Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $499 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $501 in Kaifeng.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kaifeng $501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $791 in Kaifeng.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kaifeng $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,081 in Kaifeng.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kaifeng $1,081

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 432% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kaifeng is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$1.81 ¥12.09

1039.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$13.66 ¥91.3

519.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.21 ¥28.12

186.70%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.29 ¥15.32

139.30%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.36 ¥2.40

955.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.14 ¥0.93

1664.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.86 ¥5.77

836.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$1.51 ¥10.12

488.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.49 ¥9.95

-25.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.47 ¥9.82

153.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.82 ¥5.48

310.98%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$0.90 ¥6.04

380.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$6.80 ¥45.47

93.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$2.33 ¥15.59

507.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$9.70 ¥64.9

68.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$0.88 ¥5.91

417.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.00 ¥6.71

46.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$0.62 ¥4.15

659.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$0.60 ¥3.99

591.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.61 ¥4.08

322.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.68 ¥4.58

245.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.23 ¥1.54

669.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.55 ¥3.69

289.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.01 ¥20.16

235.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$15.03 ¥101

1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.93 ¥6.20

203.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.07 ¥13.85

66.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.17 ¥1.15

805.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.22 ¥8.15

129.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.16 ¥1.09

900.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$3.56 ¥23.80

864.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.27 ¥8.47

-25.98%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.8K ¥132.4K

71.60%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$15.2K ¥101.4K

76.53%

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

$223 $223

$44.64 ¥298

398.77%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$4.64 ¥31.03

1169.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$5.17 ¥34.56

1265.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$29.59 ¥198

95.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$10.29 ¥68.8

60.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$3.75 ¥25.09

280.27%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$387 ¥2,587

290.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$30.1K ¥201.4K

-30.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.03 ¥294

16.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.40 ¥223

32.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$71.5 ¥478

21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$44.02 ¥294

137.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$121 ¥810

1500.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$90.9 ¥608

1348.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$223 ¥1,488

1546.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$182 ¥1,215

1312.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$571 ¥3,820

825.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.1

119.03%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Kaifeng

$91 18.2% 93.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Kaifeng

$163 32.7% 59.8% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Kaifeng

$54 10.9% 84.5% $298

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Kaifeng

$64 12.8% 81.7% $286

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Kaifeng

$87 17.4% 32.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kaifeng

$37 7.4% 57% $49

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Kaifeng

$2.7 * 0.6% 95.3% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $120 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 787% 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 $14.00 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $164 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

17:56 5:56 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,676,159

💱 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 Kaifeng 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 432% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 787% 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 $120 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $382 in Kaifeng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaifeng – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $501 in Kaifeng versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 432% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.