Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Hangzhou: $1,036 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,036 in Hangzhou.

Austin, TX $2,704
Hangzhou $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,557 in Hangzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hangzhou $1,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,078 in Hangzhou.

Austin, TX $5,562
Hangzhou $2,078

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 161% more expensive than in Hangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Hangzhou is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.84 ¥25.65

426.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$25.60 ¥171

232.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.59 ¥30.70

169.06%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.41 ¥22.80

60.41%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.59 ¥3.94

547.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 ¥2.07

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.17 ¥7.81

588.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.27 ¥15.19

296.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.86 ¥12.41

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.60 ¥10.68

136.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.11 ¥7.43

192.79%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.06 ¥13.80

100.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.51 ¥130

-32.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.64 ¥24.32

293.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.13 ¥67.7

57.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.30 ¥15.34

90.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.36 ¥9.09

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.51 ¥10.11

200.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.60 ¥10.73

161.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.86 ¥5.73

205.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.99 ¥6.64

138.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.67 ¥4.47

162.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.53 ¥3.57

307.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.00 ¥26.71

145.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.58 ¥90.8

8.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.75 ¥4.98

270.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.65 ¥11.03

110.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.59 ¥3.93

152.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$18.15 ¥121

123.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.91 ¥12.79

39.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.36 ¥2.40

338.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.22 ¥48.25

388.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.31 ¥8.74

-24.43%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

83.55%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$18.2K ¥121.5K

49.46%

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

$219 $219

$48.36 ¥323

353.41%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.79 ¥65.4

492.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$14.72 ¥98.3

364.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$52.2 ¥349

11.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$19.77 ¥132

-25.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.30 ¥48.81

93.56%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$563 ¥3,765

167.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$36.1K ¥241.3K

-40.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$59.4 ¥397

-13.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$42.16 ¥282

4.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$84.8 ¥567

0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$109 ¥732

-3.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$623 ¥4,165

210.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$386 ¥2,577

230.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,208 ¥8,071

203.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$672 ¥4,492

275.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$7,991 ¥53.4K

-4.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,678 ¥24.6K

-13.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,582 ¥10.6K

222.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.5

94.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hangzhou: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Hangzhou

$386 37.9% 69.7% $887

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Hangzhou

$236 23.2% 41.4% $167

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Hangzhou

$99 9.8% 71.4% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Hangzhou

$73 7.2% 78.9% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Hangzhou

$133 13.1% 3.4% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Hangzhou

$67 6.6% 22.5% $19

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Hangzhou

$24 2.4% 57.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $623 in Hangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 223% 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 $26.00 in Hangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $236 per month, with Hangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

10,360,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hangzhou 12,180 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hangzhou

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 Hangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hangzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hangzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 223% 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 $623 in Hangzhou. 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 $1,036 in Hangzhou – a 161% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hangzhou runs roughly 123% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,036 in Hangzhou versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hangzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hangzhou 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 Hangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.