Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Koh Samui vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,183
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,939
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $2,694 per month in Koh Samui vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,694
Budapest $3,489

Koh Samui is about 27% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Koh Samui sits 12% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$13.99 Ft 4,551

-68.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

-45.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$9.96 Ft 3,241

-14.66%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$3.38 Ft 1,100

-19.23%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$2.13 Ft 692

-55.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$1.87 Ft 608

-73.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$3.75 Ft 1,221

-32.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.57 Ft 1,162

4.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.13 Ft 368

53.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$1.84 Ft 599

-20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$2.39 Ft 777

-34.73%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.83 Ft 1,245

-45.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$11.33 Ft 3,686

72.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$6.74 Ft 2,192

-51.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

$14.69 Ft 4,780

-25.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$1.84 Ft 597

60.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.01 Ft 653

-15.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$2.36 Ft 767

-5.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.77 Ft 1,226

-44.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$0.96 Ft 313

52.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$1.03 Ft 334

29.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$1.56 Ft 509

-28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$0.66 Ft 216

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$7.96 Ft 2,591

-46.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

$6.01 Ft 1,954

203.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.30 Ft 421

33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

$2.08 Ft 676

37.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$1.50 Ft 489

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$27.61 Ft 8,982

63.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$3.30 Ft 1,074

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$1.30 Ft 424

-18.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$19.78 Ft 6,436

-80.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$1.81 Ft 591

-17.13%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

-3.82%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-18.92%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$170 Ft 55.3K

-40.16%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-50.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$23.42 Ft 7,621

-24.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-18.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$19.18 Ft 6,239

-39.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$9.52 Ft 3,098

-18.80%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$537 Ft 174.6K

14.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-25.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$101 Ft 33.0K

-38.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-32.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$113 Ft 36.7K

-16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$119 Ft 38.6K

-25.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$805 Ft 262.0K

-23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$629 Ft 204.7K

-38.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

13.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

-12.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-47.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-45.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

-75.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.43

-13.37%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 61.8% $240

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 3.6% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 65.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 37.4% $46

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 88.5% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 22.6% $16

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 31.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Koh Samui versus $805 in Budapest. 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 310% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui versus $60.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Koh Samui vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

5 h behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Budapest 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Koh Samui and $2,432 in Budapest. 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.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Koh Samui. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $615 per month in Koh Samui and $537 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Koh Samui – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.