Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Guiyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Guiyang: $716 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Guiyang
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Guiyang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Guiyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $716 in Guiyang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Guiyang $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,134 in Guiyang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Guiyang $1,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,553 in Guiyang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Guiyang $1,553

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 272% more expensive than in Guiyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Guiyang is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.84 ¥18.97

631.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.82 ¥146

287.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.78 ¥31.98

157.74%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.95 ¥19.73

90.85%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.44 ¥2.92

745.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.96

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.90 ¥6.01

794.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.07 ¥13.86

335.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.81 ¥12.10

-38.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.56 ¥10.43

140.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.97 ¥6.48

236.08%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.59 ¥10.65

162.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.62 ¥84.4

2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.28 ¥21.93

331.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.06 ¥67.3

61.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.82 ¥12.14

137.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.20 ¥8.00

21.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.49 ¥9.99

202.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.11 ¥7.39

290.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.69 ¥4.61

273.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.91 ¥6.06

158.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.56 ¥3.71

217.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 ¥3.48

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.16 ¥21.13

212.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.37 ¥69.3

45.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.81 ¥5.40

260.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.63 ¥10.90

112.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.95

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$16.97 ¥113

145.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.35 ¥9.03

102.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 ¥2.36

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.60 ¥44.10

434.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.18 ¥7.90

-19.49%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.2K ¥128.1K

88.15%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.1K ¥114.6K

57.96%

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

$229 $229

$45.97 ¥307

398.13%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.69 ¥64.8

512.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$11.79 ¥78.8

492.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.04 ¥274

39.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.92 ¥93.1

17.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.08 ¥40.65

134.87%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$331 ¥2,211

355.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.7K ¥111.6K

28.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$44.28 ¥296

19.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$30.65 ¥205

42.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$72.0 ¥481

17.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$70.7 ¥473

45.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$278 ¥1,862

585.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$195 ¥1,307

551.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$581 ¥3,888

530.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$367 ¥2,451

592.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,040 ¥20.3K

150.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,022 ¥13.5K

56.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 12, 2026

Last update for Guiyang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Guiyang

$195 27.3% 84.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Guiyang

$197 27.5% 51.4% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Guiyang

$67 9.4% 81.2% $291

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Guiyang

$84 11.7% 76.3% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Guiyang

$98 13.7% 23.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Guiyang

$53 7.4% 38% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Guiyang

$21 3% 63.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $278 in Guiyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Guiyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $197 per month, with Guiyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Guiyang

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,324,561

💱 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 Guiyang 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Guiyang

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 Guiyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guiyang wins on cost – living expenses run 272% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Guiyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,074 in Guiyang 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $278 in Guiyang. 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 $716 in Guiyang – a 272% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Guiyang runs roughly 146% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $716 in Guiyang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guiyang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Guiyang 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 Guiyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 272% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.