Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Rui'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Rui'an: $715 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
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rui'an
Learn more

Rui'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Rui'an

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Rui'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $715 in Rui'an.

Austin, TX $2,704
Rui'an $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,141 in Rui'an.

Austin, TX $4,133
Rui'an $1,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,566 in Rui'an.

Austin, TX $5,562
Rui'an $1,566

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 278% more expensive than in Rui'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.86 ¥19.11

606.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$21.28 ¥142

299.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.79 ¥32.00

157.83%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.97 ¥19.85

84.18%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.44 ¥2.93

768.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ¥1.80

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$0.88 ¥5.85

815.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.04 ¥13.61

340.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.88 ¥12.53

-39.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.61 ¥10.77

134.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.96 ¥6.41

238.54%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.54 ¥10.32

168.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.88 ¥86.1

1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.10 ¥20.72

361.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.28 ¥68.7

55.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.80 ¥12.01

143.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.20 ¥8.01

20.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.49 ¥9.95

204.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.10 ¥7.32

280.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.75 ¥5.04

250.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.89 ¥5.92

165.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.56 ¥3.77

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.50 ¥3.37

332.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.12 ¥20.85

214.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.61 ¥70.9

38.74%

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

$1.58 ¥10.57

120.25%

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

$16.92 ¥113

139.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.42 ¥9.47

88.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.35 ¥2.37

351.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$6.72 ¥44.88

425.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.13 ¥7.56

-12.39%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.7K ¥132.0K

81.32%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.4K ¥116.0K

56.56%

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

$219 $219

$45.23 ¥302

384.79%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$9.67 ¥64.6

499.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$11.80 ¥78.9

479.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$41.87 ¥280

38.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.75 ¥91.9

7.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.76 ¥38.46

145.31%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$329 ¥2,199

358.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.6K ¥110.7K

29.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$43.49 ¥291

18.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$30.24 ¥202

45.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$72.0 ¥481

18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$72.5 ¥485

45.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$280 ¥1,874

588.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$195 ¥1,301

553.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$590 ¥3,941

522.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$354 ¥2,364

613.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,050 ¥20.4K

149.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,998 ¥13.3K

60.17%

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 Rui'an: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Rui'an

$195 27.2% 84.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Rui'an

$198 27.6% 50.9% $205

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Rui'an

$84 11.8% 75.8% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Rui'an

$67 9.3% 80.7% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Rui'an

$98 13.7% 23.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Rui'an

$53 7.5% 38% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Rui'an

$21 3% 62.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $280 in Rui'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $21.00 in Rui'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $198 per month, with Rui'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Rui'an

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

16:39 4:39 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

213,600

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Rui'an 12,380 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Rui'an

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 Rui'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rui'an wins on cost – living expenses run 278% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rui'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,072 in Rui'an 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 $280 in Rui'an. 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 $715 in Rui'an – a 278% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Rui'an runs roughly 139% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $715 in Rui'an versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rui'an but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rui'an 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 Rui'an 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 Rui'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.