Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Songkhla

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $837 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Koh Phangan, Thailand
Songkhla, Thailand
Koh Phangan
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,103
/mo nomad
Songkhla
🇹🇭 Thailand
$837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,103 in Koh Phangan versus $837 in Songkhla.

  • Koh Phangan $1,103
  • Songkhla $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Koh Phangan versus $1,340 in Songkhla.

  • Koh Phangan $1,874
  • Songkhla $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,646 in Koh Phangan versus $1,844 in Songkhla.

  • Koh Phangan $2,646
  • Songkhla $1,844

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 32% more expensive than in Songkhla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 19% lower, Songkhla 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.88 ฿131
$1.76 ฿59.5
120.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.98 ฿979
$24.63 ฿832
17.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.88 ฿266
$4.69 ฿158
68.02%
Cappuccino
$2.46 ฿83.2
$1.63 ฿54.9
50.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 ฿27.06
$0.67 ฿22.66
19.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ฿14.90
$0.25 ฿8.48
76.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 ฿76.0
$1.75 ฿59.0
28.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 ฿110
$4.76 ฿161
-31.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.59 ฿53.6
$1.59 ฿53.8
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 ฿46.60
$0.85 ฿28.85
62.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.50
$1.64 ฿55.4
-12.20%
Eggs
$2.00 ฿67.4
$1.38 ฿46.68
44.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.46 ฿623
$16.82 ฿568
9.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.29 ฿111
$2.69 ฿90.8
22.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.67 ฿360
$10.44 ฿353
2.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 ฿91.7
$2.86 ฿96.5
-4.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 ฿52.0
$1.67 ฿56.4
-7.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.07 ฿69.9
$2.21 ฿74.5
-6.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.93 ฿65.3
$1.26 ฿42.40
53.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.63
$1.47 ฿49.76
-2.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 ฿41.67
$1.70 ฿57.6
-27.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.11 ฿37.47
-3.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿16.06
$0.91 ฿30.57
-47.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.04 ฿136
$4.25 ฿144
-4.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.83 ฿602
$13.46 ฿454
32.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 ฿57.5
$1.55 ฿52.4
9.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 ฿89.6
$4.59 ฿155
-42.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.32 ฿44.64
$0.86 ฿28.94
53.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.08 ฿1,657
$60.7 ฿2,049
-19.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.61 ฿88.3
$1.21 ฿40.85
115.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 ฿32.44
$0.76 ฿25.56
26.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.32 ฿112
$5.84 ฿197
-43.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ฿44.99
$1.21 ฿41.00
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K ฿795.2K
$26.3K ฿889.5K
-10.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K ฿799.5K
$31.3K ฿1.1M
-24.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.0 ฿3,311
$85.3 ฿2,879
14.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.12 ฿376
$12.64 ฿427
-12.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.94 ฿572
$18.03 ฿609
-6.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.7 ฿2,286
$48.35 ฿1,633
40.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.81 ฿365
$13.08 ฿442
-17.35%
Cinema Ticket
$7.68 ฿259
$5.91 ฿200
29.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$478 ฿16.2K
$571 ฿19.3K
-16.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿391.7K
$11.0K ฿372.9K
5.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.1 ฿2,098
$51.7 ฿1,745
20.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.52 ฿963
$29.14 ฿984
-2.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,242
$76.7 ฿2,591
25.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.5 ฿2,922
$77.2 ฿2,607
12.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.8K
$239 ฿8,059
108.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$348 ฿11.7K
$178 ฿6,021
95.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,349 ฿45.6K
$592 ฿20.0K
127.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,007 ฿34.0K
$412 ฿13.9K
144.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,927 ฿98.8K
$1,933 ฿65.3K
51.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,098 ฿70.9K
$1,456 ฿49.2K
44.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Phangan
Songkhla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$724 ฿24.4K
$801 ฿27.1K
-9.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
9.33
-40.30%

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

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Songkhla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koh Phangan
$348
Songkhla
$178 48.8% $170
Groceries & Markets
Koh Phangan
$254
Songkhla
$238 6.3% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Phangan
$126
Songkhla
$116 8.1% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Phangan
$123
Songkhla
$106 14.1% $17
Eating Out
Koh Phangan
$107
Songkhla
$70 35% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Phangan
$83
Songkhla
$60 27.5% $23
Getting Around
Koh Phangan
$62
Songkhla
$69 11.8% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Koh Phangan and $239 in Songkhla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Songkhla pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29 in Koh Phangan vs $25 in Songkhla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $238 per month, with Songkhla cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Phangan
🇹🇭 Songkhla
🕒 Local time
06:15 6:15 AM
06:15 6:15 AM
Same time as Koh Phangan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,758
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Koh Phangan Songkhla 290 km
From you
  • Koh Phangan
  • Songkhla

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 Songkhla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Koh Phangan and in Songkhla?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,103 in Koh Phangan and $837 in Songkhla, so Songkhla is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Koh Phangan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Koh Phangan and in Songkhla?
Rent for a central apartment: $498 in Koh Phangan versus $239 in Songkhla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Songkhla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $29 in Koh Phangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Koh Phangan or Songkhla?
All in, you’ll spend $1,103 per month in Koh Phangan versus $837 in Songkhla – Songkhla is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How does quality of life compare between Koh Phangan and Songkhla?
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.
Is Koh Phangan or Songkhla safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Koh Phangan and Songkhla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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