Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan

For one person, living costs are similar in Koh Tao and in Koh Phangan: $1,045 and $1,024 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,045

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Tao 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 Tao and in Koh Phangan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Koh Tao versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Tao $1,045
Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,724 in Koh Tao versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Tao $1,724
Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,404 in Koh Tao versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

Koh Tao $2,404
Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Koh Tao is roughly 2% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Tao 23% lower, Koh Phangan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 ฿130

$3.97 ฿133

-2.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 ฿902

$29.08 ฿972

-7.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿250

$7.90 ฿264

-5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.39 ฿79.8

$2.53 ฿84.5

-5.53%

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

$0.76 ฿25.49

$0.87 ฿28.98

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.04

$0.42 ฿13.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.21 ฿73.9

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ฿108

$3.45 ฿115

-6.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ฿52.6

$1.58 ฿52.9

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 ฿46.03

$1.39 ฿46.52

-0.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.38

$1.50 ฿50.0

-3.33%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$2.05 ฿68.5

1.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.21 ฿609

$18.33 ฿613

-0.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 ฿109

$3.31 ฿111

-1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$10.35 ฿346

-0.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ฿93.5

$2.81 ฿93.9

-0.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.66 ฿55.3

-6.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.1

$2.11 ฿70.4

3.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.05 ฿68.5

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.78

$1.46 ฿48.81

-4.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.08

$1.32 ฿44.04

-4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ฿35.10

$1.06 ฿35.46

-0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.31

$0.52 ฿17.45

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 ฿135

$4.20 ฿140

-3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.60 ฿588

$17.36 ฿580

1.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.0

$1.76 ฿58.7

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

$2.67 ฿89.4

-1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 ฿67.5

$2.06 ฿68.9

-1.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.64 ฿88.3

4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ฿32.79

$0.92 ฿30.81

6.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 ฿113

$3.47 ฿116

-2.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ฿42.56

$1.32 ฿44.17

-3.79%

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

$24.6K ฿821.9K

$23.8K ฿796.2K

3.22%

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

$23.8K ฿796.1K

$24.5K ฿818.5K

-2.74%

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

$96.6 ฿3,229

$98.4 ฿3,287

-1.79%

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

$11.21 ฿375

$11.11 ฿371

0.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.15 ฿573

$16.91 ฿565

1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 ฿1,858

$52.8 ฿1,764

5.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.50 ฿384

$10.82 ฿362

6.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 ฿261

$7.69 ฿257

1.69%

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

$566 ฿18.9K

$560 ฿18.7K

1.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿389.6K

$11.7K ฿391.0K

-0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 ฿2,112

$63.7 ฿2,129

-0.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.21 ฿943

$28.59 ฿955

-1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 ฿3,222

$95.9 ฿3,205

0.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ฿2,968

$86.9 ฿2,905

2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 ฿18.4K

$509 ฿17.0K

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ฿11.7K

$326 ฿10.9K

7.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 ฿52.9K

$1,464 ฿48.9K

8.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ฿29.8K

$833 ฿27.8K

7.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,685 ฿89.7K

$2,509 ฿83.9K

7.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,889 ฿63.1K

$1,781 ฿59.5K

6.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

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 Tao: October 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$351 33.6%

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8% 7% $25

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$254 24.3%

Koh Phangan

$256 25% 0.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3% 1.1% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1% 0.5% $0.7

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$104 10%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6% 4.6% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$71 6.8%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 4.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$16 * 1.5%

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5% 1.6% $0.3

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 $550 in Koh Tao and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $254 vs $256 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

💱 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 Tao Koh Phangan 43 km

From you

Koh Tao
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 Tao vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Tao and Koh Phangan differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,045 vs $1,024 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,567 in Koh Tao and $1,537 in Koh Phangan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $550 in Koh Tao versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Koh Tao pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,045 per month in Koh Tao versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $1,045 in Koh Tao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Koh Tao. 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 Tao 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 2% less than in Koh Tao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.