Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pai and Austin, TX

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.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pai
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Pai Living Index
130

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

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Pai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$881

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Pai $881
Austin, TX $2,663

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

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

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

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

Living in Pai costs roughly 67% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.12 ฿104

$20.77 $20.77

-84.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.15 ฿807

$84.6 $84.6

-71.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ฿231

$12.32 $12.32

-43.91%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿67.1

$5.63 $5.63

-64.30%

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

$0.66 ฿21.96

$3.72 $3.72

-82.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.60

$2.50 $2.50

-86.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$8.05 $8.05

-73.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$9.01 $9.01

-58.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.1

$1.12 $1.12

52.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ฿44.80

$3.75 $3.75

-64.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.76

$3.26 $3.26

-59.82%

Eggs

$2.11 ฿70.4

$4.17 $4.17

-49.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.04 ฿570

$12.90 $12.90

32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ฿102

$14.16 $14.16

-78.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ฿370

$16.22 $16.22

-31.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$4.33 $4.33

-33.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.67

$1.46 $1.46

-18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.1

$4.51 $4.51

-57.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.9

$4.34 $4.34

-64.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$2.58 $2.58

-40.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.00

$2.35 $2.35

-46.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿33.81

$1.78 $1.78

-43.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$2.22 $2.22

-76.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$9.88 $9.88

-55.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 ฿629

$15.08 $15.08

24.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿60.3

$2.92 $2.92

-38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$3.46 $3.46

-19.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.23

$1.49 $1.49

-41.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.44

$2.73 $2.73

-61.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 ฿39.83

$1.66 $1.66

-28.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.30 ฿211

$35.30 $35.30

-82.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ฿42.14

$0.95 $0.95

32.63%

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

$27.4K ฿916.3K

$36.0K $36.0K

-23.94%

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

$27.7K ฿925.4K

$27.1K $27.1K

2.28%

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

$74.4 ฿2,486

$229 $229

-67.51%

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

$13.21 ฿441

$59.4 $59.4

-77.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿619

$69.9 $69.9

-73.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.79 ฿1,631

$57.2 $57.2

-14.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.14 ฿473

$16.33 $16.33

-13.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.95 ฿232

$14.28 $14.28

-51.33%

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

$298 ฿9,968

$1,506 $1,506

-80.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,327 ฿311.7K

$21.5K $21.5K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.59 ฿1,056

$52.8 $52.8

-40.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.72 ฿1,127

$43.82 $43.82

-23.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.9 ฿2,738

$84.8 $84.8

-3.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 ฿2,218

$103 $103

-35.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 ฿15.1K

$1,907 $1,907

-76.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ฿8,805

$1,274 $1,274

-79.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ฿27.7K

$3,664 $3,664

-77.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 ฿22.0K

$2,538 $2,538

-74.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,485 ฿83.0K

$7,614 $7,614

-67.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 ฿61.3K

$3,157 $3,157

-41.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

6.79

-19.73%

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

Last update for Pai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pai

$263 29.9%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 384% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Pai

$250 28.4%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 61.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pai

$106 12%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 238% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Pai

$96 10.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 33.1% $32

Eating Out

Pai

$92 10.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 284% $262

Sport & Entertainment

Pai

$63 7.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 36.9% $23

Getting Around

Pai

$11 * 1.2%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 458% $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 $451 in Pai and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pai

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

12 h behind Pai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,284

974,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Pai
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

Pai vs Austin, TX: 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 $1,322 in Pai and $3,995 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: $451 in Pai versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $298 in Pai versus $1,506 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 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, Pai 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 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.