Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Sakon Nakhon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakon Nakhon: $896 a month against $1,055 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sakon Nakhon
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Sakon Nakhon Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,055

/mo nomad

Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Sakon Nakhon

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

A single person spends $1,055 per month in Pattaya vs $896 in Sakon Nakhon, rent included.

Pattaya $1,055
Sakon Nakhon $896

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Pattaya vs $1,416 in Sakon Nakhon, rent included.

Pattaya $1,734
Sakon Nakhon $1,416

A family of three spends $2,414 per month in Pattaya vs $1,937 in Sakon Nakhon, rent included.

Pattaya $2,414
Sakon Nakhon $1,937

Pattaya costs about 18% more than Sakon Nakhon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pattaya and Sakon Nakhon are more affordable than the global median – Pattaya 22% lower, Sakon Nakhon 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ฿102

$1.46 ฿49.20

108.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.70 ฿1,102

$14.98 ฿505

118.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.67 ฿292

$2.89 ฿97.5

200.00%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿66.2

$1.46 ฿49.23

34.25%

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

$0.66 ฿22.33

$0.73 ฿24.55

-9.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.63

$0.25 ฿8.38

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 ฿80.3

$2.01 ฿67.9

18.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿89.3

$2.12 ฿71.5

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ฿57.3

$2.38 ฿80.1

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.22

$1.28 ฿43.15

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.21 ฿40.73

16.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.10 ฿70.7

3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.25 ฿514

$10.51 ฿354

45.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.55 ฿86.1

$2.48 ฿83.7

2.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ฿336

$10.38 ฿350

-3.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ฿114

$3.11 ฿105

8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.81

$1.16 ฿39.24

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$2.13 ฿71.9

-12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

$1.86 ฿62.8

0.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ฿39.85

$1.46 ฿49.20

-19.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.86

$1.45 ฿48.72

-26.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿41.23

$0.54 ฿18.25

125.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.04

$0.51 ฿17.10

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿146

$4.35 ฿147

-0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$17.49 ฿589

2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿57.1

$1.66 ฿56.0

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿101

$2.76 ฿93.0

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ฿17.88

$0.87 ฿29.25

-39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.62 ฿661

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.81

$1.46 ฿49.31

-10.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿36.19

$1.10 ฿37.19

-2.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ฿121

$5.36 ฿181

-32.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.66

$1.26 ฿42.54

16.67%

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

$45.4K ฿1.5M

$26.3K ฿887.7K

72.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$27.4K ฿921.7K

-1.96%

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

$93.5 ฿3,152

$83.2 ฿2,803

12.43%

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

$11.55 ฿389

$10.13 ฿342

14.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.11 ฿644

$15.68 ฿528

21.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.49 ฿1,432

$48.92 ฿1,649

-13.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.52 ฿692

$12.06 ฿407

70.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 ฿252

$3.54 ฿119

111.58%

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

$623 ฿21.0K

$660 ฿22.2K

-5.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿477.6K

$11.0K ฿370.3K

28.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 ฿1,720

$19.47 ฿656

162.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.47 ฿993

$6.67 ฿225

341.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ฿3,118

$118 ฿3,988

-21.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 ฿2,563

$74.1 ฿2,497

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ฿20.8K

$410 ฿13.8K

50.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 ฿13.3K

$336 ฿11.3K

17.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 ฿55.8K

$1,219 ฿41.1K

35.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 ฿32.0K

$752 ฿25.4K

26.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 ฿94.6K

$2,173 ฿73.2K

29.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,808 ฿60.9K

$1,814 ฿61.1K

-0.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$456 ฿15.4K

$741 ฿25.0K

-38.40%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sakon Nakhon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$396 37.5%

Sakon Nakhon

$336 37.5% 15.1% $60

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$242 23%

Sakon Nakhon

$230 25.6% 5.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 11.8%

Sakon Nakhon

$109 12.2% 12.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$112 10.6%

Sakon Nakhon

$98 11% 12.2% $14

Eating Out

Pattaya

$95 9%

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3% 40.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3% 2.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Pattaya

$28 2.7%

Sakon Nakhon

$10 * 1.2% 63.2% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $618 in Pattaya versus $410 in Sakon Nakhon. 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 62% higher in Sakon Nakhon, 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 in Pattaya versus $15 in Sakon Nakhon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $230 – making Sakon Nakhon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Sakon Nakhon

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

53,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pattaya Sakon Nakhon 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pattaya
Sakon Nakhon

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 Sakon Nakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya costs about 18% more than Sakon Nakhon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Pattaya and $1,343 in Sakon Nakhon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sakon Nakhon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $410 there versus $618 in Pattaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,055 in Pattaya and $896 in Sakon Nakhon. That makes Sakon Nakhon about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $623 per month in Pattaya and $660 in Sakon Nakhon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,055 in Pattaya and $896 in Sakon Nakhon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Pattaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $896 in Sakon Nakhon to $1,055 in Pattaya. 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.