Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,134 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
Learn more

Shenzhen Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,134 in Shenzhen.

Austin, TX $2,704
Shenzhen $1,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,734 in Shenzhen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Shenzhen $1,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,333 in Shenzhen.

Austin, TX $5,562
Shenzhen $2,333

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 138% more expensive than in Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Shenzhen is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.64 ¥24.37

455.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$29.70 ¥199

186.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.12 ¥34.24

141.21%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.21 ¥21.50

70.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.59 ¥3.92

547.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.33 ¥2.19

657.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.48 ¥9.90

444.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.24 ¥15.00

301.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.55 ¥10.40

-27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.64 ¥10.98

130.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.09 ¥7.30

198.17%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.76 ¥11.80

135.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$20.95 ¥140

-37.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.38 ¥22.65

323.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$14.38 ¥96.2

10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.31 ¥15.49

89.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.60 ¥10.72

-9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.89 ¥12.63

140.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.41 ¥9.45

197.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.07 ¥7.17

145.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.24 ¥8.29

90.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.59 ¥3.96

198.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.59 ¥3.97

266.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.54 ¥30.40

116.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.82 ¥79.1

24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.92 ¥6.17

202.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.76 ¥11.78

97.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.59 ¥3.93

152.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$21.95 ¥147

84.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.46 ¥9.76

82.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.38 ¥2.55

315.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.13 ¥47.75

394.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 ¥9.07

-26.67%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.3K ¥129.5K

85.06%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$18.6K ¥124.4K

46.26%

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

$219 $219

$63.8 ¥427

243.74%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$10.04 ¥67.2

477.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$16.28 ¥109

319.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$50.3 ¥336

15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$17.02 ¥114

-12.93%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.28 ¥48.71

94.09%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$523 ¥3,502

188.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$23.8K ¥159.4K

-9.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$55.1 ¥369

-6.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$40.53 ¥271

8.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$72.0 ¥482

18.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$92.4 ¥618

14.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$764 ¥5,111

153.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$485 ¥3,243

162.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,941 ¥13.0K

89.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$845 ¥5,659

198.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$14.0K ¥93.8K

-45.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$6,137 ¥41.1K

-47.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,693 ¥11.3K

201.45%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Shenzhen

$484 42.8% 61.9% $788

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Shenzhen

$249 22% 38.2% $154

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Shenzhen

$99 8.7% 71.7% $249

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Shenzhen

$90 8% 73.9% $256

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Shenzhen

$117 10.3% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Shenzhen

$65 5.7% 24.8% $21

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Shenzhen

$28 2.4% 51.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $764 in Shenzhen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 201% 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 Shenzhen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $249 per month, with Shenzhen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,528,300

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Shenzhen 13,230 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenzhen wins on cost – living expenses run 138% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shenzhen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 201% 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $764 in Shenzhen. 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 $1,134 in Shenzhen – a 138% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shenzhen runs roughly 85% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,134 in Shenzhen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenzhen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shenzhen 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 Shenzhen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.