Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan.

Austin, TX $2,704
Koh Phangan $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,673 in Koh Phangan.

Austin, TX $4,133
Koh Phangan $1,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,328 in Koh Phangan.

Austin, TX $5,562
Koh Phangan $2,328

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 166% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Koh Phangan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$4.05 ฿136

399.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$29.43 ฿989

188.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.59 ฿255

62.71%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.50 ฿84.2

118.80%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.81 ฿27.09

371.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.45 ฿15.01

455.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.30 ฿77.4

250.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.41 ฿114

163.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.59 ฿53.5

-28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.36 ฿45.86

177.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.50 ฿50.5

116.67%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.05 ฿68.9

101.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$18.36 ฿617

-28.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.17 ฿107

351.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.61 ฿357

50.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.79 ฿93.9

56.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 ฿51.7

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.10 ฿70.5

116.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.95 ฿65.7

114.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.44 ฿48.39

82.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.25 ฿41.97

88.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.02 ฿34.39

72.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.48 ฿16.09

350.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.15 ฿139

136.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$17.24 ฿580

-14.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.69 ฿56.7

64.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.63 ฿88.6

32.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.00 ฿67.2

-25.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.60 ฿87.4

2.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.93 ฿31.19

69.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.37 ฿113

947.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.29 ฿43.20

-23.26%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$24.1K ฿809.2K

48.75%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.1K ฿810.2K

12.76%

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

$219 $219

$98.9 ฿3,324

121.78%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$11.05 ฿371

424.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$16.87 ฿567

305.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$53.1 ฿1,784

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$10.77 ฿362

37.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.53 ฿253

87.65%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$557 ฿18.7K

170.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.7K ฿392.3K

83.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$64.0 ฿2,151

-19.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$28.52 ฿959

54.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$95.9 ฿3,223

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$86.9 ฿2,922

21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$513 ฿17.2K

276.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$321 ฿10.8K

295.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,442 ฿48.5K

154.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$843 ฿28.4K

199.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,420 ฿81.4K

214.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$1,779 ฿59.8K

79.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$709 ฿23.8K

620.36%

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 Phangan: 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 Phangan

$321 31.6% 74.7% $951

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9% 37.3% $150

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7% 68.8% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5% 63.3% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2% 3.8% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 20.9% $18

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5% 73.3% $42

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 $513 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 620% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $253 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Koh Phangan 15,180 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Koh Phangan

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 Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Phangan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 620% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $513 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $557 in Koh Phangan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Phangan – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan 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 Phangan 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 Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.