Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $1,176 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,176

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Koh Samui versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Samui $1,176
Koh Phangan $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,957 in Koh Samui versus $1,687 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Samui $1,957
Koh Phangan $1,687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,737 in Koh Samui versus $2,357 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Samui $2,737
Koh Phangan $2,357

Living in Koh Samui is roughly 15% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Samui 13% lower, Koh Phangan 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.91 ฿131

17.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.92 ฿1,100

$29.34 ฿980

12.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 ฿282

$7.70 ฿257

9.74%

Cappuccino

$2.82 ฿94.2

$2.51 ฿83.8

12.35%

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

$0.90 ฿30.10

$0.87 ฿28.93

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.49

$0.44 ฿14.79

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿84.0

$2.23 ฿74.7

12.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.40 ฿114

11.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.64 ฿54.8

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.46

$1.31 ฿43.77

10.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$1.45 ฿48.44

4.83%

Eggs

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.05 ฿68.6

4.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿655

$18.25 ฿610

7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 ฿113

$3.15 ฿105

7.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.12 ฿372

$10.26 ฿343

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.4

$2.71 ฿90.6

8.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.50 ฿50.0

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ฿74.8

$2.12 ฿70.9

5.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.98 ฿66.3

7.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿49.15

$1.38 ฿46.05

6.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.48

$1.27 ฿42.34

7.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.70

$1.05 ฿35.11

1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.28

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ฿141

$4.02 ฿134

4.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.75 ฿627

$17.43 ฿583

7.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.73 ฿57.8

0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.1

$2.64 ฿88.2

6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$2.00 ฿66.7

3.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.70 ฿1,494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ฿107

$2.63 ฿87.8

21.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 ฿37.09

$0.92 ฿30.83

20.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿129

$3.49 ฿117

10.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.28 ฿42.83

17.97%

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

$28.2K ฿942.7K

$23.9K ฿799.7K

17.89%

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

$27.8K ฿928.1K

$24.3K ฿811.4K

14.39%

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

$104 ฿3,459

$98.6 ฿3,296

4.95%

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

$11.87 ฿397

$11.03 ฿369

7.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.04 ฿603

$17.25 ฿577

4.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.4 ฿1,818

$51.8 ฿1,730

5.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿388

$11.01 ฿368

5.45%

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 ฿274

$7.48 ฿250

9.49%

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

$603 ฿20.1K

$549 ฿18.4K

9.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ฿420.9K

$11.4K ฿379.4K

10.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 ฿2,075

$63.8 ฿2,131

-2.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.12 ฿973

$29.04 ฿971

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 ฿3,180

$94.3 ฿3,152

0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 ฿2,907

$88.5 ฿2,958

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 ฿21.0K

$506 ฿16.9K

23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ฿13.3K

$326 ฿10.9K

21.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,778 ฿59.4K

$1,446 ฿48.3K

22.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 ฿34.5K

$842 ฿28.1K

22.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,979 ฿99.6K

$2,423 ฿81.0K

22.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,113 ฿70.6K

$1,769 ฿59.1K

19.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$398 ฿13.3K

$708 ฿23.7K

-43.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 12, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$397 33.8%

Koh Phangan

$326 32% 18% $71

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$268 22.8%

Koh Phangan

$252 24.7% 6.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$133 11.4%

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5% 4.9% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.5%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$121 10.3%

Koh Phangan

$108 10.6% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$71 6%

Koh Phangan

$67 6.6% 5.8% $4.1

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$62 5.3%

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5% 75.3% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $627 in Koh Samui and $506 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $33.00 in Koh Samui vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $252 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

Same time as Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Samui Koh Phangan 29 km

From you

Koh Samui
Koh Phangan

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 Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Samui and Koh Phangan differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,176 vs $1,018 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Koh Phangan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $627 in Koh Samui versus $506 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Koh Samui. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,176 per month in Koh Samui versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $1,176 in Koh Samui, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Koh Samui. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan 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 Koh Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Koh Samui. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.