Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Koh Samui
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,183
/mo nomad
Delhi
🇮🇳 India
$520
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Koh Samui vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Koh Samui $1,183
  • Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Koh Samui vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Koh Samui $1,939
  • Delhi $858

A family of three spends $2,694 per month in Koh Samui vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

  • Koh Samui $2,694
  • Delhi $1,195

Koh Samui costs about 128% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Koh Samui and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Koh Samui 12% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.36 ฿146
$3.67 ₹355
18.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.80 ฿1,098
$20.95 ₹2,027
56.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.50 ฿285
$3.74 ₹362
127.27%
Cappuccino
$2.73 ฿91.3
$2.33 ₹226
17.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.60
$0.37 ₹35.82
154.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.59
$0.20 ₹18.91
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.54 ฿84.9
$2.02 ₹195
25.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿125
$3.19 ₹308
16.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$0.68 ₹65.9
155.88%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.79
$0.52 ₹50.2
180.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.2
$0.83 ₹80.0
87.95%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$1.07 ₹104
96.26%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.60 ฿656
$4.43 ₹428
342.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 ฿110
$3.37 ₹326
-2.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.94 ฿366
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.96 ฿99.0
$1.99 ₹192
48.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.5
$0.72 ₹70.1
134.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.2
$1.02 ₹98.4
117.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 ฿70.3
$0.52 ₹50.1
303.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.79
$0.27 ₹25.96
440.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.53
$0.37 ₹35.42
259.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 ฿37.27
$0.43 ₹41.64
158.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.97
$0.31 ₹30.39
64.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.23 ฿142
$4.92 ₹476
-14.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿611
$8.34 ₹808
118.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$1.64 ₹159
6.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 ฿95.9
$2.70 ₹261
6.30%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.15 ₹596
-
🚌 Getting Around
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.46 ฿82.5
$0.46 ₹44.04
434.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.15 ฿1,512
$15.29 ₹1,480
195.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 ฿103
$1.03 ₹99.8
199.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.62
$0.27 ₹26.38
292.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.89 ฿130
$1.53 ₹148
154.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ฿50.3
$1.05 ₹102
42.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K ฿944.4K
$10.5K ₹1.0M
169.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K ฿925.9K
$18.4K ₹1.8M
50.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ฿3,405
$42.67 ₹4,129
138.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.78 ฿394
$4.04 ₹391
191.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.76 ฿595
$6.75 ₹653
163.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.1 ฿1,812
$19.40 ₹1,878
178.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.53 ฿386
$8.06 ₹780
43.05%
Cinema Ticket
$7.73 ฿259
$5.08 ₹492
52.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$615 ฿20.6K
$100 ₹9,696
514.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K ฿415.9K
$2,268 ₹219.5K
447.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.9 ฿2,073
$24.14 ₹2,336
156.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.96 ฿969
$28.38 ₹2,747
2.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 ฿3,167
$53.3 ₹5,160
77.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.2 ฿2,951
$44.13 ₹4,271
99.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 ฿20.7K
$264 ₹25.5K
134.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$389 ฿13.0K
$154 ₹14.9K
152.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,761 ฿59.0K
$736 ₹71.2K
139.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 ฿34.3K
$397 ₹38.5K
158.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,971 ฿99.5K
$2,494 ₹241.4K
19.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,176 ฿72.8K
$1,017 ₹98.4K
114.01%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Koh Samui
Delhi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$397 ฿13.3K
$585 ₹56.7K
-32.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.33
-33.13%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Koh Samui
$389
Delhi
$154 60.4% $235
Groceries & Markets
Koh Samui
$267
Delhi
$108 59.6% $159
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Koh Samui
$131
Delhi
$53 59.3% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Koh Samui
$123
Delhi
$67 45.2% $56
Eating Out
Koh Samui
$119
Delhi
$87 26.6% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Koh Samui
$70
Delhi
$30 57.5% $40
Getting Around
Koh Samui
$63
Delhi
$20 69.2% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Koh Samui versus $264 in Delhi. 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 48% higher in Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
🇮🇳 Delhi
🕒 Local time
14:04 2:04 PM
12:34 12:34 PM
1 h 30 min behind Koh Samui
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
62,110
16,787,941 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Koh Samui Delhi 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Koh Samui
  • Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Koh Samui and in Delhi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,183 in Koh Samui, $520 in Delhi – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Koh Samui compared to Delhi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Koh Samui and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Koh Samui and Delhi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Koh Samui or Delhi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Koh Samui and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 128%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Koh Samui at $1,183. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Samui it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Koh Samui and Delhi?
It depends on your priorities. Koh Samui has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $1,183 in Koh Samui. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Koh Samui or Delhi safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Koh Samui and Delhi?
If budget matters most, go with Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Koh Samui makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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