Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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 Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Surat Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $775 in Surat Thani.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Surat Thani $2,053

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 24% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$1.89 ฿63.0

110.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$17.87 ฿597

62.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$4.51 ฿151

75.17%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.50 ฿50.2

68.67%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.50 ฿16.68

74.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.29 ฿9.66

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.56 ฿85.4

-13.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$3.69 ฿123

-6.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.66 ฿55.4

-4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.19 ฿39.89

16.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.17 ฿39.13

28.21%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.87 ฿62.4

9.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$19.18 ฿641

-4.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$3.33 ฿111

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$7.44 ฿249

39.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$2.91 ฿97.2

-3.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$1.68 ฿56.3

-1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$1.76 ฿58.7

19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.05 ฿68.4

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.30 ฿43.57

12.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.37 ฿45.90

-3.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$1.11 ฿37.24

-4.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.41 ฿13.66

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$3.07 ฿103

36.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$18.86 ฿630

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.54 ฿51.6

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$1.82 ฿60.7

46.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.02 ฿34.00

101.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$1.18 ฿39.50

123.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$0.63 ฿21.05

46.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$3.49 ฿117

-0.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.16 ฿38.93

13.79%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$26.6K ฿890.1K

-10.54%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

-10.22%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$72.9 ฿2,437

34.90%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$11.12 ฿372

-0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$17.32 ฿579

-2.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$48.24 ฿1,612

9.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$11.52 ฿385

-6.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$4.53 ฿151

69.76%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$549 ฿18.3K

2.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

1.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$61.9 ฿2,070

2.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$29.16 ฿974

-1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$97.3 ฿3,252

-1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$86.5 ฿2,892

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$237 ฿7,910

115.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$149 ฿4,985

118.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

27.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$709 ฿23.7K

17.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

12.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

26.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

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 Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 54.3% $177

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 4.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 19.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 35.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 15.9% $11

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 89.4% $14

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 $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29.00 in Koh Phangan vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $244 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

💱 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 Surat Thani 100 km

From you

Koh Phangan
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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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Surat Thani differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $775 including rent). Surat Thani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,537 in Koh Phangan and $1,163 in Surat Thani 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: $509 in Koh Phangan versus $237 in Surat Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% 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 $775 in Surat Thani – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.