Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Koh Samui

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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lisbon and in Koh Samui actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Lisbon $2,210
Koh Samui $1,221

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

Lisbon $3,275
Koh Samui $2,093

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

Lisbon $4,341
Koh Samui $2,965

Lisbon costs about 81% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$4.31 ฿146

286.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$32.28 ฿1,090

91.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$8.55 ฿289

32.87%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$2.75 ฿92.7

8.00%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.89 ฿30.03

157.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.49 ฿16.57

255.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.56 ฿86.4

32.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.61 ฿122

-8.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.66 ฿56.0

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.46 ฿49.34

30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.58 ฿53.4

-4.43%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$2.16 ฿73.0

86.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$19.29 ฿651

-32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$3.34 ฿113

132.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$10.86 ฿367

63.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.94 ฿99.3

-21.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.60 ฿54.2

8.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.29 ฿77.2

-18.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.05 ฿69.2

26.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.45 ฿48.83

25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.37 ฿46.17

43.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.12 ฿37.70

31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.55 ฿18.64

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.26 ฿144

54.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$18.41 ฿622

-69.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.82 ฿61.4

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.85 ฿96.3

-24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$1.53 ฿51.7

52.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$58.1 ฿1,961

-23.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$3.15 ฿106

22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.07 ฿36.16

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$4.08 ฿138

303.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.53 ฿51.7

43.79%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$27.5K ฿929.7K

24.20%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$27.7K ฿936.9K

39.58%

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

$161 €145

$104 ฿3,496

55.75%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$11.49 ฿388

60.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$18.05 ฿610

81.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$69.9 ฿2,360

-36.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$11.34 ฿383

68.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.14 ฿275

17.94%

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

$668 €600

$509 ฿17.2K

31.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$12.4K ฿417.2K

42.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$62.9 ฿2,122

62.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$29.10 ฿983

52.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$95.8 ฿3,234

2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$87.2 ฿2,945

41.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$607 ฿20.5K

165.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$420 ฿14.2K

183.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$1,653 ฿55.8K

70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$1,221 ฿41.2K

64.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$3,583 ฿121.0K

118.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$2,588 ฿87.4K

76.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$405 ฿13.7K

288.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.57

-30.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Koh Samui

$420 34.4% 64.7% $770

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Koh Samui

$267 21.9% 2% $5.5

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Koh Samui

$119 9.7% 51.1% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Koh Samui

$133 10.9% 37.3% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Koh Samui

$124 10.1% 25.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Koh Samui

$86 7.1% 35.2% $22

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Koh Samui

$73 6% 15% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $607 in Koh Samui. 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $32 in Koh Samui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $267 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

01:40 1:40 AM

7 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

62,110

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

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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

Lisbon vs Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,221 in Koh Samui – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,832 in Koh Samui. 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 $62 in Lisbon and $32 in Koh Samui. 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 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, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.