Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
Learn more

Koh Samui Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Samui and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,183
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Koh Samui vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,939
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $2,694 per month in Koh Samui vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,694
Hong Kong $6,132

Koh Samui is about 60% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Koh Samui sits 12% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$8.46 HK$66.4

-48.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,098

$63.2 HK$496

-48.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿285

$6.20 HK$48.66

37.10%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$4.90 HK$38.41

-44.29%

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

$0.94 ฿31.60

$1.27 HK$10.01

-25.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$1.06 HK$8.31

-52.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿84.9

$7.68 HK$60.3

-66.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$6.28 HK$49.24

-40.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.86 HK$22.45

-39.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$2.43 HK$19.10

-39.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.2

$2.18 HK$17.09

-28.44%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.54 HK$27.80

-40.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿656

$25.12 HK$197

-21.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$8.89 HK$69.8

-63.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿366

$17.63 HK$138

-37.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.0

$4.11 HK$32.22

-27.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.72 HK$21.32

-37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$4.59 HK$36.05

-51.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$4.02 HK$31.52

-47.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.79

$3.25 HK$25.50

-55.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.53

$3.27 HK$25.70

-59.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.27

$1.60 HK$12.54

-30.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.97

$1.73 HK$13.56

-70.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$13.14 HK$103

-67.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿611

$16.59 HK$130

10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.01 HK$15.80

-13.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.9

$2.18 HK$17.13

31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.5

$1.44 HK$11.31

70.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,512

$89.1 HK$699

-49.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$3.64 HK$28.53

-15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.62

$1.31 HK$10.29

-19.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$15.82 HK$124

-75.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.3

$4.06 HK$31.89

-63.05%

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

$28.2K ฿944.4K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-36.42%

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

$27.7K ฿925.9K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-25.98%

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

$102 ฿3,405

$247 HK$1,942

-58.90%

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

$11.78 ฿394

$15.89 HK$125

-25.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿595

$21.46 HK$168

-17.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,812

$91.4 HK$717

-40.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿386

$9.08 HK$71.3

26.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿259

$13.96 HK$110

-44.63%

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

$615 ฿20.6K

$1,155 HK$9,067

-46.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿415.9K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-44.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,073

$68.9 HK$541

-10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿969

$40.44 HK$317

-28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,167

$79.9 HK$627

18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,951

$118 HK$923

-25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.7K

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-71.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.0K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-77.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.0K

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.3K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-71.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.5K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-89.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿72.8K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-87.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-87.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.91

42.46%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 342% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 55.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 117% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 12.2% $15

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 72.6% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 71.4% $50

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 65.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Koh Samui versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. 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 713% higher in Hong Kong, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $415 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Hong Kong 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,183 in Koh Samui, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 152% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Koh Samui and $4,476 in Hong Kong. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,183 in Koh Samui and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 152%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,183 in Koh Samui to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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