Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Changshu and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Changshu: $707 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Changshu
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Changshu Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Changshu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $707 in Changshu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Changshu $707
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,120 in Changshu versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Changshu $1,120
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,532 in Changshu versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Changshu $1,532
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Changshu costs roughly 74% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Changshu is 47% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.12

$20.22 $20.22

-86.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.35 ¥143

$85.0 $85.0

-74.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.30

$12.35 $12.35

-59.68%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ¥20.67

$5.47 $5.47

-43.51%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$3.82 $3.82

-88.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$2.50 $2.50

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.27

$8.06 $8.06

-88.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.78

$8.99 $8.99

-77.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.49

$1.13 $1.13

65.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.44

$3.78 $3.78

-58.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.03

$3.25 $3.25

-72.31%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.31

$4.14 $4.14

-62.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.88 ¥86.1

$13.08 $13.08

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ¥21.16

$14.31 $14.31

-77.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.5

$15.96 $15.96

-36.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.19

$4.38 $4.38

-58.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.33

$1.45 $1.45

-13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$4.54 $4.54

-66.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.64

$4.19 $4.19

-72.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$2.63 $2.63

-73.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.98

$2.36 $2.36

-62.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$1.76 $1.76

-68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$2.16 $2.16

-76.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.35

$9.81 $9.81

-69.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥71.2

$14.72 $14.72

-27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$2.78 $2.78

-73.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.91

$3.48 $3.48

-53.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.49 $1.49

-81.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.85 ¥113

$40.51 $40.51

-58.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$2.67 $2.67

-48.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.58 $1.58

-77.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.82 ¥45.56

$35.29 $35.29

-80.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ¥7.61

$0.99 $0.99

15.15%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

-45.94%

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

$16.9K ¥113.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-37.69%

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

$44.92 ¥300

$219 $219

-79.51%

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

$9.95 ¥66.5

$58.0 $58.0

-82.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$68.4 $68.4

-82.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 ¥282

$57.9 $57.9

-27.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.3

$14.82 $14.82

-7.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ¥39.29

$14.13 $14.13

-58.39%

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

$340 ¥2,272

$1,509 $1,509

-77.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-20.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 ¥290

$51.7 $51.7

-16.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.09 ¥201

$44.05 $44.05

-31.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ¥473

$85.1 $85.1

-16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ¥490

$105 $105

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,853

$1,932 $1,932

-85.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,281

$1,272 $1,272

-84.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ¥3,986

$3,670 $3,670

-83.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ¥2,370

$2,525 $2,525

-85.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,056 ¥20.4K

$7,617 $7,617

-59.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ¥13.4K

$3,199 $3,199

-37.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

6.79

-42.71%

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

Last update for Changshu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changshu

$198 27.7%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 104% $205

Accommodation & Living

Changshu

$192 26.8%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 564% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Changshu

$98 13.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 31.5% $31

Eating Out

Changshu

$85 12%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 308% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changshu

$67 9.3%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 420% $279

Sport & Entertainment

Changshu

$54 7.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 59.5% $32

Getting Around

Changshu

$21 3%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 171% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $277 in Changshu and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Changshu vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $403 per month, with Changshu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changshu

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

13 h behind Changshu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,677,050

974,447

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Changshu Austin, TX 12,020 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Changshu
Austin, TX

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

Changshu vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changshu wins on cost – living expenses run 282% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Changshu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,061 in Changshu and $4,055 in Austin, TX 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: $277 in Changshu versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $707 per month in Changshu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 282% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Changshu runs roughly 140% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $707 in Changshu versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changshu but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Changshu 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, Changshu and Austin, TX 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 Changshu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 282% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.