Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,221 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,221

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,221 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,221
Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $2,093 per month in Koh Samui vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,093
Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Koh Samui vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,965
Lisbon $4,341

Koh Samui is about 45% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Koh Samui sits 10% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.31 ฿146

$16.65 €14.95

-74.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.28 ฿1,090

$61.7 €55.5

-47.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿289

$11.36 €10.20

-24.74%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ฿92.7

$2.97 €2.67

-7.41%

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

$0.89 ฿30.03

$2.29 €2.06

-61.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.57

$1.74 €1.56

-71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.40 €3.06

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿122

$3.31 €2.97

9.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.16 €1.04

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.34

$1.91 €1.72

-23.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.51 €1.36

4.64%

Eggs

$2.16 ฿73.0

$4.02 €3.61

-46.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.29 ฿651

$12.94 €11.62

49.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$7.77 €6.98

-57.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 ฿367

$17.76 €15.95

-38.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.3

$2.30 €2.07

27.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.2

$1.73 €1.56

-7.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿77.2

$1.86 €1.67

23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.2

$2.59 €2.33

-20.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.83

$1.82 €1.64

-20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.17

$1.97 €1.77

-30.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.70

$1.47 €1.32

-23.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.64

$0.72 €0.65

-23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$6.58 €5.91

-35.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.41 ฿622

$5.61 €5.04

228.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.36 €1.22

33.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.3

$2.14 €1.92

33.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$2.33 €2.10

-34.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.1 ฿1,961

$44.68 €40.14

29.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ฿106

$3.85 €3.46

-18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿36.16

$1.07 €0.96

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 ฿138

$16.46 €14.79

-75.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$2.20 €1.98

-30.45%

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

$27.5K ฿929.7K

$34.2K €30.7K

-19.48%

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

$27.7K ฿936.9K

$38.7K €34.8K

-28.36%

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

$104 ฿3,496

$161 €145

-35.80%

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

$11.49 ฿388

$18.41 €16.54

-37.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿610

$32.74 €29.41

-44.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 ฿2,360

$44.55 €40.02

56.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.34 ฿383

$19.10 €17.16

-40.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ฿275

$9.60 €8.62

-15.21%

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

$509 ฿17.2K

$668 €600

-23.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿417.2K

$17.6K €15.8K

-29.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,122

$102 €91.6

-38.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿983

$44.46 €39.94

-34.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ฿3,234

$98.5 €88.5

-2.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 ฿2,945

$124 €111

-29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 ฿20.5K

$1,608 €1,445

-62.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ฿14.2K

$1,190 €1,069

-64.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,653 ฿55.8K

$2,812 €2,526

-41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 ฿41.2K

$2,013 €1,808

-39.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,583 ฿121.0K

$7,839 €7,042

-54.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,588 ฿87.4K

$4,576 €4,110

-43.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$405 ฿13.7K

$1,575 €1,415

-74.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.85

44.68%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 24, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$420 34.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 183% $770

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 21.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 2.1% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$133 10.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 59.6% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$124 10.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 34.1% $42

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 9.7%

Lisbon

$243 11% 105% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$86 7.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 26% $22

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$73 6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 13.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $607 in Koh Samui versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lisbon are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Koh Samui versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $272 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

20:27 8:27 PM

7 h behind Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Samui Lisbon 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,221 in Koh Samui, $2,210 in Lisbon – Koh Samui comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,832 per month in Koh Samui and $3,315 in Lisbon. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Koh Samui and $62 in Lisbon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Lisbon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,221, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Koh Samui has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,221 in Koh Samui to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Koh Samui. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.