Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $792 in Heyuan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Heyuan $792

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,284 in Heyuan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Heyuan $1,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,776 in Heyuan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Heyuan $1,776

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 236% more expensive than in Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Heyuan is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$3.06 ¥20.44

574.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.30 ¥196

188.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.34 ¥35.68

126.03%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.06 ¥20.47

79.08%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.58 ¥3.87

555.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.34 ¥2.25

626.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.36 ¥9.11

491.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.75 ¥18.38

222.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.79 ¥11.95

-37.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.91 ¥12.75

94.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.11 ¥7.39

203.60%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.52 ¥10.19

184.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$16.29 ¥109

-19.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$5.14 ¥34.37

175.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.23 ¥81.8

33.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.29 ¥15.28

98.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.22 ¥8.18

19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.38 ¥9.22

241.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.78 ¥11.89

133.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.96 ¥6.40

168.75%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.18 ¥7.92

99.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.83 ¥5.55

113.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.66 ¥4.44

224.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.90 ¥26.04

158.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.64 ¥71.1

42.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.02 ¥6.79

176.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.90 ¥12.71

81.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.31 ¥2.10

396.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$17.71 ¥118

131.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.84 ¥12.32

52.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.43 ¥2.89

272.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$7.19 ¥48.04

377.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.33 ¥8.88

-29.32%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.2K ¥128.1K

77.40%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.7K ¥118.6K

50.87%

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

$223 $223

$61.4 ¥410

262.86%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$16.39 ¥110

259.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$14.49 ¥96.9

387.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$41.17 ¥275

40.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$15.11 ¥101

9.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.54 ¥43.72

118.04%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$422 ¥2,823

257.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$24.4K ¥163.4K

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$49.24 ¥329

4.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$41.47 ¥277

6.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$81.1 ¥542

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$69.9 ¥467

49.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$303 ¥2,026

540.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$182 ¥1,218

622.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$623 ¥4,165

488.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$375 ¥2,507

584.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,487 ¥23.3K

110.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,937 ¥13.0K

61.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$1,362 ¥9,104

288.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.38

100.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Heyuan

$182 23% 86.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 41.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 73.8% $260

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 73.4% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 15.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 37.1% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 60.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $303 in Heyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 276% 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 $29.00 in Heyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $239 per month, with Heyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

17:52 5:52 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,953,019

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Heyuan 13,080 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heyuan wins on cost – living expenses run 236% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Heyuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 276% 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 $303 in Heyuan. 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 $792 in Heyuan – a 236% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Heyuan runs roughly 136% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $792 in Heyuan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Heyuan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Heyuan 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 Heyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 236% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.