Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhubei City: $1,055 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Zhubei 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 Zhubei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,055 in Zhubei City.

Austin, TX $2,663
Zhubei City $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,841 in Zhubei City.

Austin, TX $4,133
Zhubei City $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,627 in Zhubei City.

Austin, TX $5,603
Zhubei City $2,627

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 152% more expensive than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Zhubei City is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.83 NT$157

330.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$28.00 NT$908

202.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$5.07 NT$164

143.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.89 NT$93.8

94.81%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.91 NT$29.41

308.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.59 NT$19.02

323.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.93 NT$62.5

317.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.33 NT$75.6

286.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.79 NT$90.4

-59.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.87 NT$60.7

100.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$4.59 NT$149

-28.98%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.85 NT$92.5

46.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$24.76 NT$803

-47.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$8.37 NT$271

69.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$25.93 NT$841

-37.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.04 NT$131

7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.42 NT$78.5

-39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.69 NT$87.3

67.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.27 NT$106

32.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$3.02 NT$97.9

-14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.02 NT$65.5

16.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.06 NT$66.9

-13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.33 NT$43.25

66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.88 NT$126

154.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$9.23 NT$299

63.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.43 NT$46.36

104.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.33 NT$75.4

48.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.61 NT$19.85

144.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$3.10 NT$101

-11.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.64 NT$20.76

159.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$9.25 NT$300

281.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.99 NT$32.17

-4.04%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$33.5K NT$1.1M

7.71%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.8K NT$805.7K

8.97%

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

$229 $229

$103 NT$3,331

122.95%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$18.96 NT$615

213.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$22.80 NT$739

206.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$31.40 NT$1,018

82.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$9.99 NT$324

42.94%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$646 NT$20.9K

133.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$16.5K NT$533.8K

30.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$57.7 NT$1,870

-8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$31.13 NT$1,010

40.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$90.8 NT$2,946

-6.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$99.0 NT$3,209

4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$501 NT$16.2K

280.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$217 NT$7,032

487.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,100 NT$35.7K

233.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$768 NT$24.9K

230.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-53.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-67.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$2,391 NT$77.5K

114.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

2.4

182.92%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 83% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 1.2% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 59.7% $214

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 69.3% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 2% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 40.1% $34

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 85.1% $50

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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 114% 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $400 per month, with Zhubei City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

17:34 5:34 PM

06:34 6:34 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

211,746

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

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 Zhubei City 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Zhubei 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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhubei City wins on cost – living expenses run 152% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhubei City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 114% 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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $646 in Zhubei City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhubei City – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,055 in Zhubei City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhubei City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Zhubei 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 Zhubei 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 Zhubei City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 152% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.