Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $774 in Taizhou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Taizhou $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,257 in Taizhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Taizhou $1,257

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,740 in Taizhou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Taizhou $1,740

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 244% more expensive than in Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Taizhou is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.65 ¥24.42

469.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$25.57 ¥171

230.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.51 ¥30.17

173.17%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.47 ¥23.23

62.25%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.54 ¥3.59

588.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.92

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.23 ¥8.24

554.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.21 ¥14.78

307.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.82 ¥12.18

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.62 ¥10.82

131.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.54 ¥3.59

503.70%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.23 ¥8.26

239.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$19.41 ¥130

-33.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.81 ¥25.50

271.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.27 ¥68.7

57.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.20 ¥8.00

260.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.35 ¥9.03

8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.45 ¥9.73

211.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.55 ¥10.37

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.81 ¥5.40

218.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.97 ¥6.51

142.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.68 ¥4.52

161.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.55 ¥3.65

303.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.04 ¥27.00

144.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.26 ¥88.7

13.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.44 ¥2.92

563.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.73 ¥11.60

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.31 ¥2.08

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$19.77 ¥132

111.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.18 ¥7.89

131.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.36 ¥2.38

361.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.35 ¥49.16

380.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.27 ¥8.50

-25.20%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.4K ¥129.9K

85.60%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.3K ¥108.7K

66.58%

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

$229 $229

$48.17 ¥322

375.38%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.88 ¥59.4

568.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$11.36 ¥76.0

515.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$42.64 ¥285

34.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.36 ¥109

-0.18%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.57 ¥50.7

88.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$574 ¥3,841

162.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$36.7K ¥245.3K

-41.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$32.68 ¥219

61.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$41.93 ¥280

4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$86.0 ¥575

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$109 ¥730

-5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$297 ¥1,983

543.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$181 ¥1,209

604.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$699 ¥4,675

424.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$377 ¥2,519

573.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,544 ¥23.7K

114.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,971 ¥13.2K

60.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.5

94.00%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Taizhou

$181 23.4% 85.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Taizhou

$223 28.8% 44.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Taizhou

$68 8.8% 80.9% $290

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 72.2% $256

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Taizhou

$121 15.7% 5.1% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Taizhou

$58 7.5% 32.6% $28

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Taizhou

$24 3.1% 59.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $297 in Taizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $26.00 in Taizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $223 per month, with Taizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

615,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.893 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 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Taizhou 12,260 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taizhou wins on cost – living expenses run 244% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Taizhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,161 in Taizhou 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 $297 in Taizhou. 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 $774 in Taizhou – a 244% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Taizhou runs roughly 111% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $774 in Taizhou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taizhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Taizhou 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 Taizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 244% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.