Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Cha-am

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.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Koh Phangan $1,103
Cha-am $871

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

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

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

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

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 27% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$2.98 ฿101

30.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿979

$22.18 ฿749

30.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$7.35 ฿248

7.21%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.2

$2.01 ฿68.0

22.39%

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

$0.80 ฿27.06

$0.69 ฿23.34

15.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.90

$0.35 ฿11.69

25.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$2.44 ฿82.4

-7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.93 ฿99.0

11.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.6

$1.74 ฿58.6

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.50

$1.33 ฿44.94

8.27%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.4

$1.87 ฿63.2

6.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿623

$12.37 ฿418

49.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$2.53 ฿85.3

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$9.97 ฿337

7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.7

$3.37 ฿114

-19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿52.0

$1.21 ฿41.01

27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$1.90 ฿64.0

8.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.3

$1.81 ฿61.2

6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.63

$1.74 ฿58.8

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.67

$1.08 ฿36.62

13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.20 ฿40.53

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.44 ฿14.81

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$4.26 ฿144

-5.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$17.95 ฿606

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.67 ฿56.5

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.6

$2.86 ฿96.6

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.64

$0.91 ฿30.62

45.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,657

$22.60 ฿763

117.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.3

$1.34 ฿45.29

94.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.44

$1.08 ฿36.49

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$3.61 ฿122

-8.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.99

$1.37 ฿46.41

-2.92%

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

$23.5K ฿795.2K

$16.3K ฿551.6K

44.16%

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

$23.7K ฿799.5K

$26.5K ฿893.4K

-10.51%

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

$98.0 ฿3,311

$80.9 ฿2,732

21.16%

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

$11.12 ฿376

$11.74 ฿397

-5.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿572

$23.19 ฿783

-26.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,286

$23.97 ฿810

182.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿365

$5.88 ฿199

83.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$6.70 ฿226

14.63%

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

$478 ฿16.2K

$615 ฿20.8K

-22.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.7K

$10.6K ฿358.8K

9.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,098

$51.0 ฿1,722

21.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿963

$28.67 ฿968

-0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,242

$72.2 ฿2,438

32.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,922

$53.1 ฿1,791

63.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$368 ฿12.4K

35.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$267 ฿9,020

30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.6K

$752 ฿25.4K

79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$651 ฿22.0K

54.82%

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)

$724 ฿24.4K

$362 ฿12.2K

100.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 23.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 8.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 8.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 25% $31

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 13.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 55% $46

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 46.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Koh Phangan and $368 in Cha-am. 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: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $22 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $233 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 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

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Phangan Cha-am 340 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Cha-am

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

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

Average pay in Koh Phangan is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $498 in Koh Phangan versus $368 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $871 in Cha-am – 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, Koh Phangan and Cha-am 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.