Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Pingdingshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingdingshan: $703 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Pingdingshan
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Pingdingshan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Pingdingshan

🇨🇳 China

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $703 in Pingdingshan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Pingdingshan $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,104 in Pingdingshan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Pingdingshan $1,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,506 in Pingdingshan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Pingdingshan $1,506

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 279% more expensive than in Pingdingshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Pingdingshan is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.22 ¥14.86

835.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$16.71 ¥112

406.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.50 ¥30.12

173.78%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.39 ¥15.96

135.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.56 ¥3.76

564.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.26 ¥1.72

861.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.92 ¥6.17

775.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.60 ¥10.72

463.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.69 ¥11.27

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.68 ¥11.21

123.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.93 ¥6.24

250.54%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$0.97 ¥6.50

329.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.15 ¥54.5

58.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.19 ¥21.35

343.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.35 ¥69.2

56.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.42 ¥9.51

204.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.03 ¥6.89

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.10 ¥7.37

310.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.17 ¥7.83

270.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.60 ¥4.01

330.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.72 ¥4.78

226.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.63 ¥4.21

182.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.79 ¥5.26

181.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.38 ¥22.59

192.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$14.77 ¥98.8

2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.99 ¥6.62

194.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.10 ¥14.06

64.76%

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

$17.69 ¥118

135.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.72 ¥4.81

279.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.29 ¥1.91

472.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$3.68 ¥24.61

859.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.08 ¥7.22

-12.04%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$12.1K ¥80.6K

198.88%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

58.30%

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

$229 $229

$69.1 ¥462

231.53%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.22 ¥48.30

722.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.50 ¥70.2

565.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.31 ¥283

35.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.71 ¥98.3

11.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.94 ¥39.70

140.40%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$382 ¥2,556

293.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$30.2K ¥201.8K

-28.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.96 ¥287

22.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$33.95 ¥227

29.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$74.5 ¥498

13.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$69.7 ¥466

47.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$296 ¥1,981

543.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$180 ¥1,206

606.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$632 ¥4,229

479.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$378 ¥2,528

571.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,444 ¥23.0K

121.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,977 ¥13.2K

59.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.29

106.38%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pingdingshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Pingdingshan

$180 25.7% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Pingdingshan

$190 27% 53% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Pingdingshan

$87 12.4% 75.8% $272

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Pingdingshan

$71 10.1% 79.9% $283

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Pingdingshan

$100 14.2% 22.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Pingdingshan

$54 7.7% 36.8% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Pingdingshan

$21 3% 64.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $296 in Pingdingshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $17.00 in Pingdingshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $190 per month, with Pingdingshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Pingdingshan

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

5,000,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Pingdingshan 12,190 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Pingdingshan

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 Pingdingshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pingdingshan wins on cost – living expenses run 279% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pingdingshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,054 in Pingdingshan 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $296 in Pingdingshan. 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 $703 in Pingdingshan – a 279% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pingdingshan runs roughly 136% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $703 in Pingdingshan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pingdingshan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Pingdingshan 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 Pingdingshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 279% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.