Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $950 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
Learn more

Koh Phangan Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
Learn more

Ratchaburi Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $950 in Ratchaburi.

Koh Phangan $1,103
Ratchaburi $950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $1,553 in Ratchaburi.

Koh Phangan $1,874
Ratchaburi $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $2,157 in Ratchaburi.

Koh Phangan $2,646
Ratchaburi $2,157

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 16% more expensive than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 19% lower, Ratchaburi 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$3.35 ฿113

15.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿979

$36.38 ฿1,228

-20.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$8.92 ฿301

-11.66%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.2

$1.96 ฿66.3

25.51%

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

$0.80 ฿27.06

$0.68 ฿22.81

17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.90

$0.31 ฿10.58

41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$2.29 ฿77.3

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.69 ฿91.0

21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.6

$1.74 ฿58.9

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.48 ฿49.97

-6.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.50

$1.37 ฿46.17

5.11%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.4

$2.18 ฿73.8

-8.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿623

$15.62 ฿528

18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$2.64 ฿89.1

24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$10.35 ฿350

3.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.7

$3.36 ฿114

-19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿52.0

$1.21 ฿40.93

27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$1.87 ฿63.1

10.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.3

$1.89 ฿64.0

2.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.63

$1.25 ฿42.12

15.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.67

$1.05 ฿35.37

17.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.25 ฿42.33

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.45 ฿15.11

6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$4.25 ฿144

-4.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$18.14 ฿612

-1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.76 ฿59.4

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.6

$2.90 ฿98.0

-8.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.64

$0.88 ฿29.63

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,657

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.3

$1.30 ฿44.03

100.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.44

$1.09 ฿36.71

-11.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$3.65 ฿123

-9.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.99

$1.50 ฿50.7

-11.33%

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

$23.5K ฿795.2K

$46.0K ฿1.6M

-48.83%

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

$23.7K ฿799.5K

$27.3K ฿922.7K

-13.36%

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

$98.0 ฿3,311

$91.0 ฿3,072

7.76%

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

$11.12 ฿376

$11.51 ฿389

-3.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿572

$19.38 ฿655

-12.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,286

$46.43 ฿1,568

45.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿365

$13.26 ฿448

-18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$7.71 ฿260

-0.39%

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

$478 ฿16.2K

$623 ฿21.1K

-23.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿391.7K

$14.2K ฿480.9K

-18.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,098

$51.6 ฿1,742

20.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿963

$28.77 ฿972

-0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,242

$93.3 ฿3,152

2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,922

$75.7 ฿2,556

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$424 ฿14.3K

17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$301 ฿10.1K

15.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.6K

$1,173 ฿39.6K

15.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$694 ฿23.4K

45.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.8K

$1,959 ฿66.2K

49.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.9K

$1,435 ฿48.5K

46.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6%

Ratchaburi

$301 31.6% 13.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Ratchaburi

$246 25.9% 3.4% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.8% 3.4% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.8% 8.7% $11

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Ratchaburi

$98 10.3% 8.5% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 25.5% $21

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1.1% 83.4% $52

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 $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $36 in Ratchaburi. Groceries flip the comparison at $254 vs $246, with Ratchaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,208

💱 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 Ratchaburi 420 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,103 in Koh Phangan and $950 in Ratchaburi, so Ratchaburi is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,654 in Koh Phangan and $1,425 in Ratchaburi 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 $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $950 in Ratchaburi – Ratchaburi is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ratchaburi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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