Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Koh Samui is 39% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 42.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Koh Samui is 36.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 74.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ฿146

$2.03 ฿63.8

129.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.12 ฿1,450

$18.59 ฿585

148.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿273

$7.48 ฿235

16.04%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿95.4

$2.00 ฿62.8

51.50%

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

$0.68 ฿21.42

$0.85 ฿26.63

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.32

$0.35 ฿11.05

11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿78.3

$2.21 ฿69.5

12.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿116

$3.76 ฿118

-2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ฿68.1

$1.72 ฿54.0

26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 ฿56.5

$1.63 ฿51.4

10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿68.2

$1.16 ฿36.42

87.07%

Eggs

$2.26 ฿70.9

$1.98 ฿62.2

14.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿615

$15.93 ฿501

22.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ฿117

$3.17 ฿99.6

17.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿422

$10.90 ฿343

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 ฿103

$2.65 ฿83.2

23.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ฿53.6

$1.22 ฿38.45

40.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿72.4

$1.70 ฿53.4

35.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿63.7

$1.59 ฿49.99

27.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿50.2

$1.32 ฿41.63

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿47.04

$1.17 ฿36.74

28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿32.04

$0.68 ฿21.31

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿15.25

$0.56 ฿17.52

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿137

$4.51 ฿142

-3.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.82 ฿623

$19.07 ฿600

3.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ฿58.3

$1.77 ฿55.7

4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ฿87.0

$3.18 ฿100.0

-12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿45.53

$0.96 ฿30.27

51.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.73 ฿1,438

$18.90 ฿594

141.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ฿100

$1.36 ฿42.69

133.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿34.10

$1.35 ฿42.51

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 ฿461

$8.03 ฿253

82.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿42.73

$1.24 ฿39.08

9.68%

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

$28.8K ฿906.1K

$21.2K ฿665.4K

36.19%

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

$34.8K ฿1.1M

$21.8K ฿684.0K

59.87%

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

$127 ฿3,988

$71.2 ฿2,240

78.07%

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

$14.19 ฿446

$14.09 ฿443

0.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.10 ฿601

$17.47 ฿549

9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ฿1,972

$42.07 ฿1,323

49.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 ฿558

$6.88 ฿216

158.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 ฿288

$5.94 ฿187

54.38%

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

$759 ฿23.9K

$307 ฿9,664

146.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ฿552.3K

$14.8K ฿465.1K

18.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ฿1,824

$55.7 ฿1,750

4.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 ฿1,096

$26.79 ฿842

30.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,592

$83.2 ฿2,617

37.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 ฿2,671

$70.1 ฿2,204

21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ฿16.5K

$427 ฿13.4K

23.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 ฿12.0K

$237 ฿7,454

60.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 ฿54.4K

$802 ฿25.2K

115.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 ฿40.4K

$503 ฿15.8K

155.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,678 ฿115.6K

$2,061 ฿64.8K

78.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,594 ฿81.6K

$1,533 ฿48.2K

69.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 ฿13.1K

$654 ฿20.6K

-36.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.60%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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