Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cha-am and in Koh Phangan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $871 in Cha-am versus $1,103 in Koh Phangan.

Cha-am $871
Koh Phangan $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Cha-am versus $1,874 in Koh Phangan.

Cha-am $1,405
Koh Phangan $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Cha-am versus $2,646 in Koh Phangan.

Cha-am $1,940
Koh Phangan $2,646

Living in Cha-am costs roughly 21% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 36% lower, Koh Phangan 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿101

$3.88 ฿131

-23.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 ฿749

$28.98 ฿979

-23.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ฿248

$7.88 ฿266

-6.73%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿68.0

$2.46 ฿83.2

-18.29%

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

$0.69 ฿23.34

$0.80 ฿27.06

-13.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.69

$0.44 ฿14.90

-20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿82.4

$2.25 ฿76.0

8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.26 ฿110

-10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.59 ฿53.6

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.38 ฿46.60

6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.94

$1.44 ฿48.50

-7.64%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿63.2

$2.00 ฿67.4

-6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 ฿418

$18.46 ฿623

-32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$3.29 ฿111

-23.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ฿337

$10.67 ฿360

-6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ฿114

$2.72 ฿91.7

23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿41.01

$1.54 ฿52.0

-21.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$2.07 ฿69.9

-8.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ฿61.2

$1.93 ฿65.3

-6.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.44 ฿48.63

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.62

$1.23 ฿41.67

-12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ฿40.53

$1.07 ฿35.99

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.81

$0.48 ฿16.06

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$4.04 ฿136

5.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$17.83 ฿602

0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.70 ฿57.5

-1.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.6

$2.65 ฿89.6

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ฿30.62

$1.32 ฿44.64

-31.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.60 ฿763

$49.08 ฿1,657

-53.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ฿45.29

$2.61 ฿88.3

-48.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.49

$0.96 ฿32.44

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ฿122

$3.32 ฿112

8.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.41

$1.33 ฿44.99

3.01%

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

$16.3K ฿551.6K

$23.5K ฿795.2K

-30.63%

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

$26.5K ฿893.4K

$23.7K ฿799.5K

11.75%

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

$80.9 ฿2,732

$98.0 ฿3,311

-17.46%

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

$11.74 ฿397

$11.12 ฿376

5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 ฿783

$16.94 ฿572

36.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.97 ฿810

$67.7 ฿2,286

-64.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 ฿199

$10.81 ฿365

-45.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ฿226

$7.68 ฿259

-12.76%

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

$615 ฿20.8K

$478 ฿16.2K

28.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ฿358.8K

$11.6K ฿391.7K

-8.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,722

$62.1 ฿2,098

-17.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.67 ฿968

$28.52 ฿963

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ฿2,438

$96.0 ฿3,242

-24.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.1 ฿1,791

$86.5 ฿2,922

-38.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 ฿12.4K

$498 ฿16.8K

-26.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ฿9,020

$348 ฿11.7K

-23.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$1,349 ฿45.6K

-44.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ฿22.0K

$1,007 ฿34.0K

-35.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ฿12.2K

$724 ฿24.4K

-50.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$267 30.7%

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6% 30.3% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$233 26.7%

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1% 9.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$116 13.3%

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4% 8.8% $10

Eating Out

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7% 16% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1% 33.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.3%

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5% 122% $46

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.8%

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6% 87.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Cha-am and $498 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Cha-am vs $29 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $254 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

Same time as Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cha-am Koh Phangan 340 km

From you

Cha-am
Koh Phangan

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

Cha-am vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cha-am and Koh Phangan differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($871 vs $1,103 including rent). Cha-am is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Cha-am. 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: $368 in Cha-am versus $498 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $871 per month in Cha-am versus $1,103 in Koh Phangan – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 54% less than in Koh Phangan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Safety-wise, Cha-am and Koh Phangan 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 Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.