Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Datong and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $715 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Datong
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Datong Living Index
129

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

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Datong

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $715 in Datong versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Datong $715
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Datong versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Datong $1,133
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Datong versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Datong $1,551
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Datong 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: Datong is 47% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 ¥18.50

$20.63 $20.63

-86.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.44 ¥143

$84.6 $84.6

-74.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 ¥32.98

$12.07 $12.07

-59.15%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ¥20.42

$5.48 $5.48

-44.34%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$3.80 $3.80

-87.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$2.47 $2.47

-89.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$8.05 $8.05

-88.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ¥13.76

$8.88 $8.88

-76.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$1.11 $1.11

63.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ¥10.80

$3.72 $3.72

-56.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$3.37 $3.37

-73.59%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥10.36

$4.32 $4.32

-64.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 ¥84.2

$13.13 $13.13

-4.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.23 ¥21.62

$14.15 $14.15

-77.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 ¥67.7

$16.33 $16.33

-38.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.52

$4.55 $4.55

-58.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.46 $1.46

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$4.71 $4.71

-68.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$4.15 $4.15

-72.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.89

$2.58 $2.58

-71.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.35 $2.35

-60.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.77

$1.77 $1.77

-68.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$2.14 $2.14

-76.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 ¥21.22

$10.10 $10.10

-68.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$15.19 $15.19

-29.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.29

$2.82 $2.82

-71.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.69

$3.44 $3.44

-53.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$1.54 $1.54

-82.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.82 ¥112

$40.99 $40.99

-58.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ¥9.48

$2.80 $2.80

-49.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.60 $1.60

-79.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 ¥45.96

$34.34 $34.34

-79.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$0.94 $0.94

24.47%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$34.0K $34.0K

-42.95%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

-35.01%

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

$44.62 ¥298

$223 $223

-79.96%

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

$9.53 ¥63.7

$58.9 $58.9

-83.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.92 ¥79.7

$70.6 $70.6

-83.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 ¥283

$57.7 $57.7

-26.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.88 ¥92.8

$16.53 $16.53

-16.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 ¥39.05

$14.26 $14.26

-59.05%

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

$329 ¥2,198

$1,511 $1,511

-78.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ¥110.5K

$20.9K $20.9K

-20.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.27 ¥296

$51.3 $51.3

-13.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.48 ¥204

$44.17 $44.17

-30.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ¥478

$87.0 $87.0

-17.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 ¥473

$104 $104

-32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,890

$1,940 $1,940

-85.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,289

$1,316 $1,316

-85.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ¥3,999

$3,664 $3,664

-83.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ¥2,424

$2,565 $2,565

-85.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,069 ¥20.5K

$7,354 $7,354

-58.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,036 ¥13.6K

$3,129 $3,129

-34.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

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 Datong: 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

Datong

$198 27.7%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 105% $208

Accommodation & Living

Datong

$193 27%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 583% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Datong

$98 13.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 32.2% $31

Eating Out

Datong

$85 11.9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 310% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Datong

$66 9.2%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 433% $286

Sport & Entertainment

Datong

$54 7.6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 59.7% $32

Getting Around

Datong

$21 2.9%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 177% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $283 in Datong and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Datong vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $406 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Datong

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

19:45 7:45 PM

13 h behind Datong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,318,057

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Datong Austin, TX 11,560 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Datong
Austin, TX

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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

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

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 277% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,072 in Datong and $4,046 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: $283 in Datong 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 $715 per month in Datong versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 277% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Datong runs roughly 144% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $715 in Datong versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Datong 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 Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.