Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Austin, TX

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.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
129

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

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Koh Phangan and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 62% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ฿136

$20.22 $20.22

-79.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.43 ฿989

$85.0 $85.0

-65.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 ฿255

$12.35 $12.35

-38.54%

Cappuccino

$2.50 ฿84.2

$5.47 $5.47

-54.30%

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

$0.81 ฿27.09

$3.82 $3.82

-78.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$2.50 $2.50

-82.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 ฿77.4

$8.06 $8.06

-71.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 ฿114

$8.99 $8.99

-62.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.5

$1.13 $1.13

40.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.86

$3.78 $3.78

-64.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.25 $3.25

-53.85%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.9

$4.14 $4.14

-50.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.36 ฿617

$13.08 $13.08

40.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿107

$14.31 $14.31

-77.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 ฿357

$15.96 $15.96

-33.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.9

$4.38 $4.38

-36.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$1.45 $1.45

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.5

$4.54 $4.54

-53.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$4.19 $4.19

-53.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$2.63 $2.63

-45.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.97

$2.36 $2.36

-47.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿34.39

$1.76 $1.76

-42.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$2.16 $2.16

-77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 ฿139

$9.81 $9.81

-57.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.24 ฿580

$14.72 $14.72

17.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$2.78 $2.78

-39.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.6

$3.48 $3.48

-24.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿67.2

$1.49 $1.49

34.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ฿87.4

$2.67 $2.67

-2.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$1.58 $1.58

-41.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$35.29 $35.29

-90.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.20

$0.99 $0.99

30.30%

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

$24.1K ฿809.2K

$35.8K $35.8K

-32.78%

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

$24.1K ฿810.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-11.32%

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

$98.9 ฿3,324

$219 $219

-54.91%

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

$11.05 ฿371

$58.0 $58.0

-80.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.87 ฿567

$68.4 $68.4

-75.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 ฿1,784

$57.9 $57.9

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.77 ฿362

$14.82 $14.82

-27.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ฿253

$14.13 $14.13

-46.71%

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

$557 ฿18.7K

$1,509 $1,509

-63.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿392.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

-45.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.0 ฿2,151

$51.7 $51.7

23.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿959

$44.05 $44.05

-35.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,223

$85.1 $85.1

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,922

$105 $105

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ฿17.2K

$1,932 $1,932

-73.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ฿10.8K

$1,272 $1,272

-74.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 ฿48.5K

$3,670 $3,670

-60.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 ฿28.4K

$2,525 $2,525

-66.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 ฿81.4K

$7,617 $7,617

-68.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,779 ฿59.8K

$3,199 $3,199

-44.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$709 ฿23.8K

$5,105 $5,105

-86.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.79

-17.97%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 296% $951

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 59.4% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 173% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 3.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 221% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 26.5% $18

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 274% $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 $513 in Koh Phangan and $1,932 in Austin, TX. 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: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $403 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

12 h behind Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Koh Phangan
Austin, TX

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

Koh Phangan vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 620% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

Childcare runs $557 in Koh Phangan versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. 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, Koh Phangan and Austin, TX 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.