Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Koh Samui and in Bali: $1,183 and $1,224 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Samui and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Koh Samui and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Koh Samui vs $1,224 in Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,183
Bali $1,224

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,064 in Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,939
Bali $2,064

A family of three spends $2,694 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,904 in Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,694
Bali $2,904

Koh Samui is about 3% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Koh Samui and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Koh Samui 12% lower, Bali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

59.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$29.64 Rp 529.8K

10.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

79.32%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

22.97%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

-31.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$2.21 Rp 39.4K

14.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.62 Rp 64.7K

3.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

39.29%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$16.41 Rp 293.2K

19.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

-9.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

$11.53 Rp 206.2K

-5.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

-12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$2.15 Rp 38.4K

3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

10.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

-18.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$2.24 Rp 40.0K

-40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

18.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$0.48 Rp 8,577

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

97.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

$21.94 Rp 392.2K

-16.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

-23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

3.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$0.26 Rp 4,661

846.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$8.08 Rp 144.4K

458.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$0.44 Rp 7,853

600.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$0.42 Rp 7,491

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$5.66 Rp 101.1K

-31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

66.67%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$24.2K Rp 433.4M

16.33%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$31.5K Rp 563.1M

-12.21%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

27.05%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$6.63 Rp 118.5K

77.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$18.33 Rp 327.6K

-3.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$45.56 Rp 814.4K

18.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$15.24 Rp 272.4K

-24.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

108.36%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$442 Rp 7.9M

39.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

136.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$44.18 Rp 789.6K

40.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$34.13 Rp 610.1K

-15.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

22.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$994 Rp 17.8M

-37.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$588 Rp 10.5M

-33.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$3,084 Rp 55.1M

-42.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$1,496 Rp 26.7M

-31.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

24.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$2,015 Rp 36.0M

7.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$223 Rp 4.0M

77.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Bali

$588 48% 51.4% $200

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Bali

$274 22.4% 2.6% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Bali

$105 8.6% 20% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Bali

$104 8.5% 15.7% $19

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Bali

$89 7.3% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Bali

$53 4.3% 23.8% $17

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Bali

$12 1% 81.6% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Koh Samui versus $994 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Koh Samui, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui versus $30.00 in Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Koh Samui vs $274 in Bali – so Koh Samui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Bali 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Bali

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 Samui vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 3% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Koh Samui and $1,836 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui and $30.00 in Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Koh Samui and $1,224 in Bali. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Bali at $1,224. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Koh Samui costs $1,183 versus $1,224 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Koh Samui. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.