Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Huzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Huzhou: $804 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Huzhou
Learn more

Huzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Huzhou

🇨🇳 China

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $804 in Huzhou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Huzhou $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,330 in Huzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Huzhou $1,330

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,856 in Huzhou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Huzhou $1,856

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 231% more expensive than in Huzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Huzhou is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.37 ¥29.24

375.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.27 ¥202

179.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.38 ¥35.94

129.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.28 ¥21.91

71.65%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.61 ¥4.10

509.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.38 ¥2.54

557.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.23 ¥8.24

554.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.27 ¥15.15

296.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.78 ¥11.90

-37.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.97 ¥13.16

90.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.04 ¥6.92

213.46%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.72 ¥11.52

142.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$16.96 ¥113

-23.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.21 ¥21.48

341.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.93 ¥86.5

25.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.21 ¥14.80

95.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.65 ¥11.06

-11.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.01 ¥13.46

124.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.67 ¥11.14

159.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.77 ¥5.12

235.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.94 ¥6.26

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.66 ¥4.43

169.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.59 ¥3.92

276.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.72 ¥24.88

165.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.80 ¥72.2

39.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.89 ¥5.93

228.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.62 ¥10.81

113.58%

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

$16.29 ¥109

156.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.04 ¥13.64

33.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.47 ¥3.13

253.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.81 ¥58.9

300.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.28 ¥8.53

-25.78%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.5K ¥130.3K

84.94%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.5K ¥124.0K

46.03%

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

$229 $229

$56.6 ¥379

304.36%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.85 ¥52.5

656.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.59 ¥70.8

560.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$46.67 ¥312

22.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.48 ¥90.1

21.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.16 ¥61.3

55.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$425 ¥2,840

254.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$27.5K ¥183.9K

-21.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$54.9 ¥367

-3.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.32 ¥250

17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$74.4 ¥497

13.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$104 ¥695

-0.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$300 ¥2,006

535.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$181 ¥1,210

603.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$617 ¥4,122

494.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$409 ¥2,735

520.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,531 ¥23.6K

115.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,935 ¥12.9K

63.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,179 ¥7,884

334.27%

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 Huzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Huzhou

$181 22.5% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Huzhou

$235 29.2% 42% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Huzhou

$75 9.3% 79.1% $283

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Huzhou

$105 13.1% 70.3% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Huzhou

$122 15.1% 4.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Huzhou

$65 8.1% 24.2% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Huzhou

$22 2.7% 62.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $300 in Huzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 334% 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 $30.00 in Huzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $235 per month, with Huzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Huzhou

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,893,542

💱 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Huzhou 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Huzhou

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 Huzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Huzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 231% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Huzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 334% 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 $300 in Huzhou. 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 $804 in Huzhou – a 231% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Huzhou runs roughly 156% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $804 in Huzhou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Huzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Huzhou 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 Huzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 231% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.