Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 147% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Hua-lien is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.99 NT$129

420.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.74 NT$932

194.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.28 NT$139

187.85%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.78 NT$90.3

102.52%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.93 NT$30.01

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.56 NT$18.18

346.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.33 NT$43.12

505.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.09 NT$67.6

331.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.93 NT$95.1

-61.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.76 NT$56.9

113.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.50 NT$146

-27.56%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.98 NT$64.1

110.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.63 NT$636

-34.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.20 NT$201

128.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$25.54 NT$828

-36.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.66 NT$86.3

62.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.50 NT$80.9

-41.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.21 NT$104

40.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.18 NT$103

36.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.43 NT$78.7

6.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.30 NT$74.6

2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.02 NT$65.5

-11.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.98 NT$31.72

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.88 NT$126

154.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.63 NT$410

19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.91 NT$62.1

52.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.35 NT$76.1

47.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.61 NT$19.64

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$36.66 NT$1,189

13.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.08 NT$99.8

-11.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.31 NT$9.91

435.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$10.36 NT$336

240.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.89 NT$28.98

6.74%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.7K NT$1.1M

6.86%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.6K NT$862.6K

1.78%

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

$229 $229

$103 NT$3,332

122.84%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$19.48 NT$632

204.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$12.54 NT$407

457.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.61 NT$1,187

56.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$10.12 NT$328

41.11%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$767 NT$24.9K

96.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.4K NT$533.1K

30.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.1 NT$1,850

-7.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$36.07 NT$1,170

21.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.5 NT$2,576

6.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$107 NT$3,455

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$404 NT$13.1K

372.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$253 NT$8,204

403.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$985 NT$31.9K

272.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$740 NT$24.0K

243.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$7,755 NT$251.5K

-1.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,989 NT$161.8K

-36.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,940 NT$95.3K

74.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.13

218.78%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 80.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 9.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 62.4% $224

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 73.2% $259

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 1.9% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 33.7% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 25.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 74% 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 Hua-lien for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $368 per month, with Hua-lien cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

105,034

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

TWD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hua-lien 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 147% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $404 in Hua-lien. 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 $1,076 in Hua-lien – a 147% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hua-lien runs roughly 14% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.