Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Loei

For one person, living is cheaper in Loei: $915 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Loei
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Loei Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Loei

🇹🇭 Thailand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Loei

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $915 in Loei.

Austin, TX $2,663
Loei $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,493 in Loei.

Austin, TX $4,133
Loei $1,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,070 in Loei.

Austin, TX $5,603
Loei $2,070

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 191% more expensive than in Loei, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Loei is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.93 ฿98.1

608.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$22.08 ฿738

283.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.78 ฿226

81.71%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.04 ฿68.2

175.98%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.74 ฿24.68

402.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.37 ฿12.28

575.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.03 ฿67.7

296.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.88 ฿96.3

212.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.75 ฿58.4

-36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.44 ฿48.15

160.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.30 ฿43.32

150.77%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.18 ฿72.8

91.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$16.22 ฿542

-20.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$2.67 ฿89.1

430.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.18 ฿340

59.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.98 ฿99.6

45.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.03 ฿34.56

41.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.22 ฿74.3

103.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.83 ฿61.2

137.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.48 ฿49.51

74.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.11 ฿37.09

111.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.11 ฿37.26

60.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.48 ฿16.06

362.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.41 ฿147

124.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$17.36 ฿580

-13.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.69 ฿56.5

72.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.77 ฿92.5

24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.86 ฿28.88

73.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.30 ฿43.52

110.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.08 ฿36.20

53.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$4.73 ฿158

646.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.35 ฿45.08

-29.63%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$26.6K ฿888.2K

35.64%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$26.4K ฿882.3K

2.55%

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

$229 $229

$83.8 ฿2,802

173.13%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.44 ฿382

419.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$19.35 ฿647

261.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$47.47 ฿1,587

20.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$13.92 ฿465

17.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.36 ฿212

124.53%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$574 ฿19.2K

162.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$10.8K ฿362.4K

97.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$51.2 ฿1,712

3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.41 ฿983

49.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$78.7 ฿2,630

7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$75.2 ฿2,515

36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$438 ฿14.6K

335.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$293 ฿9,801

334.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,405 ฿47.0K

160.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$725 ฿24.2K

249.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$1,942 ฿64.9K

292.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,596 ฿53.3K

97.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 12, 2026

Last update for Loei: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Loei

$293 32% 77% $981

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Loei

$243 26.6% 39.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Loei

$115 12.5% 68% $244

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Loei

$89 9.7% 75% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Loei

$106 11.5% 17.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Loei

$60 6.6% 29.9% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Loei

$10 * 1.1% 82.7% $49

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 $438 in Loei. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Loei for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $243 per month, with Loei cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Loei

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

00:20 12:20 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

22,677

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Loei 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Loei

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 Loei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Loei wins on cost – living expenses run 191% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Loei the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,373 in Loei 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 $438 in Loei. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $574 in Loei. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Loei – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Loei versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Loei but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Loei 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 Loei 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 Loei gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.