Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Lanzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Lanzhou: $719 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lanzhou
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Lanzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Lanzhou

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $719 in Lanzhou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Lanzhou $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,143 in Lanzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Lanzhou $1,143

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,567 in Lanzhou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Lanzhou $1,567

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 271% more expensive than in Lanzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Lanzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.06 ¥13.80

908.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.34 ¥189

198.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.86 ¥39.15

110.24%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.12 ¥20.89

80.45%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.48 ¥3.19

675.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.93

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.10 ¥7.35

631.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.02 ¥13.54

346.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.77 ¥11.81

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.61 ¥10.75

132.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.96 ¥6.40

239.58%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.60 ¥10.72

160.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.22 ¥88.4

-2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.43 ¥22.92

312.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$12.11 ¥81.0

33.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.81 ¥12.09

139.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.28 ¥8.56

14.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.49 ¥9.97

202.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.24 ¥8.32

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.70 ¥4.70

268.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.93 ¥6.21

152.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.60 ¥3.99

196.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 ¥3.70

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.77 ¥25.19

162.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.52 ¥77.0

30.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.83 ¥5.52

251.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.53 ¥10.25

126.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.92

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$18.07 ¥121

130.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.48 ¥9.91

84.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.32 ¥2.17

418.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.12 ¥47.58

395.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.46 ¥9.73

-34.93%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.5K ¥117.2K

105.61%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$15.0K ¥100.4K

80.38%

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

$229 $229

$58.0 ¥388

294.74%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.79 ¥58.8

575.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$11.18 ¥74.8

525.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.33 ¥283

35.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.69 ¥98.2

11.16%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.29 ¥42.06

127.03%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$412 ¥2,756

265.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.6K ¥117.6K

21.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.85 ¥287

23.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$33.44 ¥224

31.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.6 ¥505

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$74.1 ¥495

39.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$295 ¥1,971

546.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$168 ¥1,126

656.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$626 ¥4,186

485.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$297 ¥1,986

754.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,671 ¥17.9K

185.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,611 ¥10.8K

95.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$953 ¥6,375

437.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

126.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lanzhou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Lanzhou

$168 23.4% 86.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Lanzhou

$209 29.1% 48.3% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Lanzhou

$78 10.9% 78.2% $280

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Lanzhou

$84 11.7% 76.2% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Lanzhou

$102 14.2% 20.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Lanzhou

$55 7.6% 36% $31

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Lanzhou

$22 3.1% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $295 in Lanzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 437% 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 $28.00 in Lanzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $209 per month, with Lanzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Lanzhou

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,688,400

💱 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 Lanzhou 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Lanzhou

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 Lanzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lanzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 271% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lanzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 437% 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 $295 in Lanzhou. 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 $719 in Lanzhou – a 271% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lanzhou runs roughly 131% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $719 in Lanzhou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lanzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Lanzhou 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 Lanzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.