Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $965 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $965 in Koh Chang.

Austin, TX $2,704
Koh Chang $965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,583 in Koh Chang.

Austin, TX $4,133
Koh Chang $1,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,200 in Koh Chang.

Austin, TX $5,562
Koh Chang $2,200

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 180% more expensive than in Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Koh Chang is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$3.63 ฿121

457.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$26.36 ฿883

222.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.99 ฿234

76.68%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.26 ฿75.6

142.04%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.77 ฿25.91

396.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.40 ฿13.29

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.04 ฿68.4

295.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.02 ฿101

197.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.49 ฿50.0

-24.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.31 ฿44.00

188.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.41 ฿47.17

130.50%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.96 ฿65.8

111.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$17.61 ฿590

-25.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.00 ฿101

377.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$9.66 ฿323

65.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.68 ฿89.8

63.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.51 ฿50.7

-3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.07 ฿69.2

119.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.92 ฿64.4

118.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.36 ฿45.44

93.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.19 ฿39.81

98.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.01 ฿33.88

74.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.50 ฿16.64

332.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.97 ฿133

147.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$16.61 ฿556

-11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.64 ฿55.1

69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.60 ฿86.9

33.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.83 ฿61.2

-18.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.43 ฿81.4

9.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.82 ฿27.40

92.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$2.98 ฿99.7

1084.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.19 ฿39.79

-16.81%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.1K ฿707.5K

69.42%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$21.5K ฿720.9K

26.21%

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

$219 $219

$94.2 ฿3,152

132.89%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$10.67 ฿357

443.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$16.43 ฿550

316.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$44.74 ฿1,498

29.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$9.17 ฿307

61.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.47 ฿217

118.39%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$491 ฿16.4K

207.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.5K ฿351.2K

104.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$60.2 ฿2,016

-14.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$27.51 ฿921

60.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$90.4 ฿3,026

-5.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$82.4 ฿2,758

27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$473 ฿15.8K

308.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$303 ฿10.1K

319.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,334 ฿44.7K

175.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$794 ฿26.6K

218.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,276 ฿76.2K

234.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,651 ฿55.3K

93.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.57

21.90%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Koh Chang

$303 31.8% 76.2% $969

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Koh Chang

$242 25.4% 40% $161

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Koh Chang

$98 10.3% 71.8% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Koh Chang

$121 12.7% 64.9% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Koh Chang

$117 12.3% 8.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Koh Chang

$58 6.1% 33% $28

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5% 75.7% $43

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $473 in Koh Chang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $26.00 in Koh Chang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $242 per month, with Koh Chang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

8,500

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Koh Chang 14,840 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Chang wins on cost – living expenses run 180% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Chang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $1,448 in Koh Chang 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $473 in Koh Chang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $491 in Koh Chang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Chang – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Koh Chang versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Chang but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Chang 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 Koh Chang 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 Koh Chang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.