Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kunshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $710 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
Learn more

Kunshan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $710 in Kunshan.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kunshan $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,135 in Kunshan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kunshan $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,561 in Kunshan.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kunshan $1,561

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 281% more expensive than in Kunshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kunshan is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.76 ¥18.47

632.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$21.37 ¥143

297.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.78 ¥31.96

158.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.03 ¥20.28

80.53%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.46 ¥3.09

730.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.94

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$0.94 ¥6.28

757.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.14 ¥14.32

320.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.85 ¥12.38

-38.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.56 ¥10.43

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.94 ¥6.29

245.74%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.61 ¥10.78

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$13.00 ¥86.9

0.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.24 ¥21.67

341.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.38 ¥69.4

53.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.81 ¥12.10

141.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.19 ¥7.98

21.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.48 ¥9.90

206.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.09 ¥7.27

284.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.70 ¥4.70

275.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.98 ¥6.52

140.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.56 ¥3.74

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.51 ¥3.44

323.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.16 ¥21.15

210.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.71 ¥71.6

37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.74 ¥4.96

275.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.59 ¥10.63

118.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.27 ¥1.78

451.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$17.00 ¥114

138.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.41 ¥9.44

89.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.33 ¥2.18

378.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$6.75 ¥45.12

422.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.18 ¥7.91

-16.10%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.8K ¥132.2K

80.96%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

56.37%

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

$219 $219

$44.30 ¥296

394.97%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.92 ¥66.3

484.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$11.65 ¥77.9

486.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$41.65 ¥278

39.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.67 ¥91.4

8.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.99 ¥40.04

135.89%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$331 ¥2,211

356.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.7K ¥111.6K

28.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$42.98 ¥287

20.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$29.88 ¥200

47.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$72.0 ¥481

18.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$72.0 ¥481

46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$273 ¥1,824

607.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$196 ¥1,310

548.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$601 ¥4,017

510.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$356 ¥2,376

610.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,052 ¥20.4K

149.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,029 ¥13.6K

57.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.89

74.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kunshan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kunshan

$196 27.3% 84.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kunshan

$199 27.7% 50.6% $204

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kunshan

$85 11.8% 75.6% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kunshan

$66 9.2% 80.9% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kunshan

$98 13.6% 24.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kunshan

$54 7.5% 37.7% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kunshan

$21 2.9% 63% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $273 in Kunshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Kunshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $199 per month, with Kunshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

16:39 4:39 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,092,496

💱 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kunshan 12,030 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
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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 Kunshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kunshan wins on cost – living expenses run 281% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kunshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,065 in Kunshan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $273 in Kunshan. 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 $710 in Kunshan – a 281% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kunshan runs roughly 138% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $710 in Kunshan versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kunshan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kunshan 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 Kunshan 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 Kunshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.