Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Pai

For one person, living is cheaper in Pai: $881 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pai
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Pai Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Pai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $881 in Pai.

Austin, TX $2,663
Pai $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,448 in Pai.

Austin, TX $4,133
Pai $1,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,014 in Pai.

Austin, TX $5,603
Pai $2,014

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 202% more expensive than in Pai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Pai is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.12 ฿104

565.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.15 ฿807

250.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.91 ฿231

78.29%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.01 ฿67.1

180.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.66 ฿21.96

463.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.35 ฿11.60

614.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.17 ฿72.6

270.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.71 ฿124

142.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.71 ฿57.1

-34.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.34 ฿44.80

179.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.31 ฿43.76

148.85%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.11 ฿70.4

97.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$17.04 ฿570

-24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.05 ฿102

364.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$11.08 ฿370

46.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.88 ฿96.2

50.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.19 ฿39.67

22.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.92 ฿64.1

134.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.55 ฿51.9

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.54 ฿51.6

67.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.26 ฿42.00

86.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.01 ฿33.81

76.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 ฿17.54

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.35 ฿145

127.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$18.83 ฿629

-19.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.80 ฿60.3

62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.78 ฿92.9

24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.87 ฿29.23

71.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.06 ฿35.44

157.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.19 ฿39.83

39.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$6.30 ฿211

460.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.26 ฿42.14

-24.60%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.4K ฿916.3K

31.48%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$27.7K ฿925.4K

-2.23%

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

$229 $229

$74.4 ฿2,486

207.82%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$13.21 ฿441

349.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$18.52 ฿619

277.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$48.79 ฿1,631

17.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$14.14 ฿473

15.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$6.95 ฿232

105.47%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$298 ฿9,968

404.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,327 ฿311.7K

130.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$31.59 ฿1,056

67.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$33.72 ฿1,127

29.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$81.9 ฿2,738

3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$66.4 ฿2,218

55.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$451 ฿15.1K

323.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$263 ฿8,805

383.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$828 ฿27.7K

342.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$658 ฿22.0K

285.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,485 ฿83.0K

206.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,833 ฿61.3K

72.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.45

24.59%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Pai

$263 29.9% 79.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Pai

$250 28.4% 38.1% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Pai

$106 12% 70.4% $252

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Pai

$92 10.5% 74% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Pai

$96 10.9% 24.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Pai

$63 7.1% 26.9% $23

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Pai

$11 * 1.2% 82.1% $48

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 $451 in Pai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $24.00 in Pai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $250 per month, with Pai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Pai

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,284

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Pai 14,230 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Pai

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 Pai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pai wins on cost – living expenses run 202% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,322 in Pai 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 $451 in Pai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $298 in Pai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pai – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $881 in Pai versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pai but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Pai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $881 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Pai 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 Pai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.