Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $951 a month against $1,113 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
Learn more

Yala Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,113

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,113 in Koh Phangan versus $951 in Yala.

Koh Phangan $1,113
Yala $951

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,886 in Koh Phangan versus $1,539 in Yala.

Koh Phangan $1,886
Yala $1,539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,659 in Koh Phangan versus $2,127 in Yala.

Koh Phangan $2,659
Yala $2,127

Living in Koh Phangan is roughly 17% more expensive than in Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Phangan 18% lower, Yala 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ฿139

$1.44 ฿48.61

185.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.64 ฿1,000

$26.66 ฿899

11.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 ฿265

$8.51 ฿287

-7.64%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ฿82.9

$1.90 ฿64.2

29.47%

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

$0.79 ฿26.71

$0.52 ฿17.51

51.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.25

$0.17 ฿5.57

164.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.29 ฿77.3

1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ฿110

$3.18 ฿107

2.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿55.2

$1.89 ฿63.8

-13.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ฿44.86

$1.24 ฿41.73

7.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.22

$1.21 ฿40.75

18.18%

Eggs

$1.97 ฿66.3

$2.10 ฿70.8

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.20 ฿614

$14.75 ฿498

23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.30 ฿77.7

41.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.79 ฿364

$10.78 ฿364

0.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.5

$2.64 ฿89.0

3.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.5

$0.97 ฿32.61

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ฿72.3

$1.86 ฿62.8

15.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ฿68.2

$1.67 ฿56.5

20.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.11

$1.49 ฿50.2

-4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ฿42.04

$1.11 ฿37.43

12.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.08

$1.06 ฿35.85

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.55

$0.50 ฿17.00

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 ฿136

$4.31 ฿145

-6.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.37 ฿586

$16.17 ฿546

7.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.9

$1.71 ฿57.7

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ฿88.6

$3.04 ฿103

-13.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿46.11

$0.57 ฿19.34

140.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.88

$1.30 ฿43.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.26 ฿42.64

-49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 ฿114

$5.07 ฿171

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿45.21

$1.40 ฿47.31

-4.29%

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

$23.8K ฿804.4K

$26.4K ฿889.7K

-9.59%

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

$23.6K ฿797.8K

$26.7K ฿900.6K

-11.41%

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

$96.7 ฿3,262

$76.1 ฿2,567

27.06%

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

$11.14 ฿376

$11.65 ฿393

-4.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.06 ฿576

$20.25 ฿683

-15.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 ฿2,312

$50.2 ฿1,693

36.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿373

$12.66 ฿427

-12.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 ฿249

$6.64 ฿224

11.14%

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

$534 ฿18.0K

$617 ฿20.8K

-13.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K ฿636.7K

$13.8K ฿467.2K

36.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,108

$48.68 ฿1,642

28.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.08 ฿947

$25.24 ฿852

11.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,243

$75.9 ฿2,562

26.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 ฿2,951

$84.2 ฿2,841

3.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 ฿16.7K

$508 ฿17.1K

-2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$353 ฿11.9K

0.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 ฿46.1K

$1,220 ฿41.2K

12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$809 ฿27.3K

24.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,938 ฿99.1K

$2,226 ฿75.1K

31.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,353 ฿79.4K

$1,529 ฿51.6K

53.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$712 ฿24.0K

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 31, 2026

Last update for Yala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$354 31.8%

Yala

$353 37.1% 0.3% $1.2

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$254 22.8%

Yala

$231 24.3% 8.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$125 11.2%

Yala

$108 11.4% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1%

Yala

$105 11.1% 14.6% $18

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 9.8%

Yala

$80 8.5% 26.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5%

Yala

$63 6.7% 23.8% $20

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$65 5.8%

Yala

$9.9 * 1% 84.7% $55

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 $494 in Koh Phangan and $508 in Yala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Koh Phangan vs $27 in Yala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $231 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,617

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Phangan Yala 380 km

From you

Koh Phangan
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,113 in Koh Phangan and $951 in Yala, so Yala is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,670 in Koh Phangan and $1,427 in Yala 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: $494 in Koh Phangan versus $508 in Yala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,113 per month in Koh Phangan versus $951 in Yala – Yala is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Yala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Yala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.