Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,113 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,113

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Maha Sarakham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,113 in Koh Phangan versus $925 in Maha Sarakham.

Koh Phangan $1,113
Maha Sarakham $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,886 in Koh Phangan versus $1,533 in Maha Sarakham.

Koh Phangan $1,886
Maha Sarakham $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,659 in Koh Phangan versus $2,140 in Maha Sarakham.

Koh Phangan $2,659
Maha Sarakham $2,140

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 20% more expensive than in Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 18% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ฿139

$2.92 ฿98.4

40.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 ฿1,000

$27.94 ฿943

6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 ฿265

$7.50 ฿253

4.80%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿82.9

$1.71 ฿57.8

43.86%

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

$0.79 ฿26.71

$0.60 ฿20.37

31.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.25

$0.33 ฿11.27

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.82 ฿61.5

27.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ฿110

$2.95 ฿99.4

10.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿55.2

$1.71 ฿57.6

-4.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ฿44.86

$1.33 ฿45.02

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.22

$1.41 ฿47.67

1.42%

Eggs

$1.97 ฿66.3

$2.41 ฿81.3

-18.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.20 ฿614

$17.68 ฿597

2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.66 ฿89.6

22.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.79 ฿364

$11.67 ฿394

-7.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.5

$2.80 ฿94.5

-2.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.5

$1.11 ฿37.29

36.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ฿72.3

$2.36 ฿79.5

-9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ฿68.2

$1.75 ฿58.9

15.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.11

$1.28 ฿43.31

11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿42.04

$1.16 ฿39.12

7.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.08

$1.06 ฿35.82

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.55

$0.45 ฿15.20

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ฿136

$4.32 ฿146

-6.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.37 ฿586

$20.25 ฿683

-14.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.9

$1.92 ฿64.9

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ฿88.6

$2.62 ฿88.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿46.11

$0.87 ฿29.37

57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.88

$1.34 ฿45.25

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.16 ฿39.28

-44.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 ฿114

$4.26 ฿144

-20.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿45.21

$1.31 ฿44.25

2.29%

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

$23.8K ฿804.4K

$27.1K ฿914.3K

-12.02%

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

$23.6K ฿797.8K

$27.1K ฿914.5K

-12.76%

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

$96.7 ฿3,262

$93.9 ฿3,166

3.02%

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

$11.14 ฿376

$10.16 ฿343

9.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.06 ฿576

$16.73 ฿565

1.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 ฿2,312

$42.96 ฿1,450

59.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿373

$11.62 ฿392

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ฿249

$5.64 ฿190

30.85%

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

$534 ฿18.0K

$581 ฿19.6K

-8.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ฿636.7K

$15.5K ฿522.7K

21.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,108

$45.52 ฿1,536

37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.08 ฿947

$30.46 ฿1,028

-7.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,243

$84.5 ฿2,852

13.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 ฿2,951

$81.5 ฿2,751

7.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 ฿16.7K

$485 ฿16.4K

2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$288 ฿9,731

22.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 ฿46.1K

$1,219 ฿41.1K

12.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$745 ฿25.1K

35.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 ฿99.1K

$2,021 ฿68.2K

45.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 ฿79.4K

$1,677 ฿56.6K

40.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 ฿24.0K

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 31, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$354 31.8%

Maha Sarakham

$288 31.2% 18.6% $66

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 22.8%

Maha Sarakham

$257 27.8% 1.3% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$125 11.2%

Maha Sarakham

$121 13.1% 3.3% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Maha Sarakham

$109 11.8% 11.7% $14

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 9.8%

Maha Sarakham

$85 9.2% 21.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Maha Sarakham

$54 5.9% 34.9% $29

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$65 5.8%

Maha Sarakham

$11 * 1.2% 83.6% $54

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 $494 in Koh Phangan and $485 in Maha Sarakham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Koh Phangan vs $28 in Maha Sarakham. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $257, with Koh Phangan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,523

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Maha Sarakham 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,113 in Koh Phangan and $925 in Maha Sarakham, so Maha Sarakham is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,670 in Koh Phangan and $1,388 in Maha Sarakham 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: $494 in Koh Phangan versus $485 in Maha Sarakham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Koh Phangan versus $581 in Maha Sarakham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,113 per month in Koh Phangan versus $925 in Maha Sarakham – Maha Sarakham is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Maha Sarakham are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.