Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $1,125 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Koh Chang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Bangkok versus $1,021 in Koh Chang.

Bangkok $1,125
Koh Chang $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Bangkok versus $1,720 in Koh Chang.

Bangkok $1,837
Koh Chang $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Bangkok versus $2,418 in Koh Chang.

Bangkok $2,549
Koh Chang $2,418

Living in Bangkok is roughly 10% more expensive than in Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 17% lower, Koh Chang 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿98.0

$3.47 ฿117

-16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.48 ฿1,198

$26.30 ฿888

34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ฿249

$7.04 ฿238

4.69%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿92.2

$2.18 ฿73.5

25.23%

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

$0.67 ฿22.74

$0.75 ฿25.33

-10.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.95

$0.37 ฿12.35

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿88.8

$2.00 ฿67.7

31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ฿153

$3.00 ฿101

51.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿62.3

$1.48 ฿50.0

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.95

$1.25 ฿42.31

18.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.58

$1.37 ฿46.39

2.92%

Eggs

$2.60 ฿87.9

$1.89 ฿63.7

37.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ฿120

$3.05 ฿103

16.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ฿428

$10.19 ฿344

24.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ฿125

$2.68 ฿90.6

38.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿58.2

$1.53 ฿51.7

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.5

$1.95 ฿65.9

40.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.2

$1.85 ฿62.4

5.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.29 ฿43.65

29.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.24 ฿41.72

21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.85

$1.01 ฿34.04

25.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.95

$0.49 ฿16.67

2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ฿162

$3.77 ฿127

27.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ฿502

$16.75 ฿565

-11.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.1

$1.56 ฿52.7

17.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ฿109

$2.46 ฿83.0

30.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.31

$1.21 ฿40.91

-15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

$38.34 ฿1,294

-7.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.46

$2.43 ฿81.9

-56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.64

$0.85 ฿28.77

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿206

$2.93 ฿98.9

108.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.27

$1.14 ฿38.48

25.44%

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

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$21.7K ฿733.1K

41.68%

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

$26.9K ฿907.2K

$20.9K ฿707.0K

28.32%

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

$109 ฿3,666

$94.6 ฿3,191

14.86%

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

$14.94 ฿504

$10.67 ฿360

40.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿609

$16.02 ฿541

12.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ฿1,899

$58.0 ฿1,957

-2.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 ฿623

$9.00 ฿304

105.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿252

$6.49 ฿219

14.95%

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

$802 ฿27.1K

$422 ฿14.3K

89.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ฿572.9K

$10.2K ฿343.5K

66.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ฿2,415

$60.3 ฿2,036

18.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 ฿1,421

$26.66 ฿900

57.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ฿3,277

$89.3 ฿3,015

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,602

$81.5 ฿2,751

30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ฿24.1K

$469 ฿15.8K

52.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ฿11.7K

$327 ฿11.0K

6.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 ฿74.9K

$1,292 ฿43.6K

71.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ฿27.7K

$917 ฿31.0K

-10.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,948 ฿200.8K

$2,704 ฿91.2K

120.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 ฿106.4K

$1,904 ฿64.3K

65.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$347 30.9%

Koh Chang

$327 32% 5.7% $20

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$271 24.1%

Koh Chang

$240 23.5% 11.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Koh Chang

$116 11.4% 18.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$142 12.6%

Koh Chang

$121 11.9% 14.4% $20

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.3%

Koh Chang

$95 9.4% 8.5% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.3%

Koh Chang

$71 7% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.1%

Koh Chang

$50 4.9% 7.2% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Bangkok and $469 in Koh Chang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Bangkok vs $26 in Koh Chang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $240 per month, with Koh Chang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

8,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bangkok Koh Chang 280 km

From you

Bangkok
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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

Bangkok vs Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,125 in Bangkok and $1,021 in Koh Chang, so Koh Chang is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,687 in Bangkok and $1,531 in Koh Chang 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: $713 in Bangkok versus $469 in Koh Chang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Chang – a meal for two runs $26 versus $35 in Bangkok. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,125 per month in Bangkok versus $1,021 in Koh Chang – Koh Chang is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koh Chang gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Bangkok and Koh Chang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.