Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhoukou

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhoukou: $735 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhoukou
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Zhoukou Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhoukou

🇨🇳 China

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $735 in Zhoukou.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhoukou $735

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,182 in Zhoukou.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhoukou $1,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,628 in Zhoukou.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhoukou $1,628

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 262% more expensive than in Zhoukou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhoukou is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.96 ¥26.45

424.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.25 ¥149

280.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$4.88 ¥32.61

152.46%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.24 ¥21.68

73.77%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.48 ¥3.22

675.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.39 ¥2.58

541.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.06 ¥7.11

659.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.22 ¥14.85

305.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.77 ¥11.85

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.59 ¥10.63

135.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.10 ¥7.36

196.36%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.61 ¥10.77

159.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.10 ¥87.6

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.44 ¥23.03

311.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.31 ¥75.6

43.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.90 ¥12.69

127.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 ¥8.49

14.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.56 ¥10.46

189.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.17 ¥7.83

270.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.77 ¥5.14

235.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 ¥6.38

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.58 ¥3.88

206.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.58 ¥3.89

282.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.98 ¥26.63

148.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.61 ¥77.6

29.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.87 ¥5.83

235.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.35 ¥9.04

156.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 ¥1.91

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$17.83 ¥119

133.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.55 ¥10.38

76.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.36 ¥2.38

361.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.14 ¥41.03

474.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.25 ¥8.39

-24.00%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$17.7K ¥118.6K

103.28%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$15.5K ¥103.4K

75.01%

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

$229 $229

$58.1 ¥389

294.00%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$7.42 ¥49.60

700.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$10.48 ¥70.1

567.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$36.81 ¥246

55.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$15.02 ¥100

8.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.95 ¥39.80

140.00%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$413 ¥2,765

264.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.0K ¥106.9K

34.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$39.61 ¥265

33.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.96 ¥240

21.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.1 ¥502

12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$77.9 ¥521

32.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$300 ¥2,008

535.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$179 ¥1,197

611.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$585 ¥3,910

526.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$372 ¥2,489

581.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$3,774 ¥25.2K

101.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,035 ¥13.6K

55.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 12, 2026

Last update for Zhoukou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhoukou

$179 24.3% 86% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhoukou

$208 28.3% 48.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhoukou

$76 10.3% 78.8% $282

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhoukou

$98 13.4% 72.2% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhoukou

$103 14% 19.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhoukou

$49 6.6% 43.2% $37

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhoukou

$22 3% 62% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $300 in Zhoukou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Zhoukou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $208 per month, with Zhoukou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Zhoukou

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

03:29 3:29 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,953,172

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Zhoukou 12,140 km ≈ 16 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 Zhoukou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhoukou wins on cost – living expenses run 262% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhoukou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,103 in Zhoukou 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $300 in Zhoukou. 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 $735 in Zhoukou – a 262% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhoukou runs roughly 134% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $735 in Zhoukou versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhoukou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhoukou 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 Zhoukou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 262% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.