Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guilin

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $659 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $659 in Guilin.

Austin, TX $2,663
Guilin $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,058 in Guilin.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guilin $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,457 in Guilin.

Austin, TX $5,603
Guilin $1,457

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 304% more expensive than in Guilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Guilin is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.22 ¥14.85

835.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$15.16 ¥101

457.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$3.05 ¥20.39

303.93%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.14 ¥14.32

163.08%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.42 ¥2.81

785.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 ¥2.08

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.81 ¥5.40

893.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.14 ¥14.33

321.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.46 ¥9.77

-23.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.25 ¥8.38

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.62 ¥4.16

425.81%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.83 ¥12.26

127.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.25 ¥88.6

-2.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.42 ¥22.86

314.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.19 ¥74.8

44.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.46 ¥9.74

196.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.18 ¥7.90

23.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.04 ¥6.92

333.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.94 ¥6.28

361.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 ¥4.90

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.88 ¥5.89

167.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.69 ¥4.60

157.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 ¥2.91

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.75 ¥25.10

163.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.16 ¥88.0

14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.84 ¥5.63

247.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.45 ¥9.67

138.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.91

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$17.97 ¥120

132.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.31 ¥8.73

108.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.29 ¥1.94

472.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.79 ¥52.1

353.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.21 ¥8.10

-21.49%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.2K ¥128.5K

87.52%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.4K ¥116.4K

55.46%

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

$229 $229

$24.59 ¥164

831.23%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.89 ¥32.69

1114.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$11.49 ¥76.8

508.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.59 ¥278

37.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.65 ¥98.0

11.47%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.33 ¥35.63

167.92%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$407 ¥2,719

270.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$15.8K ¥105.5K

35.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$43.52 ¥291

21.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.64 ¥212

38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.2 ¥503

12.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$74.2 ¥496

38.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$294 ¥1,967

548.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$183 ¥1,226

594.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$624 ¥4,173

487.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$372 ¥2,486

582.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,334 ¥8,916

470.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,980 ¥13.2K

59.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$497 ¥3,322

930.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.36

102.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guilin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Guilin

$183 27.8% 85.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Guilin

$196 29.7% 51.6% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Guilin

$41 6.2% 88.6% $317

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Guilin

$64 9.7% 81.9% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Guilin

$101 15.3% 21.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guilin

$52 7.9% 39.1% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Guilin

$22 3.3% 62.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $294 in Guilin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 931% 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 $15.00 in Guilin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $196 per month, with Guilin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Guilin

🕒 Local time

03:36 3:36 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,931,137

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Guilin 13,150 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guilin

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 Guilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guilin wins on cost – living expenses run 304% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guilin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 931% 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 $294 in Guilin. 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 $659 in Guilin – a 304% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guilin runs roughly 132% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $659 in Guilin versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guilin but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guilin 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 Guilin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 304% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.