Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
129

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

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $775 in Surat Thani versus $2,698 in Austin, TX.

Surat Thani $775
Austin, TX $2,698

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Surat Thani versus $4,160 in Austin, TX.

Surat Thani $1,414
Austin, TX $4,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,053 in Surat Thani versus $5,622 in Austin, TX.

Surat Thani $2,053
Austin, TX $5,622

Living in Surat Thani costs roughly 71% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surat Thani is 43% below, Austin, TX is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$20.63 $20.63

-90.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$84.6 $84.6

-78.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$12.07 $12.07

-62.63%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$5.48 $5.48

-72.63%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$3.80 $3.80

-86.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$2.47 $2.47

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$8.05 $8.05

-68.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$8.88 $8.88

-58.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.11 $1.11

49.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$3.72 $3.72

-68.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$3.37 $3.37

-65.28%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$4.32 $4.32

-56.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$13.13 $13.13

46.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$14.15 $14.15

-76.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$16.33 $16.33

-54.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$4.55 $4.55

-36.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.46 $1.46

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$4.71 $4.71

-62.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.15 $4.15

-50.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$2.58 $2.58

-49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$2.35 $2.35

-41.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.77 $1.77

-37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$2.14 $2.14

-80.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$10.10 $10.10

-69.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$15.19 $15.19

24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$2.82 $2.82

-45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$3.44 $3.44

-47.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.54 $1.54

-33.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$40.99 $40.99

-48.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$2.80 $2.80

-57.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$1.60 $1.60

-60.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$34.34 $34.34

-89.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$0.94 $0.94

23.40%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$34.0K $34.0K

-21.62%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$26.8K $26.8K

1.92%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$223 $223

-67.25%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$58.9 $58.9

-81.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$70.6 $70.6

-75.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$57.7 $57.7

-16.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$16.53 $16.53

-30.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$14.26 $14.26

-68.23%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$1,511 $1,511

-63.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$20.9K $20.9K

-44.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$51.3 $51.3

20.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$44.17 $44.17

-33.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$87.0 $87.0

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$104 $104

-17.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$1,940 $1,940

-87.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$1,316 $1,316

-88.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$3,664 $3,664

-68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$2,565 $2,565

-72.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$7,354 $7,354

-69.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$3,129 $3,129

-55.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

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 Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Austin, TX

$406 15.1% 66.2% $162

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8% 782% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Austin, TX

$129 4.8% 4.3% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Austin, TX

$352 13.1% 247% $251

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Austin, TX

$350 13% 401% $280

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 50.5% $29

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Austin, TX

$58 2.2% 97.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $237 in Surat Thani and $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surat Thani vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $406 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

09:20 9:20 AM

12 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

974,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surat Thani Austin, TX 15,270 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

Surat Thani vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani wins on cost – living expenses run 248% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surat Thani the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,163 in Surat Thani and $4,046 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: $237 in Surat Thani versus $1,940 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $775 per month in Surat Thani versus $2,698 in Austin, TX – a 248% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surat Thani runs roughly 96% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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, Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 248% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.