Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $728 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhanjiang
Learn more

Zhanjiang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $728 in Zhanjiang.

Austin, TX $2,698
Zhanjiang $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,169 in Zhanjiang.

Austin, TX $4,160
Zhanjiang $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,610 in Zhanjiang.

Austin, TX $5,622
Zhanjiang $1,610

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 271% more expensive than in Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Zhanjiang is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.98 ¥19.91

592.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.43 ¥150

277.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.12 ¥34.22

135.74%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.70 ¥18.02

102.96%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.47 ¥3.15

708.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.31 ¥2.10

696.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.11 ¥7.40

625.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.14 ¥14.31

314.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.87 ¥12.48

-40.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.64 ¥10.98

126.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.94 ¥6.30

258.51%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.67 ¥11.19

158.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.16 ¥88.0

-0.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.41 ¥22.80

314.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.11 ¥74.3

46.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.84 ¥12.32

147.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.33 ¥8.90

9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.55 ¥10.37

203.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.30 ¥8.71

219.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 ¥4.91

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 ¥6.34

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.62 ¥4.15

185.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.58 ¥3.90

268.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.73 ¥24.93

170.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$11.56 ¥77.3

31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.86 ¥5.75

227.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.60 ¥10.67

115.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.31 ¥2.08

396.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$18.08 ¥121

126.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.51 ¥10.12

85.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.35 ¥2.35

357.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.97 ¥46.60

392.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.26 ¥8.41

-25.40%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.7K ¥131.4K

72.85%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

51.24%

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

$223 $223

$57.6 ¥385

286.88%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$8.77 ¥58.6

571.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.05 ¥73.9

538.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$41.06 ¥275

40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$14.96 ¥100

10.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$6.17 ¥41.25

131.12%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$417 ¥2,791

261.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$17.7K ¥118.2K

18.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$43.48 ¥291

17.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.31 ¥223

32.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$73.6 ¥492

18.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$74.1 ¥495

40.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$303 ¥2,027

540.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$180 ¥1,200

633.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$635 ¥4,246

477.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$371 ¥2,479

591.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,507 ¥23.5K

109.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,978 ¥13.2K

58.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

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 19, 2026

Last update for Zhanjiang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Zhanjiang

$180 24.7% 86.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Zhanjiang

$210 28.8% 48.4% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.6% 78% $275

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.6% 75.9% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Zhanjiang

$101 13.9% 21.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhanjiang

$53 7.3% 38.1% $33

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Zhanjiang

$23 3.1% 61% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $303 in Zhanjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Zhanjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $210 per month, with Zhanjiang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,612,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zhanjiang 13,540 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zhanjiang

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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhanjiang wins on cost – living expenses run 271% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhanjiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,092 in Zhanjiang 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 $303 in Zhanjiang. 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 $728 in Zhanjiang – a 271% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhanjiang runs roughly 127% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $728 in Zhanjiang versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhanjiang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhanjiang 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 Zhanjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.