Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Austin, TX $2,698
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Austin, TX $4,160
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Austin, TX $5,622
Phuket $2,845

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 123% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$4.40 ฿147

368.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

162.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$8.76 ฿293

37.79%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.83 ฿94.5

93.64%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$0.90 ฿30.14

322.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.47 ฿15.56

425.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.55 ฿85.2

215.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$3.83 ฿128

131.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.73 ฿57.7

-35.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.47 ฿49.11

153.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.51 ฿50.6

123.18%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.17 ฿72.7

99.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$19.70 ฿658

-33.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.34 ฿112

323.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$11.16 ฿373

46.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.85 ฿95.1

59.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 ฿56.9

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.19 ฿73.3

115.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.05 ฿68.4

102.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.45 ฿48.57

77.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.38 ฿46.16

70.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.07 ฿35.69

65.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 ฿16.91

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.26 ฿142

137.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$18.58 ฿621

-18.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.78 ฿59.7

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.85 ฿95.2

20.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.26 ฿75.6

-31.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$22.10 ฿738

85.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.01 ฿101

-6.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.06 ฿35.34

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$3.86 ฿129

789.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.45 ฿48.45

-35.17%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

29.06%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-0.66%

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

$223 $223

$96.4 ฿3,221

131.01%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$11.04 ฿369

433.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$17.14 ฿573

311.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$52.2 ฿1,744

10.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$11.16 ฿373

48.12%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$7.81 ฿261

82.59%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$556 ฿18.6K

171.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

80.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$64.2 ฿2,146

-20.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$28.69 ฿959

53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$95.4 ฿3,187

-8.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$88.0 ฿2,940

18.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$737 ฿24.6K

163.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$462 ฿15.5K

184.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$2,095 ฿70.0K

74.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,201 ฿40.1K

113.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,488 ฿116.6K

110.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,523 ฿84.3K

24.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$501 ฿16.7K

955.83%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.9% $854

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 33.8% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.6% $228

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Phuket

$121 10% 65.4% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.7% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 21.4% $18

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 31.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 956% 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 $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

12 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Phuket 15,440 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 956% 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: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 85% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.