Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Pattaya: $1,066 a month against $1,113 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Koh Phangan despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,066

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,066 in Pattaya versus $1,113 in Koh Phangan.

Pattaya $1,066
Koh Phangan $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Pattaya versus $1,886 in Koh Phangan.

Pattaya $1,747
Koh Phangan $1,886

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,427 in Pattaya versus $2,659 in Koh Phangan.

Pattaya $2,427
Koh Phangan $2,659

Living in Pattaya costs roughly 4% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pattaya 21% lower, Koh Phangan 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ฿102

$4.11 ฿138

-25.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.96 ฿902

$29.64 ฿991

-9.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿290

$7.86 ฿263

10.43%

Cappuccino

$2.03 ฿68.0

$2.46 ฿82.1

-17.48%

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

$0.69 ฿23.17

$0.79 ฿26.47

-12.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿9.06

$0.45 ฿15.12

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿80.8

$2.32 ฿77.6

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ฿91.1

$3.25 ฿109

-16.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.1

$1.64 ฿54.7

-3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.53

$1.33 ฿44.47

11.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.88

$1.43 ฿47.79

-2.10%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿71.1

$1.97 ฿65.7

8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.63 ฿523

$18.20 ฿608

-14.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 ฿83.5

$3.26 ฿109

-23.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 ฿342

$10.79 ฿361

-5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ฿116

$2.74 ฿91.7

27.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.54

$1.52 ฿51.0

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ฿64.0

$2.14 ฿71.6

-10.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 ฿64.7

$2.02 ฿67.6

-4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.33

$1.43 ฿47.68

-13.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.33

$1.25 ฿41.66

-12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ฿40.54

$1.07 ฿35.76

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.27

$0.52 ฿17.39

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ฿144

$4.03 ฿135

6.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.91 ฿599

$17.37 ฿581

3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.68 ฿56.3

2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿95.8

$2.62 ฿87.8

9.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.37 ฿45.70

-63.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.41 ฿649

$54.9 ฿1,834

-64.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.30 ฿43.49

-10.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.42

$0.64 ฿21.32

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 ฿116

$3.38 ฿113

2.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.95

$1.34 ฿44.81

6.72%

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

$45.3K ฿1.5M

$23.8K ฿797.2K

89.90%

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

$27.0K ฿902.3K

$23.6K ฿790.7K

14.11%

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

$91.4 ฿3,058

$96.7 ฿3,233

-5.42%

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

$11.68 ฿391

$11.14 ฿373

4.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.30 ฿645

$17.06 ฿570

13.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.51 ฿1,455

$68.5 ฿2,291

-36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.09 ฿705

$11.07 ฿370

90.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 ฿259

$7.38 ฿247

5.01%

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

$617 ฿20.6K

$534 ฿17.9K

15.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.4K ฿716.6K

$18.9K ฿631.0K

13.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 ฿1,697

$62.5 ฿2,089

-18.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.32 ฿980

$28.08 ฿939

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 ฿3,143

$96.1 ฿3,214

-2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ฿2,552

$87.5 ฿2,925

-12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 ฿20.1K

$494 ฿16.5K

21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 ฿13.5K

$354 ฿11.8K

14.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 ฿58.3K

$1,367 ฿45.7K

27.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$983 ฿32.9K

$1,006 ฿33.7K

-2.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,766 ฿92.5K

$2,938 ฿98.2K

-5.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ฿62.1K

$2,353 ฿78.7K

-21.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 ฿15.2K

$712 ฿23.8K

-36.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Pattaya: November 2, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$405 38%

Koh Phangan

$354 31.8% 12.5% $51

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$243 22.8%

Koh Phangan

$254 22.8% 4.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$122 11.5%

Koh Phangan

$125 11.2% 2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.6%

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1% 9.5% $11

Eating Out

Pattaya

$96 9%

Koh Phangan

$109 9.8% 13.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$59 5.5%

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5% 41.1% $24

Getting Around

Pattaya

$28 2.6%

Koh Phangan

$65 5.8% 130% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $600 in Pattaya and $494 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 57% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $27 in Pattaya vs $30 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $254 per month, with Pattaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

💱 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

Pattaya Koh Phangan 370 km

From you

Pattaya
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,066 in Pattaya and $1,113 in Koh Phangan, so Pattaya is about 4% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Pattaya. 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: $600 in Pattaya versus $494 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pattaya – a meal for two runs $27 versus $30 in Koh Phangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,066 per month in Pattaya versus $1,113 in Koh Phangan – Pattaya is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Pattaya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Pattaya and Koh Phangan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Pattaya wins on affordability, Koh Phangan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.