Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Saraburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Saraburi: $782 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Saraburi
Learn more

Saraburi Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Saraburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $782 in Saraburi.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Saraburi $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,419 in Saraburi.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Saraburi $1,419

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $2,056 in Saraburi.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Saraburi $2,056

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 31% more expensive than in Saraburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Saraburi 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$6.17 ฿206

-35.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$26.93 ฿900

7.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$6.43 ฿215

22.86%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$2.28 ฿76.2

10.96%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.66 ฿22.15

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.24 ฿7.99

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$1.99 ฿66.6

11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$3.17 ฿106

8.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.51 ฿50.3

4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.12 ฿37.35

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.33 ฿44.47

12.78%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.96 ฿65.5

4.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$16.86 ฿563

8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.57 ฿86.0

28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$9.89 ฿331

4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$5.15 ฿172

-45.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$1.70 ฿56.7

-2.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$2.08 ฿69.4

1.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.90 ฿63.5

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.50 ฿50.1

-2.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.07 ฿35.81

23.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$1.12 ฿37.51

-5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.49 ฿16.38

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.43 ฿148

-5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$21.05 ฿703

-17.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.66 ฿55.4

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$2.80 ฿93.5

-4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.90 ฿30.05

128.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$1.05 ฿34.98

151.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$1.16 ฿38.75

-20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$6.03 ฿202

-42.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.39 ฿46.57

-5.04%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$22.9K ฿765.9K

3.96%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$28.8K ฿962.3K

-14.94%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$81.9 ฿2,737

20.10%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$11.58 ฿387

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$16.63 ฿556

1.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$42.66 ฿1,426

23.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$14.23 ฿476

-23.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$6.73 ฿225

14.26%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$581 ฿19.4K

-3.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$6,594 ฿220.4K

77.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$51.2 ฿1,712

24.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$29.84 ฿997

-4.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$77.0 ฿2,572

24.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$77.5 ฿2,589

12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$428 ฿14.3K

18.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$124 ฿4,154

162.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$602 ฿20.1K

38.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$1,682 ฿56.2K

49.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,662 ฿55.6K

7.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

$453 ฿15.1K

57.23%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Saraburi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Saraburi

$124 15.9% 61.9% $202

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Saraburi

$259 33.2% 1.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Saraburi

$110 14.1% 12.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Saraburi

$106 13.6% 14.4% $18

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Saraburi

$116 14.8% 6.5% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Saraburi

$56 7.2% 17.7% $12

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Saraburi

$10 * 1.3% 32.6% $5.1

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 $428 in Saraburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 57% 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 $27.00 in Saraburi. Groceries flip the comparison at $256 vs $259, with Koh Phangan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Saraburi

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,900

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Saraburi 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Saraburi

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 Saraburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Saraburi differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $782 including rent). Saraburi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $428 in Saraburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Koh Phangan pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,024 per month in Koh Phangan versus $782 in Saraburi – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $782 in Saraburi versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saraburi but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Saraburi 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 Saraburi 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 Saraburi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.