Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Koh Lipe

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lipe: $2,083 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $2,083 in Koh Lipe.

Austin, TX $2,704
Koh Lipe $2,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $3,633 in Koh Lipe.

Austin, TX $4,133
Koh Lipe $3,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,183 in Koh Lipe.

Austin, TX $5,562
Koh Lipe $5,183

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 30% more expensive than in Koh Lipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Koh Lipe 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$7.32 ฿245

176.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$52.6 ฿1,761

61.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$14.01 ฿469

-11.85%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.35 ฿146

25.75%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.50 ฿50.2

154.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.79 ฿26.36

216.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$4.04 ฿135

99.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.80 ฿194

55.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.14 ฿71.8

-47.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.73 ฿57.9

118.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.97 ฿66.0

64.97%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.69 ฿90.0

53.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$24.13 ฿808

-45.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.12 ฿138

247.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.94 ฿467

14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.69 ฿124

18.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.03 ฿68.1

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.82 ฿94.5

60.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.56 ฿85.7

63.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.80 ฿60.4

46.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.71 ฿57.4

38.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.38 ฿46.15

27.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.64 ฿21.26

237.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$5.45 ฿182

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$23.53 ฿788

-37.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.18 ฿72.9

27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.48 ฿116

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.43 ฿115

-56.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$4.50 ฿151

-40.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.59 ฿53.2

-0.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$5.78 ฿194

510.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.17 ฿72.7

-54.38%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$40.8K ฿1.4M

-12.33%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$39.7K ฿1.3M

-31.54%

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

$219 $219

$113 ฿3,775

94.47%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$12.76 ฿427

354.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$19.37 ฿649

252.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$64.9 ฿2,171

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$13.63 ฿456

8.73%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$9.39 ฿314

50.48%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$690 ฿23.1K

118.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.5K ฿485.7K

47.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$66.9 ฿2,238

-22.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$29.89 ฿1,001

47.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$99.4 ฿3,329

-14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$92.6 ฿3,099

13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,850 ฿61.9K

4.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,170 ฿39.2K

8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$5,267 ฿176.3K

-30.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,976 ฿99.6K

-15.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$8,743 ฿292.7K

-12.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$6,355 ฿212.8K

-49.66%

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 Lipe: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.2% 8.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Koh Lipe

$334 16% 17.1% $69

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Koh Lipe

$194 9.3% 44.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Koh Lipe

$145 7% 58.1% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Koh Lipe

$130 6.2% 0.9% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Koh Lipe

$84 4% 2.9% $2.5

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3% 54.1% $31

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 $1,850 in Koh Lipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $53.0 in Koh Lipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $334 per month, with Koh Lipe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

12:28 12:28 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

800

💱 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 Lipe 15,540 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Koh Lipe

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 Lipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Lipe wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Lipe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $3,124 in Koh Lipe 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 $1,850 in Koh Lipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $690 in Koh Lipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lipe – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Koh Lipe is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lipe 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 Lipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.