Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $924 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $924 in Guangzhou (Canton).

Austin, TX $2,704
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,438 in Guangzhou (Canton).

Austin, TX $4,133
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,953 in Guangzhou (Canton).

Austin, TX $5,562
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,953

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 193% more expensive than in Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Guangzhou (Canton) is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.02 ¥20.21

569.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$29.67 ¥198

186.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.32 ¥35.53

132.14%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.97 ¥19.83

84.18%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.58 ¥3.89

558.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.37 ¥2.49

575.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.17 ¥7.79

588.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.75 ¥18.41

226.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.91 ¥12.75

-40.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.83 ¥12.23

106.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.09 ¥7.30

198.17%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.52 ¥10.14

172.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$16.76 ¥112

-21.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.95 ¥33.07

189.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$12.20 ¥81.5

30.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.25 ¥15.04

94.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.23 ¥8.19

17.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.47 ¥9.82

208.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.78 ¥11.89

135.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.03 ¥6.86

155.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.17 ¥7.84

101.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.83 ¥5.56

112.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.65 ¥4.33

232.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.88 ¥25.93

152.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.85 ¥72.5

35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.05 ¥7.05

164.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.89 ¥12.61

84.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.47 ¥3.11

217.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$22.21 ¥148

82.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.83 ¥12.23

45.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.40 ¥2.69

295.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.02 ¥46.90

402.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 ¥8.75

-24.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

86.57%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.6K ¥117.5K

54.50%

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

$219 $219

$60.0 ¥401

265.21%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$16.00 ¥107

262.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$14.46 ¥96.6

372.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$68.9 ¥460

-15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$12.04 ¥80.4

23.09%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.57 ¥43.94

115.07%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,471 ¥9,831

2.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.2K ¥161.5K

-11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$48.75 ¥326

5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$41.61 ¥278

5.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$81.5 ¥545

4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$70.4 ¥471

49.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$542 ¥3,623

256.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$276 ¥1,842

361.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,343 ¥8,974

173.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$472 ¥3,157

434.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$8,553 ¥57.2K

-10.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,459 ¥23.1K

-7.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,265 ¥8,452

303.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.4

99.71%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$276 30.1% 78.3% $997

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$240 26.2% 40.4% $163

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 9.9% 73.9% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$90 9.9% 73.8% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 11.9% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$82 9% 4.8% $4.1

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3.1% 51% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $542 in Guangzhou (Canton). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 304% 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 $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $240 per month, with Guangzhou (Canton) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

19:21 7:21 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

14,043,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 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 = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guangzhou (Canton) 13,220 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guangzhou (Canton) wins on cost – living expenses run 193% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guangzhou (Canton) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 304% 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 $542 in Guangzhou (Canton). 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 $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – a 193% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guangzhou (Canton) runs roughly 82% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guangzhou (Canton) but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guangzhou (Canton) 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 Guangzhou (Canton) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.