Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaozhou and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index
129

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

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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Chaozhou $642
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Chaozhou $1,047
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Chaozhou $1,451
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 76% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chaozhou is 53% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$20.63 $20.63

-89.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$84.6 $84.6

-72.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$12.07 $12.07

-70.67%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$5.48 $5.48

-72.26%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$3.80 $3.80

-87.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$2.47 $2.47

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$8.05 $8.05

-85.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$8.88 $8.88

-67.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.11 $1.11

36.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$3.72 $3.72

-60.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$3.37 $3.37

-78.34%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$4.32 $4.32

-73.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$13.13 $13.13

-26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$14.15 $14.15

-82.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$16.33 $16.33

-26.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$4.55 $4.55

-51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.46 $1.46

-35.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$4.71 $4.71

-80.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$4.15 $4.15

-57.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$2.58 $2.58

-75.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$2.35 $2.35

-80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.77 $1.77

-75.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.14 $2.14

-85.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$10.10 $10.10

-70.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$15.19 $15.19

-27.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.82 $2.82

-74.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$3.44 $3.44

-65.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.54 $1.54

-81.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$40.99 $40.99

-56.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$2.80 $2.80

-64.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.60 $1.60

-81.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$34.34 $34.34

-79.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.94 $0.94

31.91%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$34.0K $34.0K

-42.96%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-34.01%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$223 $223

-80.33%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$58.9 $58.9

-92.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$70.6 $70.6

-83.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$57.7 $57.7

-28.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$16.53 $16.53

-9.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$14.26 $14.26

-55.40%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$1,511 $1,511

-68.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$20.9K $20.9K

18.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$51.3 $51.3

-73.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$44.17 $44.17

-35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$87.0 $87.0

1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$104 $104

-42.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$1,940 $1,940

-84.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$1,316 $1,316

-86.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$3,664 $3,664

-82.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$2,565 $2,565

-85.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$7,354 $7,354

-52.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$3,129 $3,129

-37.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$5,286 $5,286

-90.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.79

-49.04%

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

Last update for Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 125% $226

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 634% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 51% $44

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 468% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 493% $293

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 59.8% $32

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 168% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 978% 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: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $180 vs $406 per month, with Chaozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

21:23 9:23 PM

13 h behind Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

974,447

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Chaozhou Austin, TX 12,990 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

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

Chaozhou wins on cost – living expenses run 320% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chaozhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 978% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Chaozhou versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $642 per month in Chaozhou versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 320% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chaozhou runs roughly 127% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 320% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.