Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhongli City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongli City: $993 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Zhongli City
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Zhongli City Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhongli City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$993

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Zhongli City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $993 in Zhongli City.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhongli City $993

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,675 in Zhongli City.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhongli City $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,357 in Zhongli City.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhongli City $2,357

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 168% more expensive than in Zhongli City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhongli City is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.62 NT$150

349.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$31.29 NT$1,015

170.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.77 NT$155

158.28%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.57 NT$83.4

119.07%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$1.03 NT$33.52

261.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.69 NT$22.35

262.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.61 NT$52.2

400.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.75 NT$89.1

227.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$3.18 NT$103

-64.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.74 NT$56.3

115.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.71 NT$87.9

20.30%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.60 NT$84.3

60.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$12.77 NT$414

1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$7.09 NT$230

99.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.39 NT$499

5.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.74 NT$121

15.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.97 NT$63.8

-25.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.08 NT$99.9

46.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.22 NT$72.1

95.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.23 NT$39.81

109.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.90 NT$61.5

23.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.44 NT$79.0

-27.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.85 NT$27.52

161.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.77 NT$122

162.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$15.45 NT$501

-2.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.55 NT$50.2

88.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.55 NT$82.8

35.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.61 NT$19.90

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$37.64 NT$1,221

10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.68 NT$86.8

1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.58 NT$18.72

186.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.61 NT$312

267.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.97 NT$31.60

-2.06%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.1K NT$1.1M

9.01%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$23.3K NT$754.6K

16.34%

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

$229 $229

$106 NT$3,433

116.29%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$14.76 NT$479

302.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$17.14 NT$556

307.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.62 NT$312

48.44%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$344 NT$11.1K

338.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.9K NT$546.5K

27.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$72.1 NT$2,338

-26.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$36.46 NT$1,182

20.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$55.0 NT$1,782

54.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$108 NT$3,505

-4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$448 NT$14.5K

325.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$251 NT$8,125

408.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$874 NT$28.3K

319.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$716 NT$23.2K

254.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,288 NT$74.2K

123.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.1

223.33%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhongli City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhongli City

$251 25.2% 80.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhongli City

$315 31.8% 22% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhongli City

$138 13.9% 61.6% $221

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhongli City

$103 10.3% 71% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhongli City

$122 12.3% 4.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhongli City

$19 * 1.9% 77.6% $67

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhongli City

$46 4.6% 22.2% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $448 in Zhongli City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 124% 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 $31.00 in Zhongli City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $315 per month, with Zhongli City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Zhongli City

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

09:26 9:26 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

396,453

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

TWD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zhongli City 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zhongli City

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 Zhongli City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongli City wins on cost – living expenses run 168% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhongli City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 124% 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 $448 in Zhongli City. 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 $993 in Zhongli City – a 168% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhongli City runs roughly 11% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $993 in Zhongli City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhongli City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City 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 Zhongli City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 168% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.