Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Suzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $876 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Suzhou
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Suzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Suzhou

🇨🇳 China

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $876 in Suzhou.

Austin, TX $2,704
Suzhou $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,504 in Suzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Suzhou $1,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,132 in Suzhou.

Austin, TX $5,562
Suzhou $2,132

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 209% more expensive than in Suzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Suzhou is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$4.26 ¥28.48

374.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$29.42 ¥197

189.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$5.29 ¥35.36

133.46%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.38 ¥22.58

61.83%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.73 ¥4.86

423.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.39 ¥2.59

541.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.25 ¥15.05

258.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.60 ¥30.71

95.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.89 ¥12.61

-40.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.04 ¥13.63

85.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.29 ¥8.63

151.94%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.82 ¥12.19

127.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.80 ¥119

-26.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.50 ¥23.36

308.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$8.57 ¥57.3

86.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.03 ¥13.58

115.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.28 ¥8.54

13.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.39 ¥9.27

226.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.50 ¥10.03

179.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.63 ¥4.21

317.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.17 ¥7.79

101.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.83 ¥5.56

112.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.55 ¥3.69

292.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.56 ¥30.50

115.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.01 ¥60.2

63.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.06 ¥7.11

162.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.06 ¥13.77

68.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.39 ¥2.59

282.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$43.93 ¥294

-7.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.73 ¥11.59

54.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.36 ¥2.38

338.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$10.20 ¥68.2

245.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.28 ¥8.58

-22.66%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.6K ¥131.3K

82.21%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.7K ¥118.6K

53.13%

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

$219 $219

$99.4 ¥664

120.59%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$12.81 ¥85.6

352.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$11.12 ¥74.4

514.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$33.16 ¥222

74.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$18.47 ¥123

-19.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.85 ¥39.09

141.54%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$1,213 ¥8,105

24.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$21.4K ¥143.0K

0.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$52.4 ¥350

-1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$41.14 ¥275

7.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$83.3 ¥557

2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$86.6 ¥578

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$457 ¥3,057

322.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$193 ¥1,292

558.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,033 ¥6,902

255.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$594 ¥3,971

324.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$5,329 ¥35.6K

42.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,773 ¥18.5K

15.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,381 ¥9,231

269.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.53

92.35%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Suzhou: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Suzhou

$193 22.3% 84.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Suzhou

$221 25.5% 45.2% $182

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Suzhou

$115 13.3% 66.8% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Suzhou

$123 14.3% 64.3% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Suzhou

$119 13.7% 7.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Suzhou

$45 5.2% 47.9% $41

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Suzhou

$49 5.7% 14.1% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $457 in Suzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 270% 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 $29.00 in Suzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $221 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Suzhou

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

13:13 1:13 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,748,262

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

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Suzhou 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Suzhou

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 Suzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 209% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Suzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 270% 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 $457 in Suzhou. 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 $876 in Suzhou – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Suzhou runs roughly 8% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $876 in Suzhou versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou 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 Suzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.