Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

For one person, living costs are similar in Koh Phangan and in Koh Tao: $1,024 and $1,045 a month, rent and utilities included.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $1,045 in Koh Tao.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Koh Tao $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,724 in Koh Tao.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Koh Tao $1,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $2,404 in Koh Tao.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Koh Tao $2,404

Living in Koh Phangan costs roughly 2% less than in Koh Tao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Koh Tao 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$3.89 ฿130

2.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$27.00 ฿902

7.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$7.49 ฿250

5.47%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.39 ฿79.8

5.86%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.76 ฿25.49

14.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.42 ฿14.04

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.12 ฿71.0

4.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$3.23 ฿108

6.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.57 ฿52.6

0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.38 ฿46.03

0.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.45 ฿48.38

3.45%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.08 ฿69.6

-1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$18.21 ฿609

0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$3.27 ฿109

1.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$10.34 ฿346

0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$2.80 ฿93.5

0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$1.56 ฿52.1

6.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$2.19 ฿73.1

-3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.05 ฿68.4

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.40 ฿46.78

4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.26 ฿42.08

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$1.05 ฿35.10

0.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.49 ฿16.31

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.05 ฿135

3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$17.60 ฿588

-1.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.68 ฿56.0

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$2.63 ฿88.0

1.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$2.02 ฿67.5

1.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$2.76 ฿92.2

-4.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$0.98 ฿32.79

-6.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$3.37 ฿113

2.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.27 ฿42.56

3.94%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$24.6K ฿821.9K

-3.12%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$23.8K ฿796.1K

2.82%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$96.6 ฿3,229

1.82%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$11.21 ฿375

-0.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$17.15 ฿573

-1.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$55.6 ฿1,858

-5.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$11.50 ฿384

-5.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$7.82 ฿261

-1.66%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$566 ฿18.9K

-1.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$11.7K ฿389.6K

0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$63.2 ฿2,112

0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$28.21 ฿943

1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$96.4 ฿3,222

-0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$88.8 ฿2,968

-2.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$550 ฿18.4K

-7.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$351 ฿11.7K

-7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,583 ฿52.9K

-7.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$893 ฿29.8K

-6.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$2,685 ฿89.7K

-6.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,889 ฿63.1K

-5.71%

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 Phangan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Koh Tao: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Koh Tao

$351 33.6% 7.6% $25

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Koh Tao

$254 24.3% 0.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Koh Tao

$125 12% 1.1% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Koh Tao

$124 11.9% 0.5% $0.7

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Koh Tao

$104 10% 4.4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Koh Tao

$71 6.8% 4.5% $3.1

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Koh Tao

$16 * 1.5% 1.6% $0.3

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 $550 in Koh Tao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $27.00 in Koh Tao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $254 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

💱 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 Koh Tao 43 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Koh Tao

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 Tao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Koh Tao differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $1,045 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,537 in Koh Phangan and $1,567 in Koh Tao 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: $509 in Koh Phangan versus $550 in Koh Tao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Koh Tao pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,024 per month in Koh Phangan versus $1,045 in Koh Tao – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $1,045 in Koh Tao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. 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 Tao 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 2% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.