Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Pattaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,036 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index

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Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in Hat Yai versus $1,036 in Pattaya.

Hat Yai $731
Pattaya $1,036

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,300 in Hat Yai versus $1,655 in Pattaya.

Hat Yai $1,300
Pattaya $1,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,870 in Hat Yai versus $2,273 in Pattaya.

Hat Yai $1,870
Pattaya $2,273

Living in Hat Yai costs roughly 29% less than in Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hat Yai 46% lower, Pattaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿96.9

$3.34 ฿112

-13.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ฿1,460

$35.47 ฿1,186

23.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.66 ฿122

$9.00 ฿301

-59.33%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ฿96.3

$2.04 ฿68.1

41.18%

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

$1.33 ฿44.34

$0.70 ฿23.44

90.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.60

$0.31 ฿10.47

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ฿60.1

$2.33 ฿77.8

-22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ฿116

$2.62 ฿87.4

32.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.55

$1.78 ฿59.3

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿41.68

$1.48 ฿49.57

-15.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.28

$1.38 ฿46.26

-10.14%

Eggs

$2.51 ฿83.9

$2.13 ฿71.3

17.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.15 ฿740

$15.50 ฿518

42.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.7

$2.57 ฿86.0

-12.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ฿374

$10.09 ฿337

10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ฿84.8

$3.36 ฿112

-24.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.10

$1.28 ฿42.67

7.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ฿63.3

$1.86 ฿62.3

1.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.3

$1.88 ฿62.8

-4.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.94

$1.24 ฿41.46

17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.38

$1.08 ฿36.25

-4.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.74

$1.27 ฿42.53

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.57

$0.44 ฿14.82

-6.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ฿146

$4.26 ฿142

2.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 ฿502

$17.59 ฿588

-14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.70 ฿56.9

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ฿66.4

$2.97 ฿99.1

-33.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ฿18.98

$0.61 ฿20.43

-6.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.79 ฿662

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 ฿41.71

$1.36 ฿45.46

-8.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.78

$1.08 ฿36.10

4.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 ฿165

$3.62 ฿121

36.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.15

$1.43 ฿47.73

-9.79%

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

$18.9K ฿630.6K

$44.9K ฿1.5M

-57.93%

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

$45.1K ฿1.5M

$26.8K ฿895.5K

68.37%

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

$84.4 ฿2,819

$93.9 ฿3,137

-10.13%

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

$11.75 ฿393

$11.74 ฿392

0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.65 ฿322

$18.75 ฿627

-48.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.45 ฿1,619

$42.37 ฿1,416

14.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ฿471

$20.76 ฿694

-32.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 ฿240

$7.48 ฿250

-3.88%

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

$562 ฿18.8K

$619 ฿20.7K

-9.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿357.3K

$14.2K ฿475.3K

-24.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.54 ฿1,255

$50.7 ฿1,693

-25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.26 ฿878

$29.31 ฿980

-10.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$95.3 ฿3,184

-25.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 ฿3,250

$74.7 ฿2,496

30.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ฿9,010

$569 ฿19.0K

-52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 ฿3,576

$370 ฿12.4K

-71.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,530 ฿51.1K

-52.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ฿13.3K

$778 ฿26.0K

-49.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 ฿64.0K

$2,474 ฿82.7K

-22.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,584 ฿52.9K

$1,479 ฿49.4K

7.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$452 ฿15.1K

$461 ฿15.4K

-2.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.96

6.71%

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

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$249 34.1%

Pattaya

$244 23.5% 2.3% $5.7

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$107 14.7%

Pattaya

$370 35.7% 246% $263

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$106 14.5%

Pattaya

$124 12% 17.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.3%

Pattaya

$112 10.9% 7.8% $8.1

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Pattaya

$99 9.6% 7.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$63 8.6%

Pattaya

$57 5.5% 8.8% $5.5

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Pattaya

$29 2.8% 216% $20

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 $270 in Hat Yai and $569 in Pattaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pattaya pays 2% 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: $44.00 in Hat Yai vs $35.00 in Pattaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $244 per month, with Pattaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🕒 Local time

05:33 5:33 AM

Same time as Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

119,532

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hat Yai Pattaya 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hat Yai
Pattaya

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 Pattaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Pattaya. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hat Yai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Pattaya. 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: $270 in Hat Yai versus $569 in Pattaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $562 in Hat Yai versus $619 in Pattaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hat Yai – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $35.00 in Pattaya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $1,036 in Pattaya, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Pattaya. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hat Yai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hat Yai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hat Yai and Pattaya 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Pattaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.