Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $842 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
129

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

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $842 in Xiamen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Xiamen $842
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,338 in Xiamen versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Xiamen $1,338
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,835 in Xiamen versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Xiamen $1,835
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 69% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Xiamen is 37% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.10

$20.22 $20.22

-85.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.67 ¥158

$85.0 $85.0

-72.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.85

$12.35 $12.35

-56.60%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥16.78

$5.47 $5.47

-54.11%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$3.82 $3.82

-87.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$2.50 $2.50

-86.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$8.06 $8.06

-81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ¥19.97

$8.99 $8.99

-66.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.13 $1.13

29.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ¥15.20

$3.78 $3.78

-39.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$3.25 $3.25

-69.85%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.92

$4.14 $4.14

-60.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ¥79.9

$13.08 $13.08

-8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.83

$14.31 $14.31

-82.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$15.96 $15.96

-26.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$4.38 $4.38

-41.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.45 $1.45

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$4.54 $4.54

-63.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.19

$4.19 $4.19

-52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$2.63 $2.63

-60.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$2.36 $2.36

-22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$1.76 $1.76

-48.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.31

$2.16 $2.16

-77.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$9.81 $9.81

-68.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ¥75.0

$14.72 $14.72

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.78 $2.78

-70.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$3.48 $3.48

-51.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.07

$1.49 $1.49

-89.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$40.51 $40.51

-70.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.67 $2.67

-44.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.58 $1.58

-81.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ¥49.07

$35.29 $35.29

-79.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.99 $0.99

32.32%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$35.8K $35.8K

-46.19%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-36.46%

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

$44.42 ¥297

$219 $219

-79.74%

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

$8.81 ¥58.9

$58.0 $58.0

-84.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ¥68.3

$68.4 $68.4

-85.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.22 ¥322

$57.9 $57.9

-16.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$14.82 $14.82

-28.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ¥68.3

$14.13 $14.13

-27.67%

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

$488 ¥3,264

$1,509 $1,509

-67.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

12.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 ¥260

$51.7 $51.7

-24.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 ¥190

$44.05 $44.05

-35.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥703

$85.1 $85.1

23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥565

$105 $105

-19.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,283

$1,932 $1,932

-82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,798

$1,272 $1,272

-78.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥5,511

$3,670 $3,670

-77.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$2,525 $2,525

-78.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,597 ¥57.5K

$7,617 $7,617

12.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥31.3K

$3,199 $3,199

46.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,138 ¥7,607

$5,105 $5,105

-77.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

6.79

-49.04%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$269 32.2%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 373% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$216 25.8%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 86.8% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$116 13.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 11.3% $13

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 300% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$69 8.2%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 25.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 445% $282

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 265% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Xiamen and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 348% 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 Xiamen vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $403 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

13 h behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Xiamen Austin, TX 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

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

Xiamen wins on cost – living expenses run 221% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xiamen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 348% 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: $342 in Xiamen versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $842 per month in Xiamen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 221% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Xiamen runs roughly 235% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $842 in Xiamen versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen 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 Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 221% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.