Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
Learn more

Khon Kaen Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Khon Kaen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Khon Kaen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $613 in Khon Kaen.

Austin, TX $2,663
Khon Kaen $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,029 in Khon Kaen.

Austin, TX $4,133
Khon Kaen $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,444 in Khon Kaen.

Austin, TX $5,603
Khon Kaen $1,444

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 334% more expensive than in Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Khon Kaen is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.98 ฿99.7

596.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$29.88 ฿999

183.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.03 ฿202

104.31%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.46 ฿48.84

285.62%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.59 ฿19.67

530.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 ฿8.92

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.74 ฿58.3

362.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$6.76 ฿226

33.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.88 ฿29.38

270.45%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.47 ฿82.6

68.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.92 ฿30.82

58.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.46 ฿48.83

208.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.50 ฿50.1

56.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.61 ฿20.51

191.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.49 ฿16.41

353.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.69 ฿56.4

72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.21 ฿40.47

37.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 ฿44.66

-29.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-20.07%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.8K ฿895.5K

1.04%

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

$229 $229

$94.1 ฿3,146

143.24%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$17.76 ฿594

234.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$29.78 ฿995

134.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$60.5 ฿2,022

-5.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.08 ฿203

134.87%

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

$1,506 $1,506

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,748 ฿292.3K

145.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$29.67 ฿992

77.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$35.23 ฿1,177

24.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$75.1 ฿2,510

12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$87.7 ฿2,931

17.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$278 ฿9,297

585.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$161 ฿5,366

693.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$757 ฿25.3K

384.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$484 ฿16.2K

424.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2% 87.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3% 89% $360

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1% 60.5% $217

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9% 75.9% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7% 19.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9% 15.3% $13

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1% 89.7% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $278 in Khon Kaen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $30.00 in Khon Kaen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $45.00 per month, with Khon Kaen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

114,459

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Khon Kaen 14,370 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Khon Kaen

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

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

Khon Kaen wins on cost – living expenses run 334% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Khon Kaen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $920 in Khon Kaen 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $278 in Khon Kaen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $613 in Khon Kaen – a 334% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 808% higher in Austin, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $613 in Khon Kaen versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Khon Kaen but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Khon Kaen 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Khon Kaen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Khon Kaen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 334% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.