Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Chon Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $814 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Chon Buri

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $814 in Chon Buri.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Chon Buri $814

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,358 in Chon Buri.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Chon Buri $1,358

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $1,903 in Chon Buri.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Chon Buri $1,903

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 26% more expensive than in Chon Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Chon Buri 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$1.88 ฿63.0

111.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$16.18 ฿541

79.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$7.67 ฿256

3.00%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.77 ฿59.1

42.94%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.74 ฿24.75

17.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.35 ฿11.60

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$1.77 ฿59.3

24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$2.90 ฿96.8

18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.49 ฿49.76

6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.30 ฿43.31

6.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.22 ฿40.78

22.95%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.92 ฿64.2

6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$12.38 ฿414

48.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.44 ฿81.5

35.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$10.33 ฿345

0.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$3.56 ฿119

-21.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$0.93 ฿31.14

78.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$2.45 ฿81.9

-13.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.63 ฿54.4

25.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.99 ฿66.5

-26.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.04 ฿34.82

26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$0.75 ฿25.22

41.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.45 ฿15.01

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.35 ฿146

-3.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$13.97 ฿467

24.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.61 ฿53.8

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$1.80 ฿60.2

48.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.99 ฿33.10

108.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$2.31 ฿77.3

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$1.52 ฿50.9

-39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$6.10 ฿204

-43.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.32 ฿44.07

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$26.6K ฿889.2K

-10.45%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$22.2K ฿743.1K

10.15%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$83.6 ฿2,795

17.64%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$9.07 ฿303

22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$23.73 ฿793

-28.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$46.24 ฿1,545

14.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$13.98 ฿467

-22.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$6.56 ฿219

17.23%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$727 ฿24.3K

-22.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$11.0K ฿367.4K

6.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$6.05 ฿202

952.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$36.20 ฿1,210

-21.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$72.8 ฿2,431

31.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$54.7 ฿1,828

58.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$531 ฿17.8K

-4.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$251 ฿8,398

29.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,096 ฿36.6K

33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$721 ฿24.1K

15.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$1,662 ฿55.6K

50.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,462 ฿48.9K

21.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

$590 ฿19.7K

20.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chon Buri: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Chon Buri

$251 30.9% 23% $75

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Chon Buri

$218 26.8% 14.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Chon Buri

$116 14.3% 7.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Chon Buri

$76 9.4% 38.3% $47

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Chon Buri

$78 9.6% 28% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Chon Buri

$59 7.3% 12.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7% 10.5% $1.6

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 $509 in Koh Phangan and $531 in Chon Buri. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 21% 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: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $16.00 in Chon Buri for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $218 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,364

💱 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 Phangan Chon Buri 410 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Koh Phangan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Koh Phangan, 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: $509 in Koh Phangan versus $531 in Chon Buri. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $560 in Koh Phangan versus $727 in Chon Buri. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $29.00 in Koh Phangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri 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 Phangan and Chon Buri 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 Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.