Cost of Living & Income: Chengdu vs Houston

ℹ️ About the data: the figures for Chengdu and Houston are averages compiled from millions of user-contributed income and living-cost entries worldwide over the last 12 months (updated July 2026), converted to Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥). Green 🟢 marks a higher income or a lower price. Source: NUMBEO, which is widely cited by international media; the Seapoe team compiled, translated and processed the data.

Income comparison

MetricChengduHoustonChengdu vs Houston
💰 Average monthly net salary¥8,523¥29,550Houston earns 3.5× the salary in Chengdu

Daily expenses

MetricChengduHoustonChengdu vs Houston
🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant¥18¥135Houston costs 7.50× the price in Chengdu
🍝 Meal for two, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)¥148¥506Houston costs 3.43× the price in Chengdu
🍔 McMeal at McDonald's (or equivalent)¥35¥68Houston costs 1.93× the price in Chengdu
💧 Utilities, 85 m² apartment (monthly)¥276.8¥1,340.4Houston costs 4.84× the price in Chengdu
💻 Broadband internet, 60 Mbps+ (monthly)¥84.9¥484.5Houston costs 5.71× the price in Chengdu
📱 Mobile plan, calls + 10 GB+ data (monthly)¥64.6¥394.3Houston costs 6.10× the price in Chengdu
💪 Gym membership (monthly)¥181.8¥264.8Houston costs 1.46× the price in Chengdu
🎬 Cinema ticket, international release¥40.0¥101.3Houston costs 2.53× the price in Chengdu
⛽ Petrol (1 litre)¥8.4¥6.1Chengdu costs 1.39× the price in Houston

Supermarket prices

MetricChengduHoustonChengdu vs Houston
🥩 Beef round (1 kg)¥75.3¥111.7Houston costs 1.48× the price in Chengdu
🥚 Eggs (12)¥10.6¥22.1Houston costs 2.10× the price in Chengdu
🥛 Milk (1 litre)¥12.5¥5.5Chengdu costs 2.25× the price in Houston
🍞 Bread (500 g)¥11.3¥23.7Houston costs 2.10× the price in Chengdu
🍏 Apples (1 kg)¥12.3¥29.2Houston costs 2.36× the price in Chengdu
🥔 Potatoes (1 kg)¥4.8¥16.8Houston costs 3.47× the price in Chengdu
🍅 Tomatoes (1 kg)¥8.2¥22.3Houston costs 2.72× the price in Chengdu
🍺 Domestic beer (500 ml)¥5.4¥16.9Houston costs 3.13× the price in Chengdu
🍷 Wine, mid-range bottle¥37.5¥98.4Houston costs 2.62× the price in Chengdu

Rent & property prices

MetricChengduHoustonChengdu vs Houston
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥3,157¥11,519Houston costs 3.65× the price in Chengdu
🛌 Rent, 1-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥1,740¥9,505Houston costs 5.46× the price in Chengdu
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom in city centre (monthly)¥5,711¥20,907Houston costs 3.66× the price in Chengdu
🚪 Rent, 3-bedroom outside centre (monthly)¥3,595¥15,229Houston costs 4.24× the price in Chengdu
🏡 Apartment price per m², city centre¥25,294¥16,917Chengdu costs 1.50× the price in Houston
🏡 Apartment price per m², outside centre¥13,037¥12,372Chengdu costs 1.05× the price in Houston