Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaoxing and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaoxing: $750 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Shaoxing
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Shaoxing Living Index
130

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

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Shaoxing

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Shaoxing versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Shaoxing $750
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Shaoxing versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Shaoxing $1,202
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,655 in Shaoxing versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Shaoxing $1,655
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Shaoxing costs roughly 72% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Shaoxing is 44% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.64 ¥24.31

$20.77 $20.77

-82.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.73 ¥152

$84.6 $84.6

-73.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.38 ¥35.97

$12.32 $12.32

-56.33%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ¥17.11

$5.63 $5.63

-54.53%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$3.72 $3.72

-84.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$2.50 $2.50

-85.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$8.05 $8.05

-86.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.62

$9.01 $9.01

-75.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$1.12 $1.12

58.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 ¥13.55

$3.75 $3.75

-45.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$3.26 $3.26

-75.77%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$4.17 $4.17

-59.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.66 ¥78.0

$12.90 $12.90

-9.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.66

$14.16 $14.16

-77.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ¥68.6

$16.22 $16.22

-36.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$4.33 $4.33

-60.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$1.46 $1.46

13.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.97

$4.51 $4.51

-63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ¥7.02

$4.34 $4.34

-75.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.45

$2.58 $2.58

-68.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.95

$2.35 $2.35

-62.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$1.78 $1.78

-65.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$2.22 $2.22

-72.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.67

$9.88 $9.88

-65.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$15.08 $15.08

-30.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥4.98

$2.92 $2.92

-74.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$3.46 $3.46

-53.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$1.49 $1.49

-85.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.93 ¥133

$41.72 $41.72

-52.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ¥12.68

$2.73 $2.73

-30.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$1.66 $1.66

-74.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$35.30 $35.30

-74.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.01

$0.95 $0.95

42.11%

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

$19.5K ¥130.1K

$36.0K $36.0K

-46.01%

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

$18.9K ¥126.3K

$27.1K $27.1K

-30.22%

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

$46.75 ¥313

$229 $229

-79.58%

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

$7.90 ¥52.8

$59.4 $59.4

-86.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.08 ¥60.7

$69.9 $69.9

-87.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.75 ¥105

$57.2 $57.2

-72.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.91 ¥46.21

$16.33 $16.33

-57.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ¥45.92

$14.28 $14.28

-51.89%

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

$834 ¥5,574

$1,506 $1,506

-44.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥165.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

15.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥262

$52.8 $52.8

-25.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.88 ¥206

$43.82 $43.82

-29.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ¥511

$84.8 $84.8

-9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ¥721

$103 $103

4.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 ¥2,861

$1,907 $1,907

-77.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 ¥1,512

$1,274 $1,274

-82.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 ¥4,069

$3,664 $3,664

-83.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,047

$2,538 $2,538

-82.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,275 ¥42.0K

$7,614 $7,614

-17.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,564 ¥23.8K

$3,157 $3,157

12.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$898 ¥6,005

$5,121 $5,121

-82.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

6.79

-50.52%

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

Last update for Shaoxing: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shaoxing

$226 30.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 464% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Shaoxing

$202 26.9%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 101% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Shaoxing

$114 15.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 11.8% $14

Eating Out

Shaoxing

$90 11.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 295% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaoxing

$64 8.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 462% $295

Sport & Entertainment

Shaoxing

$29 3.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 191% $56

Getting Around

Shaoxing

$25 3.3%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 137% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $428 in Shaoxing and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 470% 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 Shaoxing vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $405 per month, with Shaoxing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shaoxing

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

13 h behind Shaoxing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912,239

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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

From you

Shaoxing
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

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

Shaoxing wins on cost – living expenses run 255% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shaoxing the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 470% 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: $428 in Shaoxing 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 $750 per month in Shaoxing versus $2,663 in Austin, TX – a 255% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shaoxing runs roughly 109% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $750 in Shaoxing versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shaoxing but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Shaoxing 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 Shaoxing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.