Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 260% more expensive than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhangjiagang is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.80 ¥25.43

446.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.20 ¥148

281.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.98 ¥33.31

147.39%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.04 ¥20.32

85.20%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.49 ¥3.29

659.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ¥1.81

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.51 ¥10.09

433.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.22 ¥14.84

305.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.08 ¥13.90

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.09 ¥13.95

79.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.84 ¥5.64

288.10%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.36 ¥9.09

206.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.64 ¥71.1

21.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.93 ¥19.60

383.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.12 ¥61.0

77.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.04 ¥13.66

112.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.29 ¥8.64

13.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.80 ¥12.04

150.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.11 ¥7.39

290.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.90 ¥5.99

186.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.90 ¥6.03

161.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 ¥5.80

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.53 ¥3.51

318.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.64 ¥24.37

171.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.44 ¥89.9

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.94 ¥6.27

210.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.56 ¥10.44

121.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.30 ¥1.99

396.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$17.58 ¥118

137.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.76 ¥11.78

55.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.39 ¥2.60

325.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$8.76 ¥58.6

302.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.37 ¥9.14

-30.66%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.2K ¥128.2K

87.99%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$16.9K ¥112.7K

60.63%

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

$229 $229

$55.8 ¥373

310.74%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.76 ¥51.9

665.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.32 ¥48.98

855.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.15 ¥242

58.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$16.01 ¥107

2.00%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.07 ¥40.61

135.26%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$418 ¥2,794

260.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-3.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$42.99 ¥288

22.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$34.04 ¥228

28.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$65.7 ¥439

29.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$88.5 ¥592

16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$280 ¥1,869

582.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$194 ¥1,295

558.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$719 ¥4,809

409.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$324 ¥2,168

683.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,266 ¥21.8K

133.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,685 ¥11.3K

87.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.42

98.54%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 84.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 49.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 80.2% $287

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 72.6% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 18.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 43.7% $38

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 61.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

11:43 11:43 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,432,044

💱 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 Zhangjiagang 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Austin, TX
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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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiagang wins on cost – living expenses run 260% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiagang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $740 in Zhangjiagang – a 260% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiagang runs roughly 137% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 260% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.