Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $1,176 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Koh Samui

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,176 in Koh Samui.

Koh Phangan $1,018
Koh Samui $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,687 in Koh Phangan versus $1,957 in Koh Samui.

Koh Phangan $1,687
Koh Samui $1,957

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,357 in Koh Phangan versus $2,737 in Koh Samui.

Koh Phangan $2,357
Koh Samui $2,737

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 13% less than in Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 25% lower, Koh Samui 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 ฿131

$4.58 ฿153

-14.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.34 ฿980

$32.92 ฿1,100

-10.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.70 ฿257

$8.45 ฿282

-8.88%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ฿83.8

$2.82 ฿94.2

-10.99%

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

$0.87 ฿28.93

$0.90 ฿30.10

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.79

$0.46 ฿15.49

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 ฿74.7

$2.51 ฿84.0

-11.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.78 ฿126

-10.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿54.8

$1.66 ฿55.5

-1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.77

$1.45 ฿48.46

-9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.44

$1.52 ฿50.8

-4.61%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.15 ฿71.9

-4.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.25 ฿610

$19.60 ฿655

-6.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.15 ฿105

$3.39 ฿113

-7.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 ฿343

$11.12 ฿372

-7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.6

$2.94 ฿98.4

-7.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.62 ฿54.2

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.24 ฿74.8

-5.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.3

$2.13 ฿71.3

-7.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.05

$1.47 ฿49.15

-6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ฿42.34

$1.36 ฿45.48

-6.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ฿35.11

$1.07 ฿35.70

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.52 ฿17.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 ฿134

$4.22 ฿141

-4.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.43 ฿583

$18.75 ฿627

-7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

$1.74 ฿58.3

-0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.2

$2.82 ฿94.1

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 ฿66.7

$2.07 ฿69.1

-3.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.70 ฿1,494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ฿87.8

$3.20 ฿107

-17.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.83

$1.11 ฿37.09

-17.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$3.87 ฿129

-9.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ฿42.83

$1.51 ฿50.6

-15.23%

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

$23.9K ฿799.7K

$28.2K ฿942.7K

-15.17%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$27.8K ฿928.1K

-12.58%

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

$98.6 ฿3,296

$104 ฿3,459

-4.71%

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

$11.03 ฿369

$11.87 ฿397

-7.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.25 ฿577

$18.04 ฿603

-4.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 ฿1,730

$54.4 ฿1,818

-4.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.01 ฿368

$11.61 ฿388

-5.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿250

$8.19 ฿274

-8.67%

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

$549 ฿18.4K

$603 ฿20.1K

-8.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿379.4K

$12.6K ฿420.9K

-9.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ฿2,131

$62.1 ฿2,075

2.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.04 ฿971

$29.12 ฿973

-0.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,152

$95.2 ฿3,180

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,958

$87.0 ฿2,907

1.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ฿16.9K

$627 ฿21.0K

-19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$397 ฿13.3K

-17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 ฿48.3K

$1,778 ฿59.4K

-18.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$842 ฿28.1K

$1,032 ฿34.5K

-18.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,423 ฿81.0K

$2,979 ฿99.6K

-18.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,769 ฿59.1K

$2,113 ฿70.6K

-16.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ฿23.7K

$398 ฿13.3K

78.06%

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 Phangan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 32%

Koh Samui

$397 33.8% 21.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$252 24.7%

Koh Samui

$268 22.8% 6.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5%

Koh Samui

$133 11.4% 5.1% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2%

Koh Samui

$123 10.5% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$108 10.6%

Koh Samui

$121 10.3% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$67 6.6%

Koh Samui

$71 6% 6.1% $4.1

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5%

Koh Samui

$62 5.3% 305% $47

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 $627 in Koh Samui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $33.00 in Koh Samui for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $268 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Koh Samui 29 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Koh Samui differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,018 vs $1,176 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% 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 $627 in Koh Samui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Koh Samui. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,018 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,176 in Koh Samui – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,176 in Koh Samui, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Koh Samui. 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 Phangan and Koh Samui 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 15% less than in Koh Samui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.