Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $776 a month against $992 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
Learn more

Surat Thani Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $776 in Surat Thani, rent included.

East London $992
Surat Thani $776

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $1,415 in Surat Thani, rent included.

East London $1,611
Surat Thani $1,415

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $2,054 in Surat Thani, rent included.

East London $2,230
Surat Thani $2,054

East London costs about 28% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East London and Surat Thani are more affordable than the global median – East London 27% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$1.83 ฿61.6

397.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 636

$17.58 ฿593

117.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.7

$4.56 ฿154

22.15%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.08

$1.52 ฿51.4

34.87%

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

$1.04 R 17.33

$0.50 ฿16.89

108.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.70

$0.31 ฿10.60

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.71

$2.60 ฿87.7

3.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.4

$3.82 ฿129

-15.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.70

$1.68 ฿56.6

-29.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.54

$1.23 ฿41.63

-29.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.98

$1.18 ฿39.73

22.03%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.82

$1.84 ฿62.2

23.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$19.52 ฿658

-57.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.4

$3.35 ฿113

63.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 112

$7.63 ฿257

-12.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.31

$2.89 ฿97.6

-49.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.44

$1.69 ฿56.9

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.17

$1.76 ฿59.3

-7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.86

$2.12 ฿71.5

-32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.89

$1.32 ฿44.59

27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.74

$1.37 ฿46.06

4.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.49

$1.11 ฿37.61

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.82

$0.44 ฿14.75

115.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 48.08

$3.03 ฿102

-4.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.2

$18.29 ฿617

-74.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.80

$1.59 ฿53.8

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.38

$1.76 ฿59.4

-44.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.53

$1.06 ฿35.68

38.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 779

$21.00 ฿708

123.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.31

$1.22 ฿41.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.59

$0.67 ฿22.48

-31.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$3.60 ฿122

132.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.45

$1.16 ฿39.21

16.38%

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

$34.7K R 576.8K

$26.4K ฿891.5K

31.17%

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

$29.3K R 487.2K

$26.8K ฿904.7K

9.18%

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

$122 R 2,034

$73.3 ฿2,472

66.82%

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

$32.64 R 543

$11.14 ฿376

193.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 738

$17.03 ฿575

160.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 657

$47.20 ฿1,592

-16.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.46 ฿454

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.6

$4.57 ฿154

-0.66%

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

$177 R 2,947

$549 ฿18.5K

-67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.5K

$11.7K ฿394.5K

-53.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 946

$63.8 ฿2,151

-10.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 546

$28.37 ฿957

15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,216

$96.5 ฿3,254

-24.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,583

$89.2 ฿3,007

6.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,831

$235 ฿7,914

23.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,169

$147 ฿4,967

70.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,028

$1,132 ฿38.2K

-52.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

$702 ฿23.7K

-9.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,951 ฿65.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,448 ฿48.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$251 25.3%

Surat Thani

$147 19% 41.2% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 49.1% $98

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Surat Thani

$246 31.7% 37% $66

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Surat Thani

$70 9.1% 50.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Surat Thani

$125 16.1% 7.7% $9

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Surat Thani

$30 3.8% 47% $26

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Surat Thani

$56 7.3% 16% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London versus $235 in Surat Thani. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in East London versus $18 in Surat Thani. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in East London vs $246 in Surat Thani – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

5 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

132,040

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East London Surat Thani 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $992 in East London, $776 in Surat Thani – Surat Thani comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London and $1,165 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $235 there versus $290 in East London.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in East London and $549 in Surat Thani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in East London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $992 in East London and $776 in Surat Thani, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. East London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $776 in Surat Thani to $992 in East London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.