Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Luoyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Luoyang: $660 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Luoyang
Learn more

Luoyang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Luoyang

🇨🇳 China

$660

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $660 in Luoyang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Luoyang $660

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,066 in Luoyang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Luoyang $1,066

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,471 in Luoyang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Luoyang $1,471

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 304% more expensive than in Luoyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Luoyang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.67 ¥24.52

465.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.73 ¥199

184.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.62 ¥37.58

119.22%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.55 ¥23.74

58.59%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ¥3.15

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ¥1.82

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.24 ¥8.26

549.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.92 ¥19.50

208.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.92 ¥12.86

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.30 ¥15.39

63.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.07 ¥7.17

204.67%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.42 ¥9.49

193.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.60 ¥90.9

-5.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.29 ¥21.99

330.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.11 ¥60.9

78.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$0.93 ¥6.21

365.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.34 ¥8.98

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.50 ¥10.02

200.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.33 ¥8.86

226.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.75 ¥5.05

244.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.89 ¥5.95

164.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.44 ¥2.93

304.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.80 ¥5.33

177.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$1.69 ¥11.27

484.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.33 ¥89.1

13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.47 ¥3.15

521.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.25 ¥15.06

53.78%

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

$18.21 ¥122

129.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.18 ¥7.92

131.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 ¥2.36

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.26 ¥48.57

386.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.27 ¥8.46

-25.20%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

83.73%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

57.06%

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

$229 $229

$43.59 ¥291

425.33%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.03 ¥40.30

884.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.29 ¥68.8

579.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$22.19 ¥148

157.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$12.12 ¥81.0

34.74%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.59 ¥37.35

155.46%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$196 ¥1,310

668.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$18.7K ¥124.7K

15.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$50.2 ¥336

5.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.97 ¥200

46.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$64.4 ¥431

31.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$79.3 ¥531

29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$188 ¥1,256

915.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$129 ¥860

890.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$438 ¥2,930

736.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$224 ¥1,499

1031.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,162 ¥14.5K

252.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,407 ¥9,408

124.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$628 ¥4,202

714.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.45

52.58%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Luoyang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Luoyang

$129 19.5% 89.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Luoyang

$211 32% 47.9% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Luoyang

$60 9.1% 83.3% $298

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Luoyang

$104 15.7% 70.7% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Luoyang

$101 15.3% 21.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Luoyang

$33 5.1% 61.1% $52

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Luoyang

$22 3.4% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $188 in Luoyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 715% 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 Luoyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $211 per month, with Luoyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Luoyang

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,926,000

💱 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 Luoyang 12,140 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Luoyang

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 Luoyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luoyang wins on cost – living expenses run 304% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Luoyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 715% 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 $188 in Luoyang. 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 $660 in Luoyang – a 304% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Luoyang runs roughly 129% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $660 in Luoyang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Luoyang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Luoyang 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 Luoyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 304% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.