Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Ubon Ratchathani

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani: $781 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Ubon Ratchathani
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Ubon Ratchathani Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$781

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Phangan and in Ubon Ratchathani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $781 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Ubon Ratchathani $781

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,693 in Koh Phangan versus $1,444 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Ubon Ratchathani $1,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,361 in Koh Phangan versus $2,106 in Ubon Ratchathani.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Ubon Ratchathani $2,106

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$4.66 ฿156

-14.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$20.60 ฿689

41.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$7.41 ฿248

6.61%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.81 ฿60.3

39.78%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$1.30 ฿43.60

-33.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.54 ฿17.99

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.40 ฿80.2

-7.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$3.62 ฿121

-4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.81 ฿60.6

-12.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.46 ฿48.84

-4.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.38 ฿46.15

8.70%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.05 ฿68.6

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$17.08 ฿571

7.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.35 ฿78.6

40.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$11.02 ฿368

-6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$2.99 ฿99.9

-6.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$1.01 ฿33.59

64.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$2.13 ฿71.2

-0.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.06 ฿68.9

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.42 ฿47.54

2.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.06 ฿35.58

24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$1.12 ฿37.44

-5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.49 ฿16.51

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.25 ฿142

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$13.55 ฿453

28.12%

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

$2.85 ฿95.1

-6.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.85 ฿28.51

142.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$1.21 ฿40.40

118.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$1.04 ฿34.82

-11.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$6.56 ฿219

-47.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.22 ฿40.86

8.20%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$28.1K ฿939.2K

-15.22%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$31.4K ฿1.1M

-22.07%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$81.4 ฿2,719

20.92%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$12.16 ฿407

-8.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$14.40 ฿481

17.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$47.95 ฿1,603

10.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$13.14 ฿439

-17.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$6.70 ฿224

14.78%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$497 ฿16.6K

12.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$12.4K ฿413.4K

-5.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$56.4 ฿1,885

12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$28.54 ฿954

0.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$85.2 ฿2,847

12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$75.8 ฿2,534

14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$235 ฿7,843

116.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$143 ฿4,785

127.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$1,049 ฿35.1K

39.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$724 ฿24.2K

15.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

19.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,243 ฿41.5K

43.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

$353 ฿11.8K

101.63%

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 Ubon Ratchathani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Ubon Ratchathani

$143 18.3% 56.1% $183

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Ubon Ratchathani

$240 30.8% 6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8% 14.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Ubon Ratchathani

$111 14.2% 10.6% $13

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8% 1% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Ubon Ratchathani

$61 7.9% 10% $6.8

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Ubon Ratchathani

$9.8 * 1.3% 36.6% $5.7

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 $235 in Ubon Ratchathani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 102% 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 $21.00 in Ubon Ratchathani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $256 vs $240 per month, with Ubon Ratchathani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Ubon Ratchathani

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,977

💱 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 Ubon Ratchathani 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Phangan
Ubon Ratchathani

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 Ubon Ratchathani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Phangan and Ubon Ratchathani differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,024 vs $781 including rent). Ubon Ratchathani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 102% 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 $235 in Ubon Ratchathani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% 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 $781 in Ubon Ratchathani – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $781 in Ubon Ratchathani versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ubon Ratchathani but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani 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.