Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
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Yiwu Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $550 in Yiwu.

Austin, TX $2,663
Yiwu $550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,286 in Yiwu.

Austin, TX $4,133
Yiwu $1,286

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,022 in Yiwu.

Austin, TX $5,603
Yiwu $2,022

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 384% more expensive than in Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Yiwu is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.92 ¥19.54

611.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.38 ¥196

187.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.13 ¥34.31

140.16%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.29 ¥22.01

71.12%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.62 ¥4.15

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.38 ¥2.55

557.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.22 ¥8.19

559.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.28 ¥15.22

295.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.85 ¥12.40

-39.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.96 ¥13.09

91.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.98 ¥6.58

232.65%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.68 ¥11.26

148.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.54 ¥117

-26.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.35 ¥22.38

322.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.14 ¥87.9

23.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.14 ¥14.29

102.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.75 ¥11.68

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.95 ¥13.05

131.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.66 ¥11.08

161.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.82 ¥5.51

214.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.94 ¥6.28

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.62 ¥4.17

187.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.59 ¥3.96

276.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.75 ¥25.10

163.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.78 ¥72.1

39.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.83 ¥5.56

251.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.60 ¥10.67

116.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.43 ¥2.90

246.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.30 ¥8.73

110.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.43 ¥2.89

286.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.89 ¥59.4

297.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.27 ¥8.49

-25.20%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

84.23%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.6K ¥124.3K

45.68%

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

$229 $229

$57.4 ¥384

298.80%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$8.10 ¥54.2

633.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.41 ¥69.6

571.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$14.73 ¥98.5

288.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.34 ¥75.8

44.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.22 ¥48.25

97.78%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$1,430 ¥9,566

5.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$27.3K ¥182.5K

-21.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$53.9 ¥361

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$37.73 ¥252

16.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$76.8 ¥514

10.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$73.5 ¥491

40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$446 ¥2,985

327.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,053 ¥7,041

248.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$733 ¥4,901

246.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$11.8K ¥78.7K

-35.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,921 ¥19.5K

8.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$748 ¥5,000

584.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.36

102.08%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Yiwu

$238 43.2% 41.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 78.8% $282

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Yiwu

$93 16.9% 73.7% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Yiwu

$109 19.8% 14.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 66% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Yiwu

$5.2 * 1% 91.1% $53

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 $446 in Yiwu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 585% 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 Yiwu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $238 per month, with Yiwu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,234,015

💱 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 →

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Austin, TX Yiwu 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu wins on cost – living expenses run 384% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yiwu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 585% 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 $446 in Yiwu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $1,430 in Yiwu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yiwu – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $550 in Yiwu versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yiwu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Yiwu 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 Yiwu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 384% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.