Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Mianyang, Sichuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $646 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Mianyang, Sichuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Mianyang, Sichuan $646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $998 in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Mianyang, Sichuan $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,350 in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 312% more expensive than in Mianyang, Sichuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Mianyang, Sichuan is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.92 ¥19.51

611.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$17.81 ¥119

374.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.89 ¥32.70

151.94%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.97 ¥19.86

89.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.43 ¥2.89

765.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.28 ¥1.89

792.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.46 ¥9.74

451.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.26 ¥15.09

298.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.52 ¥10.13

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.55 ¥10.33

141.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.99 ¥6.63

229.29%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.62 ¥10.83

157.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.56 ¥97.3

-11.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.66 ¥24.42

286.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.95 ¥73.2

48.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.79 ¥11.93

141.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.31 ¥8.77

11.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.06 ¥7.07

325.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.15 ¥7.66

277.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.71 ¥4.73

263.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.72 ¥4.83

226.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.58 ¥3.88

206.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.58 ¥3.88

282.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.71 ¥24.76

166.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.56 ¥30.46

230.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.83 ¥5.57

251.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.30 ¥8.68

166.15%

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

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.07 ¥7.14

155.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.26 ¥1.74

538.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.58 ¥30.57

670.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 ¥8.38

-24.00%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

83.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.4K ¥116.3K

55.54%

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

$229 $229

$47.71 ¥319

379.96%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.41 ¥42.80

826.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$12.51 ¥83.6

458.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$17.89 ¥120

219.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.82 ¥38.89

145.36%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$366 ¥2,446

311.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.8K ¥98.9K

44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$24.80 ¥166

112.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$27.86 ¥186

57.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$58.0 ¥388

46.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$53.2 ¥356

93.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$226 ¥1,508

744.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$193 ¥1,291

559.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$411 ¥2,747

791.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$333 ¥2,226

661.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,710 ¥18.1K

180.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,816 ¥12.1K

73.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$732 ¥4,890

599.70%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9% 84.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6% 52.7% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3% 81.4% $292

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7% 75% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4% 42.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6% 65.6% $56

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5% 94% $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 $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 600% 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 $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $191 per month, with Mianyang, Sichuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

20:20 8:20 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,868,243

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Mianyang, Sichuan 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Mianyang, Sichuan

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mianyang, Sichuan wins on cost – living expenses run 312% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mianyang, Sichuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 600% 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 $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $366 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mianyang, Sichuan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mianyang, Sichuan 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 Mianyang, Sichuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 312% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.