Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
Learn more

Koh Samui Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,183 in Koh Samui.

Austin, TX $2,704
Koh Samui $1,183

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,939 in Koh Samui.

Austin, TX $4,133
Koh Samui $1,939

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,694 in Koh Samui.

Austin, TX $5,562
Koh Samui $2,694

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 128% more expensive than in Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Koh Samui is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$4.36 ฿146

363.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$32.80 ฿1,098

159.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$8.50 ฿285

45.29%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.73 ฿91.3

100.37%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.94 ฿31.60

306.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.50 ฿16.59

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.54 ฿84.9

217.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.73 ฿125

141.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.74 ฿58.2

-35.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.46 ฿48.79

158.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.56 ฿52.2

108.33%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.10 ฿70.3

97.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$19.60 ฿656

-33.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$3.27 ฿110

337.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$10.94 ฿366

45.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.96 ฿99.0

47.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.69 ฿56.5

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.22 ฿74.2

104.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.10 ฿70.3

99.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.46 ฿48.79

80.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.33 ฿44.53

77.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.11 ฿37.27

58.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.51 ฿16.97

323.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.23 ฿142

131.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$18.25 ฿611

-19.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.74 ฿58.3

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.87 ฿95.9

21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.46 ฿82.5

-39.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$45.15 ฿1,512

-10.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.08 ฿103

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.06 ฿35.62

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.89 ฿130

807.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.50 ฿50.3

-34.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$28.2K ฿944.4K

26.93%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$27.7K ฿925.9K

-1.74%

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

$219 $219

$102 ฿3,405

115.60%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$11.78 ฿394

392.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$17.76 ฿595

284.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$54.1 ฿1,812

6.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$11.53 ฿386

28.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.73 ฿259

82.79%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$615 ฿20.6K

145.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.4K ฿415.9K

72.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$61.9 ฿2,073

-16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$28.96 ฿969

52.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$94.6 ฿3,167

-10.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.2 ฿2,951

19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$619 ฿20.7K

212.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$389 ฿13.0K

227.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,761 ฿59.0K

108.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,025 ฿34.3K

146.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$2,971 ฿99.5K

156.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,176 ฿72.8K

47.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$397 ฿13.3K

1186.30%

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 Samui: 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 Samui

$389 33.5% 69.4% $884

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 33.6% $136

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 65.8% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 62% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 4.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 19.2% $17

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 11.2% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $619 in Koh Samui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1186% 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 $33.00 in Koh Samui for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $267 per month, with Koh Samui cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

14:31 2:31 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

62,110

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Koh Samui 15,200 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Koh Samui

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 Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Samui wins on cost – living expenses run 128% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Samui the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1186% 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 $619 in Koh Samui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,183 in Koh Samui – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Koh Samui runs roughly 11% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,183 in Koh Samui versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Samui but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Samui the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Koh Samui delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,183 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Koh Samui hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Koh Samui 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 Samui gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.