Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Bangkok

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $733 a month against $1,125 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index

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Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$733

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hat Yai and in Bangkok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $733 in Hat Yai versus $1,125 in Bangkok.

Hat Yai $733
Bangkok $1,125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,306 in Hat Yai versus $1,837 in Bangkok.

Hat Yai $1,306
Bangkok $1,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,880 in Hat Yai versus $2,549 in Bangkok.

Hat Yai $1,880
Bangkok $2,549

Living in Hat Yai costs roughly 35% less than in Bangkok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hat Yai 46% lower, Bangkok 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿102

$2.90 ฿98.1

4.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.53 ฿1,538

$35.48 ฿1,198

28.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ฿123

$7.37 ฿249

-50.47%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿94.6

$2.73 ฿92.2

2.56%

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

$1.27 ฿42.80

$0.67 ฿22.75

89.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.99

$0.32 ฿10.96

65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.63 ฿88.8

-32.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.54 ฿153

-19.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.85 ฿62.3

-21.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ฿40.01

$1.48 ฿49.98

-20.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.24

$1.41 ฿47.61

-9.22%

Eggs

$2.48 ฿83.6

$2.60 ฿87.9

-4.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.28 ฿752

$17.29 ฿584

28.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿75.8

$3.55 ฿120

-36.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.20 ฿378

$12.69 ฿428

-11.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.70 ฿125

-30.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$1.72 ฿58.2

-16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.6

$2.74 ฿92.6

-31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.4

$1.96 ฿66.3

0.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.2

$1.67 ฿56.5

-8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.53

$1.51 ฿50.9

-32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.41

$1.27 ฿42.88

-12.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.79

$0.50 ฿16.96

-18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.80 ฿162

-10.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 ฿512

$14.88 ฿503

1.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.84 ฿62.1

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.9

$3.22 ฿109

-41.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.75

$1.02 ฿34.33

-43.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.78

$1.05 ฿35.48

15.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ฿38.48

$1.20 ฿40.66

-5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ฿205

$6.10 ฿206

-0.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$1.43 ฿48.30

-4.90%

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

$18.5K ฿623.8K

$30.8K ฿1.0M

-39.98%

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

$43.9K ฿1.5M

$26.9K ฿907.8K

63.33%

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

$83.6 ฿2,822

$109 ฿3,668

-23.05%

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

$11.67 ฿394

$14.94 ฿504

-21.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ฿320

$18.05 ฿610

-47.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 ฿1,596

$56.3 ฿1,900

-15.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 ฿444

$18.45 ฿623

-28.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 ฿239

$7.46 ฿252

-5.09%

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

$564 ฿19.1K

$802 ฿27.1K

-29.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿369.1K

$17.0K ฿573.2K

-35.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.35 ฿1,261

$71.5 ฿2,416

-47.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.28 ฿921

$42.12 ฿1,422

-35.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ฿2,398

$97.1 ฿3,279

-26.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 ฿3,240

$107 ฿3,604

-10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ฿8,999

$713 ฿24.1K

-62.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ฿3,748

$347 ฿11.7K

-68.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ฿24.7K

$2,219 ฿74.9K

-67.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 ฿13.4K

$820 ฿27.7K

-51.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 ฿65.3K

$5,948 ฿200.9K

-67.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,469 ฿49.6K

$3,151 ฿106.4K

-53.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 ฿15.5K

$612 ฿20.7K

-24.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.25

21.14%

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

Last update for Hat Yai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$251 34.2%

Bangkok

$271 24.1% 8.2% $21

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$111 15.1%

Bangkok

$347 30.9% 213% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$105 14.3%

Bangkok

$142 12.6% 35.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.2%

Bangkok

$143 12.7% 37.1% $39

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Bangkok

$104 9.3% 13.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$61 8.4%

Bangkok

$71 6.3% 15.9% $9.8

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Bangkok

$47 4.1% 403% $37

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 $266 in Hat Yai and $713 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46 in Hat Yai vs $35 in Bangkok. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $271, with Hat Yai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

Same time as Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

5,666,264 Capital

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hat Yai Bangkok 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hat Yai
Bangkok

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

Hat Yai vs Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai and Bangkok differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($733 vs $1,125 including rent). Hat Yai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Hat Yai. 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: $266 in Hat Yai versus $713 in Bangkok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $733 per month in Hat Yai versus $1,125 in Bangkok – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Hat Yai and Bangkok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Hat Yai wins on affordability, Bangkok on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.