Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhongshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhongshan: $700 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhongshan
Learn more

Zhongshan Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhongshan

🇨🇳 China

$700

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $700 in Zhongshan.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhongshan $700

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,110 in Zhongshan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhongshan $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,521 in Zhongshan.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhongshan $1,521

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 281% more expensive than in Zhongshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhongshan is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.91 ¥19.47

613.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.18 ¥162

249.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.47 ¥29.86

175.62%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.81 ¥18.80

100.36%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.47 ¥3.15

691.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.29 ¥1.93

762.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.78 ¥5.19

932.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.81 ¥12.14

397.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 ¥10.38

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.59 ¥10.61

135.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.64 ¥4.31

409.37%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.20 ¥8.00

247.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$20.77 ¥139

-37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.79 ¥18.63

407.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$13.52 ¥90.4

19.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.04 ¥13.65

112.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.03 ¥6.88

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.69 ¥4.60

553.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.42 ¥9.50

205.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.53 ¥3.57

386.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.78 ¥5.19

201.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.43 ¥2.88

313.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.54 ¥3.60

311.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.96 ¥19.79

233.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.02 ¥80.4

25.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.69 ¥4.63

323.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.80 ¥12.01

92.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.92

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$15.18 ¥102

174.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.48 ¥9.88

84.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.42 ¥2.78

295.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$7.11 ¥47.58

396.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.29 ¥8.65

-26.36%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$19.1K ¥128.0K

88.29%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$18.0K ¥120.7K

50.01%

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

$229 $229

$41.21 ¥276

455.67%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$9.85 ¥65.9

502.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$12.75 ¥85.3

448.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$67.8 ¥454

-15.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$7.33 ¥49.00

122.78%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.04 ¥40.42

136.42%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$324 ¥2,164

365.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$13.6K ¥90.9K

57.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$49.30 ¥330

7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$40.39 ¥270

8.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$59.9 ¥400

41.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$76.0 ¥508

35.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$208 ¥1,391

816.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$129 ¥864

885.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$371 ¥2,483

886.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$215 ¥1,437

1081.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,447 ¥16.4K

211.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,515 ¥10.1K

108.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$956 ¥6,396

435.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.35

102.69%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhongshan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhongshan

$129 18.5% 89.9% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhongshan

$224 32.1% 44.6% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhongshan

$64 9.1% 82.2% $294

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhongshan

$81 11.6% 77.1% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhongshan

$101 14.5% 20.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhongshan

$80 11.4% 6.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhongshan

$20 2.8% 66.1% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $208 in Zhongshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 435% 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 Zhongshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $224 per month, with Zhongshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhongshan

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

18:20 6:20 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,209,600

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Zhongshan 13,270 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zhongshan

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 Zhongshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhongshan wins on cost – living expenses run 281% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhongshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 435% 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 $208 in Zhongshan. 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 $700 in Zhongshan – a 281% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhongshan runs roughly 175% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $700 in Zhongshan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhongshan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhongshan 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 Zhongshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.