Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhangjiakou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
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Zhangjiakou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,216 in Zhangjiakou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhangjiakou $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,656 in Zhangjiakou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhangjiakou $1,656

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 243% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhangjiakou is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.20 ¥14.72

844.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.17 ¥161

249.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.05 ¥40.41

103.64%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.52 ¥23.50

59.94%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.51 ¥3.42

629.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.26 ¥1.72

861.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.94 ¥6.30

756.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.76 ¥11.74

411.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.44 ¥9.61

-22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.31 ¥15.42

62.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.06 ¥7.10

207.55%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.02 ¥6.81

308.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.81 ¥99.0

-12.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.93 ¥19.57

383.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$9.37 ¥62.6

73.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.62 ¥10.80

167.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.93 ¥6.21

56.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.77 ¥11.86

154.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.23 ¥8.23

252.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.80 ¥5.34

222.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.58 ¥3.86

305.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.63 ¥4.19

182.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.72 ¥4.79

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.84 ¥25.63

157.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.47 ¥90.0

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.07 ¥7.18

172.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.45 ¥16.34

41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.31 ¥2.10

380.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$17.91 ¥120

132.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.07 ¥7.18

155.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.32 ¥2.16

418.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.15 ¥41.07

473.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.21 ¥8.10

-21.49%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

83.51%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$17.5K ¥116.8K

54.91%

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

$229 $229

$93.0 ¥622

146.12%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$6.24 ¥41.69

851.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$7.62 ¥50.9

817.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$41.33 ¥276

38.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.92 ¥99.7

9.45%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.53 ¥50.3

89.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$342 ¥2,288

339.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,359 ¥35.8K

300.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$44.47 ¥297

18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$28.44 ¥190

54.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$98.7 ¥659

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$60.5 ¥404

70.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$304 ¥2,029

528.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$186 ¥1,242

585.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$625 ¥4,175

486.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$370 ¥2,470

586.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,819 ¥25.5K

99.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,933 ¥12.9K

63.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$396 ¥2,643

1194.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.54

91.81%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9% 85.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3% 47.7% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8% 70.2% $251

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5% 74.8% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5% 18.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3% 34.3% $29

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8% 62.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $304 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1195% 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 $24.00 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $212 per month, with Zhangjiakou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

20:20 8:20 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,345,491

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Zhangjiakou 11,430 km ≈ 15 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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou wins on cost – living expenses run 243% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiakou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1195% 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 $304 in Zhangjiakou. 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou – a 243% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiakou runs roughly 133% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.