Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,112 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
Learn more

Surat Thani Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Bangkok versus $775 in Surat Thani.

Bangkok $1,112
Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Bangkok versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

Bangkok $1,788
Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Bangkok versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

Bangkok $2,464
Surat Thani $2,053

Living in Bangkok is roughly 44% more expensive than in Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 18% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿98.7

$1.89 ฿63.0

56.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.13 ฿1,174

$17.87 ฿597

96.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 ฿245

$4.51 ฿151

62.53%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$1.50 ฿50.2

82.00%

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

$0.62 ฿20.78

$0.50 ฿16.68

24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.17

$0.29 ฿9.66

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿87.9

$2.56 ฿85.4

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.69 ฿123

17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿61.8

$1.66 ฿55.4

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.19 ฿39.89

26.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.72

$1.17 ฿39.13

14.53%

Eggs

$2.62 ฿87.4

$1.87 ฿62.4

40.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 ฿572

$19.18 ฿641

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.33 ฿111

10.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 ฿429

$7.44 ฿249

72.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.91 ฿97.2

28.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.68 ฿56.3

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.2

$1.76 ฿58.7

58.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.9

$2.05 ฿68.4

-8.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.4

$1.30 ฿43.57

34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.68

$1.37 ฿45.90

8.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ฿41.51

$1.11 ฿37.24

11.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.22

$0.41 ฿13.66

34.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.73 ฿158

$3.07 ฿103

54.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ฿505

$18.86 ฿630

-19.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.0

$1.54 ฿51.6

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿106

$1.82 ฿60.7

74.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ฿37.19

$1.02 ฿34.00

8.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.46 ฿1,152

$20.95 ฿700

64.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.47

$1.18 ฿39.50

-10.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.60

$0.63 ฿21.05

82.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 ฿194

$3.49 ฿117

66.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.14

$1.16 ฿38.93

21.55%

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

$31.7K ฿1.1M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

19.19%

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

$26.6K ฿887.8K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

-2.61%

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

$108 ฿3,612

$72.9 ฿2,437

48.22%

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

$15.14 ฿506

$11.12 ฿372

36.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.15 ฿607

$17.32 ฿579

4.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 ฿1,857

$48.24 ฿1,612

15.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.54 ฿620

$11.52 ฿385

60.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 ฿261

$4.53 ฿151

72.63%

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

$569 ฿19.0K

$549 ฿18.3K

3.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ฿557.0K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

44.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ฿2,371

$61.9 ฿2,070

14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 ฿1,424

$29.16 ฿974

46.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ฿3,361

$97.3 ฿3,252

3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,560

$86.5 ฿2,892

23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 ฿22.5K

$237 ฿7,910

184.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ฿11.1K

$149 ฿4,985

123.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ฿66.2K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

72.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ฿24.5K

$709 ฿23.7K

3.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,236 ฿208.4K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

180.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 ฿103.5K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

120.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿20.9K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$333 30%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 55.2% $184

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$272 24.5%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 10.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$144 13%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 14.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$141 12.7%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 28.3% $40

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.4%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 32.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.4%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 19.5% $14

Getting Around

Bangkok

$46 4.1%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 35.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bangkok and $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bangkok vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $244 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

132,040

💱 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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Between locations

Bangkok Surat Thani 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Surat Thani differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,112 vs $775 including rent). Surat Thani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,669 in Bangkok and $1,163 in Surat Thani 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: $673 in Bangkok versus $237 in Surat Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Surat Thani – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $35.00 in Bangkok. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,112 per month in Bangkok versus $775 in Surat Thani – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,112 in Bangkok, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. 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, Bangkok and Surat Thani 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 44% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.