Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Wenzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Wenzhou: $628 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Wenzhou
Learn more

Wenzhou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Wenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $628 in Wenzhou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Wenzhou $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,059 in Wenzhou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Wenzhou $1,059

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,489 in Wenzhou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Wenzhou $1,489

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 324% more expensive than in Wenzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Wenzhou is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.01 ¥20.11

590.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$30.38 ¥203

178.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.66 ¥51.2

60.84%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.65 ¥17.75

112.45%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.52 ¥3.50

615.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.30 ¥2.02

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.86 ¥5.73

836.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.03 ¥20.28

197.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.08 ¥13.94

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.95 ¥13.01

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.31 ¥8.78

148.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.98 ¥13.22

110.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$7.61 ¥50.9

69.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.18 ¥14.61

549.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.49 ¥63.5

70.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.90 ¥12.74

127.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.79 ¥11.95

-18.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.69 ¥11.32

166.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.12 ¥7.46

287.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.61 ¥4.09

322.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.72 ¥4.81

226.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.47 ¥3.12

278.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.59 ¥3.95

276.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.37 ¥22.57

193.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.24 ¥88.5

13.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 ¥8.16

139.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.23 ¥8.21

181.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.91

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.68 ¥11.26

62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.35 ¥2.35

374.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.75 ¥51.8

355.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.26 ¥8.46

-24.60%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

84.82%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$15.5K ¥103.9K

74.18%

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

$229 $229

$29.91 ¥200

665.60%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.60 ¥44.12

799.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$8.89 ¥59.4

686.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$13.62 ¥91.1

320.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$26.79 ¥179

-39.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.60 ¥50.8

87.89%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,247 ¥8,342

20.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,703 ¥64.9K

121.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$43.55 ¥291

21.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$18.78 ¥126

133.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$96.5 ¥645

-12.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$44.71 ¥299

130.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$240 ¥1,603

695.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$170 ¥1,135

650.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$632 ¥4,229

479.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$363 ¥2,428

599.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,065 ¥27.2K

87.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,598 ¥17.4K

21.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$868 ¥5,804

490.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.46

96.24%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wenzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Wenzhou

$170 27% 86.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Wenzhou

$196 31.1% 51.7% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Wenzhou

$45 7.2% 87.3% $313

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Wenzhou

$93 14.7% 73.9% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Wenzhou

$92 14.6% 28.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Wenzhou

$29 4.6% 66.4% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Wenzhou

$4.6 * 0.7% 92.2% $54

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 $240 in Wenzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 490% 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 Wenzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $196 per month, with Wenzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Wenzhou

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

9,300,000

💱 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 Wenzhou 12,360 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Wenzhou

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 Wenzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wenzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 324% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wenzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 490% 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 $240 in Wenzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,247 in Wenzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wenzhou – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $628 in Wenzhou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Wenzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wenzhou 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 Wenzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 324% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.