Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Samui and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Samui and in Ubud, Bali

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

A single person spends $1,183 per month in Koh Samui vs $1,348 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,183
Ubud, Bali $1,348

A couple spends around $1,939 per month in Koh Samui vs $2,312 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $1,939
Ubud, Bali $2,312

A family of three spends $2,694 per month in Koh Samui vs $3,276 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Koh Samui $2,694
Ubud, Bali $3,276

Koh Samui is about 12% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Koh Samui sits 12% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 1% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿147

$3.33 Rp 59.6K

30.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.80 ฿1,103

$35.42 Rp 633.7K

-7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 ฿286

$5.76 Rp 103.0K

47.57%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.7

$2.63 Rp 47.0K

3.80%

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

$0.94 ฿31.74

$1.74 Rp 31.0K

-45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.66

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

-35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 ฿85.3

$2.71 Rp 48.4K

-6.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$4.52 Rp 80.9K

-17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.20 Rp 39.3K

-33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

27.87%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.6

$2.14 Rp 38.3K

-1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿659

$17.73 Rp 317.2K

10.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿110

$3.86 Rp 69.0K

-15.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿368

$12.03 Rp 215.2K

-9.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.4

$3.61 Rp 64.6K

-18.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.51 Rp 27.1K

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.32 Rp 41.5K

-4.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.6

$2.00 Rp 35.9K

5.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.00

$1.81 Rp 32.4K

-19.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.72

$2.39 Rp 42.7K

-44.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.43

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.04

$0.52 Rp 9,381

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿142

$2.18 Rp 39.1K

94.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$22.98 Rp 411.0K

-20.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$2.40 Rp 42.9K

-27.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.3

$3.00 Rp 53.6K

-4.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ฿82.9

$0.24 Rp 4,258

925.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.15 ฿1,518

$6.99 Rp 125.1K

545.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 ฿103

$0.44 Rp 7,882

600.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.77

$0.42 Rp 7,589

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿131

$5.45 Rp 97.5K

-28.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

78.57%

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

$28.2K ฿948.3K

$24.3K Rp 435.2M

15.95%

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

$27.7K ฿929.8K

$31.9K Rp 570.5M

-13.27%

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

$102 ฿3,419

$80.8 Rp 1.4M

25.82%

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

$11.78 ฿396

$6.58 Rp 117.7K

79.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.76 ฿597

$18.24 Rp 326.4K

-2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ฿1,819

$55.1 Rp 986.2K

-1.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.53 ฿388

$18.51 Rp 331.2K

-37.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.73 ฿260

$4.24 Rp 75.9K

82.31%

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

$615 ฿20.7K

$486 Rp 8.7M

26.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿417.6K

$5,676 Rp 101.5M

118.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,082

$45.18 Rp 808.3K

37.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿974

$34.57 Rp 618.5K

-16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,180

$79.2 Rp 1.4M

19.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,964

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.8K

$1,127 Rp 20.2M

-45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 ฿13.1K

$674 Rp 12.1M

-42.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,761 ฿59.2K

$3,618 Rp 64.7M

-51.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 ฿34.5K

$1,735 Rp 31.0M

-40.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,971 ฿99.9K

$2,829 Rp 50.6M

5.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 ฿73.1K

$2,307 Rp 41.3M

-5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$397 ฿13.3K

$166 Rp 3.0M

139.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Samui

$389 33.5%

Ubud, Bali

$674 49.6% 73.4% $285

Groceries & Markets

Koh Samui

$267 23%

Ubud, Bali

$290 21.4% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Samui

$131 11.3%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 19.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Samui

$123 10.6%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.8% 13.5% $17

Eating Out

Koh Samui

$119 10.2%

Ubud, Bali

$108 8% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Samui

$70 6%

Ubud, Bali

$64 4.7% 8.6% $6

Getting Around

Koh Samui

$63 5.5%

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.8% 83.4% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $619 in Koh Samui versus $1,127 in Ubud, Bali. 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 140% higher in Koh Samui, 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $290 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Samui

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,110

74,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Samui Ubud, Bali 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Samui
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,183 in Koh Samui, $1,348 in Ubud, Bali – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Koh Samui and $2,022 in Ubud, Bali. 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.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Ubud, Bali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33.00 in Koh Samui and $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,348. In Koh Samui it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali 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 $1,183 in Koh Samui to $1,348 in Ubud, Bali. 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, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.