Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zaozhuang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaozhuang: $667 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Zaozhuang
Learn more

Zaozhuang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Zaozhuang

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $667 in Zaozhuang.

Austin, TX $2,607
Zaozhuang $667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $1,022 in Zaozhuang.

Austin, TX $4,031
Zaozhuang $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,378 in Zaozhuang.

Austin, TX $5,454
Zaozhuang $1,378

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 291% more expensive than in Zaozhuang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Zaozhuang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$1.82 ¥12.14

1018.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$11.81 ¥78.6

617.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$2.26 ¥15.04

436.28%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$1.47 ¥9.80

284.35%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.39 ¥2.58

843.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.15 ¥0.97

1473.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$0.91 ¥6.07

764.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$1.77 ¥11.81

398.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.45 ¥9.63

-21.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.42 ¥9.44

159.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.23 ¥8.15

169.11%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$1.06 ¥7.07

291.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.74 ¥78.2

10.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$3.29 ¥21.90

321.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$11.16 ¥74.3

46.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.47 ¥9.76

219.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.03 ¥6.83

40.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.36 ¥9.07

275.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.09 ¥7.24

314.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.59 ¥3.92

422.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.70 ¥4.65

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.57 ¥3.80

215.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.62 ¥4.09

258.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$3.65 ¥24.27

173.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$9.84 ¥65.5

52.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$0.71 ¥4.72

309.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.36 ¥9.05

144.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.28 ¥1.83

335.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$15.73 ¥105

157.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.61 ¥10.72

72.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.25 ¥1.65

560.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$4.48 ¥29.81

689.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.30 ¥8.67

-26.92%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$19.7K ¥131.0K

73.76%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$15.3K ¥101.7K

75.20%

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

$223 $223

$74.1 ¥493

200.99%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$6.84 ¥45.51

754.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$5.08 ¥33.83

1300.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$43.72 ¥291

21.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$15.67 ¥104

6.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$5.33 ¥35.47

163.79%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$215 ¥1,430

579.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$19.7K ¥130.9K

8.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$33.72 ¥224

55.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$42.01 ¥280

1.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$72.4 ¥482

19.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$71.2 ¥474

45.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$321 ¥2,135

558.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$172 ¥1,146

614.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$630 ¥4,192

513.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$318 ¥2,113

658.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$2,866 ¥19.1K

159.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$1,665 ¥11.1K

83.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

3.13

117.89%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Zaozhuang

$172 25.9% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Zaozhuang

$186 27.9% 54.6% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Zaozhuang

$86 12.9% 75.6% $267

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Zaozhuang

$49 7.4% 85.8% $299

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Zaozhuang

$99 14.8% 23.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Zaozhuang

$54 8.2% 33% $27

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Zaozhuang

$20 3% 65.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $12 in Zaozhuang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $186 per month, with Zaozhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zaozhuang

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

05:46 5:46 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,125,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Zaozhuang 11,900 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zaozhuang

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 Zaozhuang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zaozhuang wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zaozhuang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $1,000 in Zaozhuang 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $321 in Zaozhuang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $667 in Zaozhuang – Zaozhuang is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Zaozhuang runs roughly 61% less than in Austin, TX. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $667 in Zaozhuang versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $800 budget is realistic in Zaozhuang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zaozhuang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zaozhuang is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Austin, TX, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Zaozhuang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.