Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Xi'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi'an: $733 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
Learn more

Xi'an Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Xi'an

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $733 in Xi'an.

Austin, TX $2,704
Xi'an $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,128 in Xi'an.

Austin, TX $4,133
Xi'an $1,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,523 in Xi'an.

Austin, TX $5,562
Xi'an $1,523

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 269% more expensive than in Xi'an, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Xi'an is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.72 ¥18.15

643.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$18.21 ¥122

366.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$4.55 ¥30.41

171.43%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.16 ¥14.45

153.24%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.41 ¥2.71

831.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ¥1.80

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.52 ¥10.16

430.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$1.52 ¥10.13

491.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.47 ¥9.82

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.72 ¥11.48

119.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$0.89 ¥5.97

265.17%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.46 ¥9.76

183.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.64 ¥77.8

12.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.16 ¥27.82

243.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.40 ¥69.5

53.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.63 ¥10.92

168.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.16 ¥7.75

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.29 ¥8.60

251.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.32 ¥8.82

217.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.69 ¥4.62

281.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.73 ¥4.90

223.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.61 ¥4.08

188.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.58 ¥3.88

272.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.46 ¥23.10

183.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$9.96 ¥66.6

47.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.82 ¥5.48

239.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.68 ¥11.20

107.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.93

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$26.12 ¥175

55.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.28 ¥8.57

108.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.31 ¥2.09

409.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$4.51 ¥30.13

682.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.34 ¥8.99

-26.12%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

87.27%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$17.6K ¥117.5K

54.56%

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

$219 $219

$89.4 ¥597

145.38%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$6.09 ¥40.72

852.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$10.78 ¥72.1

534.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$30.01 ¥201

92.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$21.10 ¥141

-29.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.96 ¥39.82

137.08%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$692 ¥4,626

118.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

22.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$38.93 ¥260

32.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$36.83 ¥246

19.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$74.2 ¥496

14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$92.5 ¥618

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$310 ¥2,071

523.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$178 ¥1,190

614.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$879 ¥5,876

317.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$350 ¥2,341

620.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,369 ¥15.8K

221.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,647 ¥11.0K

94.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,069 ¥7,141

377.73%

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 Xi'an: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Xi'an

$178 24.2% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Xi'an

$195 26.6% 51.5% $207

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Xi'an

$75 10.2% 78.5% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Xi'an

$106 14.5% 69.3% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Xi'an

$109 14.8% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Xi'an

$42 5.7% 51.3% $44

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Xi'an

$30 4.1% 47.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $310 in Xi'an. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 378% 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 $18.00 in Xi'an for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $195 per month, with Xi'an cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

12,183,280

💱 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 Xi'an 12,310 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Xi'an

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 Xi'an: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xi'an wins on cost – living expenses run 269% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xi'an the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 378% 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 $310 in Xi'an. 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 $733 in Xi'an – a 269% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Xi'an runs roughly 55% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $733 in Xi'an versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xi'an but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Xi'an 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 Xi'an gentler on the wallet – expenses run 269% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.