Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,024 a month against $2,098 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,098

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Lipe 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 Koh Lipe and in Koh Phangan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Koh Lipe versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Lipe $2,098
Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,592 in Koh Lipe versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Lipe $3,592
Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,086 in Koh Lipe versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Lipe $5,086
Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 105% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Lipe is 55% above, Koh Phangan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.97 ฿233

$3.97 ฿133

75.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 ฿1,748

$29.08 ฿972

79.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.86 ฿463

$7.90 ฿264

75.44%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ฿152

$2.53 ฿84.5

79.45%

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

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.87 ฿28.98

73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ฿24.70

$0.42 ฿13.98

76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 ฿133

$2.21 ฿73.9

79.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 ฿204

$3.45 ฿115

77.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿71.6

$1.58 ฿52.9

35.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.39 ฿46.52

27.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.0

$1.50 ฿50.0

25.33%

Eggs

$2.73 ฿91.4

$2.05 ฿68.5

33.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.27 ฿811

$18.33 ฿613

32.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ฿139

$3.31 ฿111

25.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 ฿467

$10.35 ฿346

35.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 ฿125

$2.81 ฿93.9

33.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.66 ฿55.3

26.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.11 ฿70.4

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ฿87.5

$2.05 ฿68.5

27.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$1.46 ฿48.81

25.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ฿55.9

$1.32 ฿44.04

26.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ฿46.28

$1.06 ฿35.46

30.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ฿22.89

$0.52 ฿17.45

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 ฿185

$4.20 ฿140

31.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.90 ฿765

$17.36 ฿580

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.76 ฿58.7

24.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.67 ฿89.4

34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 ฿115

$2.06 ฿68.9

66.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ฿149

$2.64 ฿88.3

68.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ฿53.1

$0.92 ฿30.81

72.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 ฿195

$3.47 ฿116

68.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 ฿74.0

$1.32 ฿44.17

67.42%

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

$40.4K ฿1.3M

$23.8K ฿796.2K

69.38%

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

$40.0K ฿1.3M

$24.5K ฿818.5K

63.48%

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

$113 ฿3,773

$98.4 ฿3,287

14.76%

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

$12.73 ฿425

$11.11 ฿371

14.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.03 ฿669

$16.91 ฿565

18.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ฿2,225

$52.8 ฿1,764

26.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 ฿454

$10.82 ฿362

25.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 ฿316

$7.69 ฿257

22.89%

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

$696 ฿23.3K

$560 ฿18.7K

24.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿483.5K

$11.7K ฿391.0K

23.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 ฿2,253

$63.7 ฿2,129

5.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 ฿990

$28.59 ฿955

3.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ฿3,424

$95.9 ฿3,205

6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ฿3,090

$86.9 ฿2,905

6.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 ฿61.3K

$509 ฿17.0K

260.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 ฿39.5K

$326 ฿10.9K

262.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 ฿177.1K

$1,464 ฿48.9K

262.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,000 ฿100.3K

$833 ฿27.8K

260.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,628 ฿288.3K

$2,509 ฿83.9K

243.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,214 ฿207.7K

$1,781 ฿59.5K

248.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Koh Lipe: October 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.3%

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8% 72.4% $855

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lipe

$335 16%

Koh Phangan

$256 25% 23.8% $80

Eating Out

Koh Lipe

$193 9.2%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6% 43.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lipe

$146 6.9%

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3% 13.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lipe

$131 6.3%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1% 5.8% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lipe

$85 4.1%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 20.3% $17

Getting Around

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3%

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5% 40.8% $11

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 $1,835 in Koh Lipe and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Koh Lipe vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $256 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

Same time as Koh Lipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

💱 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

Koh Lipe Koh Phangan 370 km

From you

Koh Lipe
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

Koh Lipe vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Koh Lipe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Phangan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,147 in Koh Lipe and $1,537 in Koh Phangan 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: $1,835 in Koh Lipe versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Koh Lipe versus $560 in Koh Phangan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Phangan – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $52.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $2,098 in Koh Lipe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan 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, Koh Lipe 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 Koh Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.