Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

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

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Samut Prakan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $886 in Samut Prakan.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Samut Prakan $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,378 in Samut Prakan.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Samut Prakan $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $1,869 in Samut Prakan.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Samut Prakan $1,869

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Samut Prakan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$3.30 ฿110

20.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$15.12 ฿505

92.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$7.48 ฿250

5.61%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.38 ฿46.13

83.33%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.52 ฿17.54

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.26 ฿8.77

61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.02 ฿67.6

9.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$2.92 ฿97.4

18.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.46 ฿48.92

8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$0.98 ฿32.62

41.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.88 ฿29.34

70.45%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.84 ฿61.5

11.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$12.31 ฿411

48.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.49 ฿83.1

32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$10.20 ฿341

1.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$1.84 ฿61.5

52.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$0.77 ฿25.67

115.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$1.31 ฿43.68

61.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.21 ฿40.59

69.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.52 ฿50.7

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$0.77 ฿25.78

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$0.78 ฿25.99

35.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.45 ฿15.01

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.50 ฿151

-6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.10 ฿304

90.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.03 ฿34.32

70.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$1.89 ฿63.2

41.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.51 ฿16.95

303.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$1.74 ฿58.1

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$1.61 ฿53.7

-42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$5.85 ฿196

-40.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.07 ฿35.84

23.36%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$12.1K ฿405.1K

96.53%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$24.3K ฿811.4K

0.88%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$83.1 ฿2,776

18.42%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$9.40 ฿314

18.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$16.35 ฿547

3.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$47.72 ฿1,595

10.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$15.06 ฿503

-28.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$6.41 ฿214

19.97%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$148 ฿4,933

279.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$5,950 ฿198.9K

96.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$15.09 ฿504

322.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$35.66 ฿1,192

-19.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$70.9 ฿2,369

35.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$120 ฿4,004

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$478 ฿16.0K

6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$330 ฿11.0K

-1.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,147 ฿38.3K

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$691 ฿23.1K

20.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$1,726 ฿57.7K

45.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,607 ฿53.7K

10.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

$671 ฿22.4K

6.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2% 1.1% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5% 28.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 13.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 12.2% $15

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5% 22.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8% 11.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 23.9% $3.7

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 $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $15.00 in Samut Prakan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $182 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

💱 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 Samut Prakan 430 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Samut Prakan differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $886 including rent). Samut Prakan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Koh Phangan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $509 in Koh Phangan versus $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,024 per month in Koh Phangan versus $886 in Samut Prakan – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Samut Prakan versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samut Prakan but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.