Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,038 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
129

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

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Koh Tao $1,038
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,702 in Koh Tao versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Koh Tao $1,702
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,367 in Koh Tao versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Koh Tao $2,367
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Koh Tao 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 Tao is 23% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$20.22 $20.22

-81.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$85.0 $85.0

-67.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$12.35 $12.35

-39.76%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ฿76.7

$5.47 $5.47

-58.14%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$3.82 $3.82

-80.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$2.50 $2.50

-83.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

$8.06 $8.06

-73.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

$8.99 $8.99

-64.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.13 $1.13

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$3.78 $3.78

-65.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$3.25 $3.25

-56.00%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$4.14 $4.14

-49.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$13.08 $13.08

42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$14.31 $14.31

-78.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$15.96 $15.96

-35.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$4.38 $4.38

-38.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$1.45 $1.45

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$4.54 $4.54

-52.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$4.19 $4.19

-53.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$2.63 $2.63

-45.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$2.36 $2.36

-46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$1.76 $1.76

-39.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$2.16 $2.16

-76.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 ฿136

$9.81 $9.81

-58.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

$14.72 $14.72

18.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

$2.78 $2.78

-39.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

$3.48 $3.48

-24.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$1.49 $1.49

32.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$2.67 $2.67

-1.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$1.58 $1.58

-42.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$35.29 $35.29

-90.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$0.99 $0.99

30.30%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$35.8K $35.8K

-33.52%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.55%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$219 $219

-55.93%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$58.0 $58.0

-80.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$68.4 $68.4

-75.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$57.9 $57.9

-5.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$14.82 $14.82

-21.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$14.13 $14.13

-44.23%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$1,509 $1,509

-63.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$21.5K $21.5K

-46.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$51.7 $51.7

21.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$44.05 $44.05

-35.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$85.1 $85.1

13.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$105 $105

-16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$1,932 $1,932

-72.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$1,272 $1,272

-72.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$3,670 $3,670

-58.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$2,525 $2,525

-64.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$7,617 $7,617

-65.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$3,199 $3,199

-40.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

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 Tao: October 3, 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 Tao

$354 34%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 260% $918

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 59.9% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 177% $221

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 3.9% $4.8

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 243% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 22.5% $16

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 279% $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 $535 in Koh Tao and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $403 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

12 h behind Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

974,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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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Between locations

Koh Tao Austin, TX 15,150 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Tao
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 Tao vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Tao wins on cost – living expenses run 161% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Tao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,557 in Koh Tao and $4,055 in Austin, TX 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: $535 in Koh Tao versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $547 in Koh Tao 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 Tao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,038 in Koh Tao versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koh Tao but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Tao 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 Tao 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 Tao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.