Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Koh Samui versus $535 in Bangalore.

Koh Samui $1,183
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,939 in Koh Samui versus $927 in Bangalore.

Koh Samui $1,939
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,694 in Koh Samui versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Koh Samui $2,694
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Koh Samui is roughly 121% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Samui 12% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$3.04 ₹294

43.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$17.83 ₹1,725

83.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$4.78 ₹463

77.82%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$2.24 ₹217

21.87%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$0.39 ₹37.49

141.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$0.14 ₹13.64

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$2.34 ₹226

8.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.91 ₹379

-4.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.61 ₹58.6

185.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$0.57 ₹55.2

156.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$0.81 ₹77.9

92.59%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.12 ₹109

87.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$5.93 ₹574

230.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$3.85 ₹373

-15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$2.78 ₹269

6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$0.75 ₹72.2

125.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$1.22 ₹118

81.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$0.40 ₹39.19

425.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$0.38 ₹36.40

284.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$0.36 ₹34.72

269.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$0.42 ₹40.31

164.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$0.32 ₹31.21

59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$4.61 ₹446

-8.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

$9.01 ₹872

102.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.86 ₹180

-6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

$2.92 ₹283

-1.71%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$0.51 ₹48.89

382.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$15.71 ₹1,520

187.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$1.01 ₹97.8

204.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$0.30 ₹29.43

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$2.10 ₹203

85.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$1.08 ₹104

38.89%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$12.6K ₹1.2M

124.38%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$19.1K ₹1.8M

45.12%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$30.32 ₹2,934

235.42%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$4.11 ₹398

186.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$10.23 ₹990

73.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$18.61 ₹1,801

190.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$5.95 ₹576

93.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$4.60 ₹446

68.04%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$104 ₹10.1K

491.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

291.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$32.29 ₹3,125

91.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$29.85 ₹2,889

-2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$53.3 ₹5,160

77.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$39.66 ₹3,838

122.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$309 ₹29.9K

100.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$175 ₹16.9K

122.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$788 ₹76.3K

123.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$481 ₹46.6K

113.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

57.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

103.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$919 ₹89.0K

-56.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.5

-34.47%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Bangalore

$175 32% 55% $214

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 54.2% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 66% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 43.3% $53

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 26.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 60% $42

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 68% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Koh Samui and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 132% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Koh Samui vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

14:01 2:01 PM

1 h 30 min behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Bangalore 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Bangalore

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 Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 121% lower than in Koh Samui. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 132% lower in Bangalore. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Koh Samui versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 187% less than in Koh Samui. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $615 in Koh Samui versus $104 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $535 in Bangalore versus $1,183 in Koh Samui, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bangalore but tight or insufficient in Koh Samui. The gap between the two cities makes Bangalore the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Koh Samui and Bangalore 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 Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Koh Samui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.