Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $764 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
130

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

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Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$764

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Hefei versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Hefei $764
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in Hefei versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Hefei $1,215
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hefei versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Hefei $1,666
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Hefei costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hefei is 43% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ¥17.37

$20.77 $20.77

-87.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.83 ¥153

$84.6 $84.6

-73.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.53 ¥30.27

$12.32 $12.32

-63.23%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ¥17.83

$5.63 $5.63

-52.58%

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

$0.49 ¥3.27

$3.72 $3.72

-86.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$2.50 $2.50

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$8.05 $8.05

-87.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ¥13.27

$9.01 $9.01

-78.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$1.12 $1.12

41.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$3.75 $3.75

-47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.30

$3.26 $3.26

-75.77%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.22

$4.17 $4.17

-56.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.84 ¥92.5

$12.90 $12.90

7.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.76 ¥31.85

$14.16 $14.16

-66.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.55 ¥77.2

$16.22 $16.22

-28.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.44

$4.33 $4.33

-46.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$1.46 $1.46

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$4.51 $4.51

-63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$4.34 $4.34

-64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.90

$2.58 $2.58

-65.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$2.35 $2.35

-57.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.59

$1.78 $1.78

-52.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$2.22 $2.22

-70.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$9.88 $9.88

-69.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$15.08 $15.08

-19.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$2.92 $2.92

-69.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$3.46 $3.46

-45.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$1.49 $1.49

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.14 ¥295

$41.72 $41.72

5.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$2.73 $2.73

-57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$1.66 $1.66

-80.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$35.30 $35.30

-89.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$0.95 $0.95

36.84%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$36.0K $36.0K

-47.23%

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

$16.9K ¥112.8K

$27.1K $27.1K

-37.69%

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

$49.24 ¥329

$229 $229

-78.50%

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

$9.03 ¥60.4

$59.4 $59.4

-84.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$69.9 $69.9

-83.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.74 ¥105

$57.2 $57.2

-72.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.63 ¥105

$16.33 $16.33

-4.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ¥43.00

$14.28 $14.28

-54.97%

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

$246 ¥1,645

$1,506 $1,506

-83.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,528 ¥57.0K

$21.5K $21.5K

-60.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 ¥608

$52.8 $52.8

72.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 ¥219

$43.82 $43.82

-25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 ¥422

$84.8 $84.8

-25.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ¥658

$103 $103

-4.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$1,907 $1,907

-86.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ¥1,202

$1,274 $1,274

-85.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ¥3,679

$3,664 $3,664

-84.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$2,538 $2,538

-86.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ¥24.0K

$7,614 $7,614

-52.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 ¥12.8K

$3,157 $3,157

-39.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,007 ¥6,734

$5,121 $5,121

-80.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

6.79

-53.61%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$230 30.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 75.8% $174

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$180 23.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 609% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$128 16.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Hefei

$78 10.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 351% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.2%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 412% $288

Getting Around

Hefei

$48 6.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 21.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$29 3.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 200% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $249 in Hefei and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 408% 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: $23.00 in Hefei vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $405 per month, with Hefei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

13 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

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

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hefei Austin, TX 12,180 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

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

Hefei wins on cost – living expenses run 249% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hefei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 408% 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: $249 in Hefei versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Hefei versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 249% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hefei runs roughly 6% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $764 in Hefei versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hefei but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hefei 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 Hefei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.