Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Pai

For one person, living is cheaper in Pai: $887 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pai
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Pai Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Pai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $887 in Pai.

Koh Phangan $1,103
Pai $887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $1,447 in Pai.

Koh Phangan $1,874
Pai $1,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $2,006 in Pai.

Koh Phangan $2,646
Pai $2,006

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 24% more expensive than in Pai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 19% lower, Pai 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$2.99 ฿101

29.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿979

$24.41 ฿824

18.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$6.89 ฿233

14.37%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.2

$2.04 ฿68.8

20.59%

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

$0.80 ฿27.06

$0.71 ฿23.94

12.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.90

$0.37 ฿12.50

18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$2.12 ฿71.6

6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$3.60 ฿122

-9.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.6

$1.77 ฿59.7

-10.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.40 ฿47.23

-1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.50

$1.26 ฿42.56

14.29%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.4

$2.12 ฿71.5

-5.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿623

$16.96 ฿573

8.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$3.09 ฿104

6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$10.89 ฿368

-2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.7

$2.91 ฿98.3

-6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿52.0

$1.18 ฿39.89

30.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$1.86 ฿63.0

11.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.3

$1.52 ฿51.5

26.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.63

$1.55 ฿52.5

-7.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.67

$1.25 ฿42.08

-1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.98 ฿33.08

9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.51 ฿17.37

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$4.25 ฿143

-4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$18.32 ฿619

-2.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.80 ฿60.9

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.6

$2.76 ฿93.3

-3.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.64

$0.95 ฿32.06

38.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,657

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.3

$1.10 ฿37.00

137.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.44

$1.19 ฿40.15

-19.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$6.31 ฿213

-47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.99

$1.31 ฿44.12

1.53%

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

$23.5K ฿795.2K

$27.4K ฿925.0K

-14.04%

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

$23.7K ฿799.5K

$27.0K ฿911.5K

-12.29%

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

$98.0 ฿3,311

$72.5 ฿2,448

35.21%

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

$11.12 ฿376

$13.31 ฿449

-16.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿572

$18.34 ฿619

-7.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,286

$50.2 ฿1,696

34.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿365

$13.12 ฿443

-17.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$6.78 ฿229

13.27%

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

$478 ฿16.2K

$293 ฿9,888

63.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.7K

$9,600 ฿324.2K

20.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,098

$32.04 ฿1,082

93.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿963

$34.86 ฿1,177

-18.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,242

$82.1 ฿2,774

16.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,922

$67.5 ฿2,279

28.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$446 ฿15.1K

11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$270 ฿9,135

28.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.6K

$822 ฿27.7K

64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$650 ฿22.0K

54.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.8K

$2,474 ฿83.5K

18.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.9K

$1,826 ฿61.7K

14.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.45

2.20%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6%

Pai

$270 30.5% 22.3% $77

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Pai

$249 28.1% 1.9% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Pai

$104 11.7% 17.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Pai

$97 11% 20.7% $25

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Pai

$91 10.3% 14.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Pai

$64 7.2% 23.2% $19

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Pai

$11 * 1.2% 82.5% $51

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 $498 in Koh Phangan and $446 in Pai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $24 in Pai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $249 per month, with Pai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Pai

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,284

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Pai 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Pai

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 Pai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Pai differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,103 vs $887 including rent). Pai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,654 in Koh Phangan and $1,331 in Pai 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: $498 in Koh Phangan versus $446 in Pai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $478 in Koh Phangan versus $293 in Pai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $887 in Pai – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

For families, Pai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Koh Phangan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Phangan and Pai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.