Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qinhuangdao and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 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.

Qinhuangdao
🇨🇳 China
$714
/mo nomad
Austin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,698
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

  • Qinhuangdao $714
  • Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Qinhuangdao versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

  • Qinhuangdao $1,135
  • Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Qinhuangdao versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

  • Qinhuangdao $1,556
  • Austin, TX $5,622

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 ¥18.44
$20.63 $20.63
-86.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.79 ¥146
$84.6 $84.6
-74.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.88 ¥32.64
$12.07 $12.07
-59.57%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ¥20.33
$5.48 $5.48
-44.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.13
$3.80 $3.80
-87.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.79
$2.47 $2.47
-89.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.92 ¥6.18
$8.05 $8.05
-88.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 ¥14.24
$8.88 $8.88
-76.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 ¥12.37
$1.11 $1.11
66.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 ¥10.38
$3.72 $3.72
-58.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 ¥5.94
$3.37 $3.37
-73.59%
Eggs
$1.53 ¥10.25
$4.32 $4.32
-64.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.05 ¥87.3
$13.13 $13.13
-0.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.11 ¥20.80
$14.15 $14.15
-78.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.33 ¥69.1
$16.33 $16.33
-36.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ¥12.52
$4.55 $4.55
-58.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.36
$1.46 $1.46
-14.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 ¥9.82
$4.71 $4.71
-68.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ¥7.66
$4.15 $4.15
-72.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥4.90
$2.58 $2.58
-71.71%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 ¥6.36
$2.35 $2.35
-59.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.60 ¥4.01
$1.77 $1.77
-66.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ¥3.42
$2.14 $2.14
-76.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.05 ¥20.41
$10.10 $10.10
-69.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.69 ¥71.5
$15.19 $15.19
-29.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ¥5.28
$2.82 $2.82
-71.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ¥10.94
$3.44 $3.44
-52.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 ¥1.79
$1.54 $1.54
-82.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.97 ¥113
$40.99 $40.99
-58.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ¥9.52
$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)
$6.62 ¥44.23
$34.34 $34.34
-80.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.14 ¥7.61
$0.94 $0.94
21.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥128.4K
$34.0K $34.0K
-43.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.1K ¥114.3K
$26.8K $26.8K
-36.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.64 ¥298
$223 $223
-79.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.87 ¥66.0
$58.9 $58.9
-83.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.90 ¥79.5
$70.6 $70.6
-83.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.14 ¥282
$57.7 $57.7
-26.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.09 ¥94.2
$16.53 $16.53
-14.76%
Cinema Ticket
$5.79 ¥38.72
$14.26 $14.26
-59.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$337 ¥2,254
$1,511 $1,511
-77.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.2K ¥114.7K
$20.9K $20.9K
-17.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.18 ¥295
$51.3 $51.3
-13.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.35 ¥203
$44.17 $44.17
-31.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.8 ¥480
$87.0 $87.0
-17.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.6 ¥472
$104 $104
-32.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$276 ¥1,843
$1,940 $1,940
-85.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$191 ¥1,277
$1,316 $1,316
-85.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$601 ¥4,016
$3,664 $3,664
-83.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$362 ¥2,423
$2,565 $2,565
-85.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,063 ¥20.5K
$7,354 $7,354
-58.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,068 ¥13.8K
$3,129 $3,129
-33.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Qinhuangdao
Austin, TX
Difference
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 Qinhuangdao: 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
Qinhuangdao
$199
Austin, TX
$406 104% $207
Accommodation & Living
Qinhuangdao
$191
Austin, TX
$1.3K 589% $1.1K
Clothing & Footwear
Qinhuangdao
$98
Austin, TX
$129 32.2% $31
Eating Out
Qinhuangdao
$85
Austin, TX
$350 312% $265
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Qinhuangdao
$66
Austin, TX
$352 430% $286
Sport & Entertainment
Qinhuangdao
$54
Austin, TX
$86 60.5% $32
Getting Around
Qinhuangdao
$21
Austin, TX
$58 175% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $276 in Qinhuangdao and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Qinhuangdao vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $406 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao
🇺🇸 Austin, TX
🕒 Local time
16:06 4:06 PM
03:06 3:06 AM
13 h behind Qinhuangdao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,987,605
974,447
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 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 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Qinhuangdao Austin, TX 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Qinhuangdao
  • 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
Qinhuangdao vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Qinhuangdao or Austin, TX?
Qinhuangdao wins on cost – living expenses run 278% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Qinhuangdao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Qinhuangdao and in Austin, TX?
You'd need roughly $1,071 in Qinhuangdao 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Qinhuangdao compared to Austin, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $276 in Qinhuangdao versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Qinhuangdao compared to Austin, TX?
All in, you'll spend $714 per month in Qinhuangdao versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 278% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Qinhuangdao compared to Austin, TX?
A monthly transit pass in Qinhuangdao runs roughly 142% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Qinhuangdao or in Austin, TX?
At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Qinhuangdao or Austin, TX?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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