Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhangzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangzhou: $716 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhangzhou
Learn more

Zhangzhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Zhangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $716 in Zhangzhou.

Austin, TX $2,698
Zhangzhou $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,132 in Zhangzhou.

Austin, TX $4,160
Zhangzhou $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,547 in Zhangzhou.

Austin, TX $5,622
Zhangzhou $1,547

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 277% more expensive than in Zhangzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Zhangzhou is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.74 ¥18.35

652.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.73 ¥145

289.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.80 ¥32.11

151.46%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.05 ¥20.39

79.67%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.47 ¥3.16

708.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.27 ¥1.78

814.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.90 ¥6.01

794.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.06 ¥13.75

331.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.81 ¥12.13

-38.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.59 ¥10.65

133.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.90 ¥6.03

274.44%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.55 ¥10.35

178.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.58 ¥84.1

4.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.15 ¥21.08

349.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.14 ¥67.8

61.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.86 ¥12.45

144.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.25 ¥8.36

16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.48 ¥9.91

218.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.10 ¥7.38

277.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 ¥4.88

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.91 ¥6.11

158.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.55 ¥3.70

221.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.56 ¥3.72

282.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.06 ¥20.49

230.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.62 ¥71.0

43.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.73 ¥4.89

286.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.58 ¥10.55

117.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.29 ¥1.95

431.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$16.89 ¥113

142.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.41 ¥9.43

98.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.32 ¥2.17

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.55 ¥43.79

424.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.12 ¥7.48

-16.07%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

77.67%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.2K ¥115.3K

55.23%

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

$223 $223

$45.55 ¥305

388.80%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$9.74 ¥65.1

504.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.81 ¥79.0

497.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$41.19 ¥275

40.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$13.66 ¥91.4

21.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.94 ¥39.75

140.07%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$337 ¥2,251

348.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$16.7K ¥111.4K

25.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$43.23 ¥289

18.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$30.11 ¥201

46.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$71.1 ¥476

22.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$72.8 ¥487

43.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$282 ¥1,886

587.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$196 ¥1,308

572.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$584 ¥3,902

527.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$361 ¥2,411

611.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$2,977 ¥19.9K

147.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,003 ¥13.4K

56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.89

74.55%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zhangzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Zhangzhou

$196 27.3% 85.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Zhangzhou

$197 27.5% 51.5% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Zhangzhou

$67 9.4% 80.9% $285

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Zhangzhou

$85 11.8% 75.9% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Zhangzhou

$98 13.7% 24.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhangzhou

$53 7.4% 38.4% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Zhangzhou

$21 2.9% 63.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Zhangzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $197 per month, with Zhangzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhangzhou

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

07:28 7:28 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

4,809,983

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Zhangzhou 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zhangzhou

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 Zhangzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 277% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,074 in Zhangzhou 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $282 in Zhangzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $716 in Zhangzhou – a 277% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangzhou runs roughly 143% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $716 in Zhangzhou versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhangzhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhangzhou 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Zhangzhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zhangzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.