Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $1,018 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Hat Yai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $731 in Hat Yai.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Hat Yai $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,687 in Koh Phangan versus $1,300 in Hat Yai.

Koh Phangan $1,687
Hat Yai $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,357 in Koh Phangan versus $1,870 in Hat Yai.

Koh Phangan $2,357
Hat Yai $1,870

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 39% more expensive than in Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 25% lower, Hat Yai 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 ฿131

$2.90 ฿96.9

34.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 ฿980

$43.67 ฿1,460

-32.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.70 ฿257

$3.66 ฿122

110.38%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ฿83.8

$2.88 ฿96.3

-12.85%

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

$0.87 ฿28.93

$1.33 ฿44.34

-34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.79

$0.56 ฿18.60

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 ฿74.7

$1.80 ฿60.1

23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.46 ฿116

-1.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿54.8

$1.45 ฿48.55

13.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.77

$1.25 ฿41.68

4.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.44

$1.24 ฿41.28

16.94%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.51 ฿83.9

-18.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.25 ฿610

$22.15 ฿740

-17.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ฿105

$2.24 ฿74.7

40.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 ฿343

$11.19 ฿374

-8.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.6

$2.54 ฿84.8

6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.38 ฿46.10

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.89 ฿63.3

12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.3

$1.80 ฿60.3

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.05

$1.46 ฿48.94

-5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ฿42.34

$1.03 ฿34.38

23.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ฿35.11

$1.07 ฿35.74

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.41 ฿13.57

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ฿134

$4.36 ฿146

-7.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.43 ฿583

$15.03 ฿502

15.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

$1.77 ฿59.2

-2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.2

$1.99 ฿66.4

32.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿66.7

$0.57 ฿18.98

250.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ฿87.8

$1.25 ฿41.71

110.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.83

$1.13 ฿37.78

-18.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$4.94 ฿165

-29.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ฿42.83

$1.29 ฿43.15

-0.78%

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

$23.9K ฿799.7K

$18.9K ฿630.6K

26.82%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-46.19%

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

$98.6 ฿3,296

$84.4 ฿2,819

16.92%

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

$11.03 ฿369

$11.75 ฿393

-6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.25 ฿577

$9.65 ฿322

78.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 ฿1,730

$48.45 ฿1,619

6.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.01 ฿368

$14.10 ฿471

-21.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿250

$7.19 ฿240

4.03%

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

$549 ฿18.4K

$562 ฿18.8K

-2.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿379.4K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ฿2,131

$37.54 ฿1,255

69.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.04 ฿971

$26.26 ฿878

10.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,152

$70.9 ฿2,369

33.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,958

$97.3 ฿3,250

-8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ฿16.9K

$270 ฿9,010

87.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$107 ฿3,576

204.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 ฿48.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

98.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 ฿28.1K

$397 ฿13.3K

112.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,423 ฿81.0K

$1,915 ฿64.0K

26.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,769 ฿59.1K

$1,584 ฿52.9K

11.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ฿23.7K

$452 ฿15.1K

56.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.36

-12.42%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 32%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 67.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$252 24.7%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 1% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 16.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 15.9% $20

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$108 10.6%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 14.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$67 6.6%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 5.8% $3.9

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 39.8% $6.1

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 $506 in Koh Phangan and $270 in Hat Yai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 57% 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $249, with Hat Yai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

💱 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 Hat Yai 310 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Koh Phangan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hat Yai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 57% 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: $506 in Koh Phangan versus $270 in Hat Yai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $549 in Koh Phangan versus $562 in Hat Yai. 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 $29.00 in Koh Phangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai 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 39% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.