Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Sakon Nakhon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakon Nakhon: $896 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sakon Nakhon
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Sakon Nakhon Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Sakon Nakhon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $896 in Sakon Nakhon.

Koh Phangan $1,103
Sakon Nakhon $896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $1,416 in Sakon Nakhon.

Koh Phangan $1,874
Sakon Nakhon $1,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $1,937 in Sakon Nakhon.

Koh Phangan $2,646
Sakon Nakhon $1,937

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 23% more expensive than in Sakon Nakhon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 19% lower, Sakon Nakhon 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿131

$1.46 ฿49.20

165.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.98 ฿977

$14.98 ฿505

93.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ฿266

$2.89 ฿97.5

172.66%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿83.0

$1.46 ฿49.23

68.49%

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

$0.80 ฿27.01

$0.73 ฿24.55

9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.87

$0.25 ฿8.38

76.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 ฿75.9

$2.01 ฿67.9

11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.12 ฿71.5

53.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.5

$2.38 ฿80.1

-33.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.50

$1.28 ฿43.15

7.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$1.21 ฿40.73

19.01%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿67.2

$2.10 ฿70.7

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.46 ฿622

$10.51 ฿354

75.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$2.48 ฿83.7

32.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.67 ฿360

$10.38 ฿350

2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.11 ฿105

-12.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.9

$1.16 ฿39.24

32.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.7

$2.13 ฿71.9

-2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿65.1

$1.86 ฿62.8

3.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.53

$1.46 ฿49.20

-1.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.59

$1.45 ฿48.72

-15.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.92

$0.54 ฿18.25

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.02

$0.51 ฿17.10

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ฿136

$4.35 ฿147

-7.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿601

$17.49 ฿589

1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.4

$1.66 ฿56.0

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.4

$2.76 ฿93.0

-3.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ฿44.55

$0.87 ฿29.25

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,654

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 ฿88.1

$1.46 ฿49.31

78.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 ฿32.37

$1.10 ฿37.19

-12.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 ฿112

$5.36 ฿181

-38.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ฿44.90

$1.26 ฿42.54

5.56%

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

$23.5K ฿793.5K

$26.3K ฿887.7K

-10.61%

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

$23.7K ฿797.8K

$27.4K ฿921.7K

-13.44%

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

$98.0 ฿3,304

$83.2 ฿2,803

17.85%

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

$11.12 ฿375

$10.13 ฿342

9.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 ฿571

$15.68 ฿528

8.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 ฿2,281

$48.92 ฿1,649

38.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.81 ฿364

$12.06 ฿407

-10.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ฿259

$3.54 ฿119

116.95%

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

$478 ฿16.1K

$660 ฿22.2K

-27.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.9K

$11.0K ฿370.3K

5.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,093

$19.47 ฿656

219.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.52 ฿961

$6.67 ฿225

327.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,236

$118 ฿3,988

-18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,915

$74.1 ฿2,497

16.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.8K

$410 ฿13.8K

21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ฿11.7K

$336 ฿11.3K

3.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ฿45.5K

$1,219 ฿41.1K

10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 ฿34.0K

$752 ฿25.4K

33.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,927 ฿98.6K

$2,173 ฿73.2K

34.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,098 ฿70.7K

$1,814 ฿61.1K

15.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

$741 ฿25.0K

-2.34%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Sakon Nakhon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6%

Sakon Nakhon

$336 37.5% 3.4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1%

Sakon Nakhon

$230 25.6% 9.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4%

Sakon Nakhon

$109 12.2% 13.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Sakon Nakhon

$98 11% 20% $25

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7%

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3% 47.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3% 32.6% $27

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6%

Sakon Nakhon

$10 * 1.2% 83.1% $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 $410 in Sakon Nakhon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $15 in Sakon Nakhon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $230 per month, with Sakon Nakhon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Sakon Nakhon

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Sakon Nakhon 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Sakon Nakhon

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 Sakon Nakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,103 in Koh Phangan and $896 in Sakon Nakhon, so Sakon Nakhon is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,654 in Koh Phangan and $1,343 in Sakon Nakhon 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 $410 in Sakon Nakhon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% 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 $896 in Sakon Nakhon – Sakon Nakhon is about 19% 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 Sakon Nakhon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.