Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 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 Yantai
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Yantai Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $629 in Yantai.

Austin, TX $2,663
Yantai $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $926 in Yantai.

Austin, TX $4,133
Yantai $926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,223 in Yantai.

Austin, TX $5,603
Yantai $1,223

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 323% more expensive than in Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.92 ¥19.55

611.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$18.14 ¥121

366.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.58 ¥30.65

169.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.81 ¥18.78

100.36%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.54 ¥3.58

588.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.32 ¥2.15

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.05 ¥7.01

666.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.60 ¥17.39

246.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.96 ¥13.11

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.35 ¥9.01

177.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.83 ¥5.58

292.77%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.35 ¥9.02

208.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$16.32 ¥109

-20.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.28 ¥21.94

331.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.89 ¥46.04

135.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.37 ¥9.19

216.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.89 ¥5.98

64.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.07 ¥7.16

321.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.74 ¥4.92

486.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.67 ¥4.49

285.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.78 ¥5.24

201.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.58 ¥3.91

206.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.63 ¥4.19

252.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.65 ¥24.39

170.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.68 ¥78.1

29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.78 ¥5.25

274.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.03 ¥6.88

235.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.21 ¥1.40

609.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.36 ¥9.11

100.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.29 ¥1.92

472.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.48 ¥43.30

444.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.23 ¥8.20

-22.76%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

86.83%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.4K ¥109.8K

64.92%

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

$229 $229

$44.64 ¥298

412.97%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.79 ¥45.37

774.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$6.09 ¥40.75

1047.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$29.60 ¥198

93.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.43 ¥49.69

119.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.44 ¥36.37

162.50%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$363 ¥2,426

315.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.6K ¥111.2K

28.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.97 ¥120

193.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$22.78 ¥152

92.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$93.7 ¥626

-9.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$90.2 ¥603

14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$223 ¥1,490

755.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$151 ¥1,010

743.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$353 ¥2,358

939.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$147 ¥982

1627.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,056 ¥20.4K

149.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$5,096 ¥34.1K

-38.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,063 ¥7,107

381.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.37

101.48%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Yantai

$151 24% 88.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 52.8% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 83.9% $301

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 76.1% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 21% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 52.8% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 93.8% $55

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 $223 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 382% 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 Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $191 per month, with Yantai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

00:46 12:46 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,871,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Yantai 11,450 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Yantai

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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yantai wins on cost – living expenses run 323% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yantai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 382% 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 $223 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $363 in Yantai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yantai – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $629 in Yantai versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yantai but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Yantai 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 Yantai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 323% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.