Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Koh Samui versus $426 in Dhaka.

Koh Samui $1,183
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,939 in Koh Samui versus $735 in Dhaka.

Koh Samui $1,939
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,694 in Koh Samui versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Koh Samui $2,694
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Koh Samui is roughly 178% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Samui 12% lower, Dhaka 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$2.49 ৳305

75.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$13.06 ৳1,604

151.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$4.83 ৳594

75.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$2.34 ৳287

16.67%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$0.30 ৳37.38

213.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$0.16 ৳19.96

212.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.80 ৳98.1

117.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$0.65 ৳79.3

124.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$0.71 ৳87.2

119.72%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.21 ৳149

73.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$8.67 ৳1,065

126.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$3.21 ৳395

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

$6.70 ৳823

63.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$2.73 ৳335

8.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$0.88 ৳108

92.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$2.37 ৳291

-6.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$0.65 ৳79.5

223.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$0.24 ৳29.19

508.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$0.49 ৳60.6

171.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$0.32 ৳38.87

246.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$0.30 ৳37.30

70.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳818

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$3.23 ৳396

30.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$0.42 ৳52.1

485.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$22.54 ৳2,769

100.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$1.19 ৳147

158.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$0.40 ৳48.58

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$3.35 ৳411

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$1.15 ৳141

30.43%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

-6.89%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-16.28%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$46.32 ৳5,690

119.56%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$4.33 ৳531

172.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$10.63 ৳1,306

67.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$16.37 ৳2,011

230.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$16.14 ৳1,982

-28.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$4.13 ৳508

87.17%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$90.7 ৳11.1K

578.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$2,649 ৳325.4K

368.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$16.48 ৳2,024

275.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$21.00 ৳2,579

37.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$50.3 ৳6,173

88.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$36.46 ৳4,478

141.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$152 ৳18.6K

308.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$73.6 ৳9,041

428.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$436 ৳53.5K

304.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$214 ৳26.3K

379.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$1,622 ৳199.2K

83.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$761 ৳93.5K

185.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$249 ৳30.6K

59.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.48

-46.85%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 81.1% $315

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 54.2% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 53.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Dhaka

$56 13% 54.6% $67

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Dhaka

$64 15% 46% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 64.6% $45

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 56.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Koh Samui and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Samui pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Koh Samui vs $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Dhaka 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Dhaka

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 Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 178% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Koh Samui, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Koh Samui versus $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,183 per month in Koh Samui versus $426 in Dhaka – a 178% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 100% less than in Koh Samui. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $1,183 in Koh Samui, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Koh Samui. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dhaka is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Koh Samui, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Samui and Dhaka 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 Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 178% less than in Koh Samui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.