Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinan and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $637 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
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Jinan Living Index
130

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

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Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$637

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $637 in Jinan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Jinan $637
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,058 in Jinan versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Jinan $1,058
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,479 in Jinan versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Jinan $1,479
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Jinan 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: Jinan is 53% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 ¥17.81

$20.77 $20.77

-87.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.21 ¥162

$84.6 $84.6

-71.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ¥33.32

$12.32 $12.32

-59.58%

Cappuccino

$2.45 ¥16.38

$5.63 $5.63

-56.48%

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

$0.43 ¥2.86

$3.72 $3.72

-88.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.54

$2.50 $2.50

-90.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$8.05 $8.05

-88.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥13.47

$9.01 $9.01

-77.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$1.12 $1.12

33.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$3.75 $3.75

-60.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$3.26 $3.26

-63.19%

Eggs

$1.11 ¥7.41

$4.17 $4.17

-73.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 ¥80.6

$12.90 $12.90

-6.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.44

$14.16 $14.16

-76.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$16.22 $16.22

-30.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$4.33 $4.33

-66.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$1.46 $1.46

-30.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$4.51 $4.51

-68.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.59

$4.34 $4.34

-73.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$2.58 $2.58

-75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$2.35 $2.35

-71.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ¥3.54

$1.78 $1.78

-70.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$2.22 $2.22

-72.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$9.88 $9.88

-61.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 ¥65.9

$15.08 $15.08

-34.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥4.45

$2.92 $2.92

-77.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ¥9.05

$3.46 $3.46

-60.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.49 $1.49

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.02 ¥60.3

$41.72 $41.72

-78.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 ¥10.59

$2.73 $2.73

-42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ¥1.81

$1.66 $1.66

-83.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 ¥29.06

$35.30 $35.30

-87.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$0.95 $0.95

37.89%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$36.0K $36.0K

-45.60%

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

$15.1K ¥100.9K

$27.1K $27.1K

-44.29%

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

$71.2 ¥476

$229 $229

-68.93%

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

$6.64 ¥44.37

$59.4 $59.4

-88.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.01 ¥33.47

$69.9 $69.9

-92.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.20 ¥162

$57.2 $57.2

-57.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.63 ¥57.7

$16.33 $16.33

-47.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ¥35.68

$14.28 $14.28

-62.61%

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

$216 ¥1,442

$1,506 $1,506

-85.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥131.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-8.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.35 ¥223

$52.8 $52.8

-36.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.83 ¥280

$43.82 $43.82

-4.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 ¥467

$84.8 $84.8

-17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.7 ¥459

$103 $103

-33.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,664

$1,907 $1,907

-86.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 ¥964

$1,274 $1,274

-88.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 ¥4,040

$3,664 $3,664

-83.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ¥2,433

$2,538 $2,538

-85.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,519 ¥16.8K

$7,614 $7,614

-66.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,341 ¥8,965

$3,157 $3,157

-57.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$981 ¥6,558

$5,121 $5,121

-80.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

6.79

-53.90%

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

Last update for Jinan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinan

$189 29.7%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 114% $216

Accommodation & Living

Jinan

$144 22.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 784% $1.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Jinan

$96 15.1%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 33.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinan

$83 13%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 333% $276

Eating Out

Jinan

$77 12.1%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 360% $277

Sport & Entertainment

Jinan

$35 5.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 146% $51

Getting Around

Jinan

$13 2.1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 345% $45

Cost Breakdown

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

Austin, TX pays 422% 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 Jinan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $405 per month, with Jinan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jinan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

03:33 3:33 AM

13 h behind Jinan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,202,432

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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Jinan Austin, TX 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Jinan
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

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

Jinan wins on cost – living expenses run 318% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jinan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 422% 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 Jinan 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 $637 per month in Jinan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 318% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jinan runs roughly 363% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $637 in Jinan versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jinan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Jinan 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 Jinan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 318% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.