Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
Learn more

Shantou Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $692 in Shantou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Shantou $692

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

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

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,516 in Shantou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Shantou $1,516

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 285% more expensive than in Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Shantou is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.29 ¥15.33

806.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$23.70 ¥158

256.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.17 ¥34.56

138.30%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.38 ¥22.61

66.57%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ¥3.12

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.31 ¥2.05

706.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.88 ¥5.91

814.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.13 ¥14.26

323.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.60 ¥10.70

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.45 ¥9.72

158.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.77 ¥5.17

323.38%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.69 ¥11.32

146.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.63 ¥91.0

-5.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.43 ¥22.89

312.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.16 ¥87.9

23.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.95 ¥13.02

122.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.50 ¥10.04

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.81 ¥12.13

149.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.30 ¥8.70

233.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.82 ¥5.48

214.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.06 ¥7.10

121.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.59 ¥3.96

201.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 ¥2.87

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.69 ¥24.69

167.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.00 ¥80.2

25.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.83 ¥5.56

251.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.79 ¥11.97

93.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.36 ¥2.41

313.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$24.27 ¥162

71.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.53 ¥10.23

78.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.38 ¥2.56

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.31 ¥48.82

382.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.23 ¥8.24

-22.76%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.8K ¥132.3K

82.11%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.0K ¥120.4K

50.25%

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

$229 $229

$56.7 ¥379

304.15%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.89 ¥59.4

568.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$13.86 ¥92.6

404.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.54 ¥50.4

89.39%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$540 ¥3,610

178.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$24.2K ¥161.9K

-11.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$55.6 ¥372

-5.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$39.70 ¥265

10.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$73.1 ¥488

16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$91.4 ¥611

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$298 ¥1,989

540.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$151 ¥1,010

742.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$602 ¥4,024

508.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$294 ¥1,967

762.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,278 ¥15.2K

234.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$4,469 ¥29.9K

-29.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,062 ¥7,092

382.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.35

102.69%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 88.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Shantou

$214 31% 47% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 77.8% $279

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 75.6% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 8.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 82.4% $71

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 50.3% $30

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 $298 in Shantou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 382% 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 $24.00 in Shantou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $214 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

17:59 5:59 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

5,389,328

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Shantou 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Shantou

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 Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shantou wins on cost – living expenses run 285% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shantou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 382% 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 $298 in Shantou. 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 $692 in Shantou – a 285% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shantou runs roughly 72% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $692 in Shantou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou 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 Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 285% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.