Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austria and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,242 in Austria, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Austria
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Austria Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇦🇹 Austria

$2,242

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austria and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austria and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,242 in Austria versus $791 in China.

Austria $2,242
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,363 in Austria versus $1,251 in China.

Austria $3,363
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,484 in Austria versus $1,711 in China.

Austria $4,484
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Austria: monthly costs span $1,363 to $2,695, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Austria.

Living in Austria is roughly 183% more expensive than in China on average.

Austria (65% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 €15.86

$2.98 ¥19.78

494.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 €69.0

$22.09 ¥147

248.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.23

$5.20 ¥34.55

162.69%

Cappuccino

$4.52 €4.05

$2.97 ¥19.71

52.19%

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

$3.73 €3.34

$0.48 ¥3.18

677.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.64

$0.30 ¥2.00

883.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.93

$1.08 ¥7.17

409.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$2.28 ¥15.13

146.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.80 ¥11.94

-3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.68 ¥11.13

56.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.92 ¥6.13

153.26%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.24

$1.61 ¥10.72

194.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.99 €17.01

$13.38 ¥88.9

41.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 €12.67

$3.35 ¥22.25

322.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.18 €19.86

$11.35 ¥75.4

95.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.82 ¥12.11

56.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.31 ¥8.68

80.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.49 ¥9.88

110.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 €3.72

$1.27 ¥8.46

226.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$0.71 ¥4.73

205.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$0.93 ¥6.20

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.75

$0.62 ¥4.11

214.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.83

$0.56 ¥3.73

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.67 €6.87

$3.78 ¥25.12

102.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €8.00

$12.13 ¥80.6

-26.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.30

$0.83 ¥5.53

74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.68 ¥11.19

16.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 €3.09

$0.29 ¥1.91

1089.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 €55.1

$17.83 ¥118

245.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$1.49 ¥9.88

271.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.21

$0.37 ¥2.49

567.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.48 €34.47

$7.10 ¥47.17

441.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.26 ¥8.36

50.00%

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

$30.4K €27.2K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

56.36%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$17.5K ¥116.5K

79.95%

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

$348 €312

$54.6 ¥363

538.43%

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

$15.29 €13.69

$8.73 ¥58.0

75.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.39 €30.80

$11.07 ¥73.5

210.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.15 €36.86

$40.77 ¥271

0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 €22.41

$14.48 ¥96.2

72.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 €12.30

$6.78 ¥45.05

102.51%

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

$438 €392

$517 ¥3,433

-15.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K €15.0K

$19.8K ¥131.6K

-15.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.9

$46.53 ¥309

108.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.79

$35.66 ¥237

21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.3

$77.0 ¥512

35.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$80.3 ¥533

61.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 €902

$386 ¥2,564

161.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 €738

$235 ¥1,558

251.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 €1,637

$822 ¥5,461

122.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 €1,286

$453 ¥3,011

216.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,398 €6,626

$4,697 ¥31.2K

57.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,695 €4,205

$2,372 ¥15.8K

97.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,083 €2,761

$1,093 ¥7,264

182.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

3.46

1.73%

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

Last update for Austria: October 27, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austria

$824 36.8%

China

$235 29.6% 71.5% $590

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austria

$398 17.8%

China

$74 9.4% 81.3% $324

Groceries & Markets

Austria

$387 17.3%

China

$210 26.5% 45.7% $177

Eating Out

Austria

$302 13.5%

China

$88 11.1% 70.9% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Austria

$168 7.5%

China

$108 13.6% 36% $61

Getting Around

Austria

$93 4.2%

China

$22 2.8% 76% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Austria

$69 3.1%

China

$54 6.9% 20.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,011 in Austria, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,359 in Vienna vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,850 in Austria, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 239% higher in Austria.

Dining out costs 241% more in Austria.

Public transport is 217% more expensive in Austria.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in Austria, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Austria.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Austria

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

19:52 7:52 PM

7 h ahead of Austria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,979,894

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Austria China 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austria
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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

Austria vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,242 per month in Austria and $791 in China, China comes out about 65% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,011 in Austria and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Austria it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.