Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Austin, TX

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.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
Learn more

Koh Samui Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Samui 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 Samui and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Koh Samui costs roughly 56% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$20.22 $20.22

-78.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$85.0 $85.0

-61.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$12.35 $12.35

-31.17%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$5.47 $5.47

-50.09%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$3.82 $3.82

-75.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$2.50 $2.50

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$8.06 $8.06

-68.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$8.99 $8.99

-58.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.13 $1.13

53.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$3.78 $3.78

-61.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$3.25 $3.25

-52.00%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$4.14 $4.14

-49.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$13.08 $13.08

49.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$14.31 $14.31

-77.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

$15.96 $15.96

-31.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$4.38 $4.38

-32.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.45 $1.45

16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$4.54 $4.54

-51.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$4.19 $4.19

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$2.63 $2.63

-44.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$2.36 $2.36

-43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$1.76 $1.76

-36.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$2.16 $2.16

-76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$9.81 $9.81

-56.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

$14.72 $14.72

23.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.78 $2.78

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

$3.48 $3.48

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$1.49 $1.49

65.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$40.51 $40.51

11.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$2.67 $2.67

15.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$1.58 $1.58

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$35.29 $35.29

-88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$0.99 $0.99

51.52%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

-21.22%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

1.77%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$219 $219

-53.62%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$58.0 $58.0

-79.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$68.4 $68.4

-74.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$57.9 $57.9

-6.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$14.82 $14.82

-22.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$14.13 $14.13

-45.29%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$1,509 $1,509

-59.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$21.5K $21.5K

-42.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$51.7 $51.7

19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$44.05 $44.05

-34.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$85.1 $85.1

11.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$105 $105

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$1,932 $1,932

-67.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$1,272 $1,272

-69.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$3,670 $3,670

-52.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$2,525 $2,525

-59.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$7,617 $7,617

-61.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$3,199 $3,199

-32.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$5,105 $5,105

-92.23%

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 Samui: 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 Samui

$389 33.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 227% $884

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 50.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 163% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 4.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 193% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 10.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Koh Samui and $1,932 in Austin, TX. 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: $33.00 in Koh Samui vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $403 per month, with Koh Samui cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

12 h behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

974,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Koh Samui
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 Samui vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 1186% 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: $619 in Koh Samui versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,183 per month in Koh Samui versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – 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, Koh Samui 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 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.