.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.01 ¥20.16

43.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 ¥8.51

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.90 ¥12.69

137.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.63 ¥10.92

166.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.09 ¥7.27

136.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 ¥6.39

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.64 ¥4.26

178.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.50 ¥3.37

344.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.23 ¥14.90

343.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.23 ¥68.4

47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.93 ¥6.24

213.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.51 ¥10.13

129.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.31 ¥2.08

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$10.62 ¥71.0

292.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.52 ¥10.18

79.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.47 ¥3.15

253.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.81 ¥58.9

300.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.22 ¥8.19

-22.13%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.3K ¥142.3K

69.39%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.2K ¥108.3K

67.17%

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

$229 $229

$84.5 ¥565

170.93%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.92 ¥53.0

649.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$15.69 ¥105

345.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$71.4 ¥477

-19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$23.83 ¥159

-31.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.31 ¥35.51

168.93%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$457 ¥3,055

229.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$23.3K ¥155.8K

-7.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.21 ¥282

25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$18.76 ¥125

133.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$62.1 ¥415

36.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$91.8 ¥614

12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$304 ¥2,032

527.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$159 ¥1,061

703.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$596 ¥3,983

515.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$341 ¥2,280

644.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,329 ¥28.9K

75.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,864 ¥12.5K

69.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$802 ¥5,363

538.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.83

77.28%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Foshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Foshan

$159 20.4% 87.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Foshan

$220 28.4% 45.5% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Foshan

$108 13.9% 69.8% $250

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Foshan

$96 12.3% 73% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Foshan

$97 12.4% 24.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Foshan

$82 10.6% 4.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Foshan

$16 2% 73.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $304 in Foshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 539% 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 $23.00 in Foshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $220 per month, with Foshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Foshan

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

17:32 5:32 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

9,498,863

💱 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 Foshan 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Foshan

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 Foshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foshan wins on cost – living expenses run 243% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Foshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 539% 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 $304 in Foshan. 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 $777 in Foshan – a 243% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Foshan runs roughly 293% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $777 in Foshan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foshan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Foshan 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 Foshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.