Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,112 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Bangkok versus $886 in Samut Prakan.

Bangkok $1,112
Samut Prakan $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Bangkok versus $1,378 in Samut Prakan.

Bangkok $1,788
Samut Prakan $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Bangkok versus $1,869 in Samut Prakan.

Bangkok $2,464
Samut Prakan $1,869

Living in Bangkok is roughly 26% more expensive than in Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 18% lower, Samut Prakan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿98.7

$3.30 ฿110

-10.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.13 ฿1,174

$15.12 ฿505

132.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 ฿245

$7.48 ฿250

-2.01%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$1.38 ฿46.13

97.83%

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

$0.62 ฿20.78

$0.52 ฿17.54

19.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.17

$0.26 ฿8.77

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿87.9

$2.02 ฿67.6

30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ฿145

$2.92 ฿97.4

48.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿61.8

$1.46 ฿48.92

26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.98 ฿32.62

54.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.72

$0.88 ฿29.34

52.27%

Eggs

$2.62 ฿87.4

$1.84 ฿61.5

42.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 ฿572

$12.31 ฿411

38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.49 ฿83.1

47.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 ฿429

$10.20 ฿341

25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 ฿125

$1.84 ฿61.5

102.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.77 ฿25.67

125.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.2

$1.31 ฿43.68

112.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.9

$1.21 ฿40.59

55.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.4

$1.52 ฿50.7

15.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.68

$0.77 ฿25.78

93.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ฿41.51

$0.78 ฿25.99

58.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.22

$0.45 ฿15.01

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.73 ฿158

$4.50 ฿151

5.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ฿505

$9.10 ฿304

65.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.0

$1.03 ฿34.32

71.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿106

$1.89 ฿63.2

68.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ฿37.19

$0.51 ฿16.95

117.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.46 ฿1,152

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.47

$1.74 ฿58.1

-39.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.60

$1.61 ฿53.7

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 ฿194

$5.85 ฿196

-0.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.14

$1.07 ฿35.84

31.78%

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

$31.7K ฿1.1M

$12.1K ฿405.1K

161.85%

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

$26.6K ฿887.8K

$24.3K ฿811.4K

9.42%

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

$108 ฿3,612

$83.1 ฿2,776

30.11%

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

$15.14 ฿506

$9.40 ฿314

61.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.15 ฿607

$16.35 ฿547

11.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 ฿1,857

$47.72 ฿1,595

16.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.54 ฿620

$15.06 ฿503

23.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 ฿261

$6.41 ฿214

22.00%

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

$569 ฿19.0K

$148 ฿4,933

285.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ฿557.0K

$5,950 ฿198.9K

180.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ฿2,371

$15.09 ฿504

370.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 ฿1,424

$35.66 ฿1,192

19.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ฿3,361

$70.9 ฿2,369

41.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,560

$120 ฿4,004

-11.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 ฿22.5K

$478 ฿16.0K

40.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ฿11.1K

$330 ฿11.0K

1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ฿66.2K

$1,147 ฿38.3K

72.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ฿24.5K

$691 ฿23.1K

5.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,236 ฿208.4K

$1,726 ฿57.7K

261.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 ฿103.5K

$1,607 ฿53.7K

92.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿20.9K

$671 ฿22.4K

-6.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

75.00%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$333 30%

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2% 1% $3.4

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$272 24.5%

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5% 33.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$144 13%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 24.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$141 12.7%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 23% $33

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.4%

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5% 18.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.4%

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8% 15% $11

Getting Around

Bangkok

$46 4.1%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 74.2% $34

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 $673 in Bangkok and $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 7% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bangkok vs $15.00 in Samut Prakan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $182 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

50,843

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bangkok Samut Prakan 21 km

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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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Samut Prakan differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,112 vs $886 including rent). Samut Prakan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Samut Prakan. 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: $673 in Bangkok versus $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,112 per month in Bangkok versus $886 in Samut Prakan – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Samut Prakan versus $1,112 in Bangkok, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samut Prakan but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. The gap between the two cities makes Samut Prakan 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, Bangkok and Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.