Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,041

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,041 per month in Pattaya vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Pattaya $1,041
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $1,665 per month in Pattaya vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Pattaya $1,665
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $2,288 per month in Pattaya vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Pattaya $2,288
Surat Thani $2,053

Pattaya costs about 34% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pattaya and Surat Thani are more affordable than the global median – Pattaya 23% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 ฿113

$1.89 ฿63.0

78.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 ฿1,183

$17.87 ฿597

98.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 ฿296

$4.51 ฿151

96.45%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ฿68.7

$1.50 ฿50.2

37.33%

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

$0.71 ฿23.64

$0.50 ฿16.68

42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.40

$0.29 ฿9.66

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$2.56 ฿85.4

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.1

$3.69 ฿123

-28.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.6

$1.66 ฿55.4

7.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.19 ฿39.89

22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.17 ฿39.13

19.66%

Eggs

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.87 ฿62.4

17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 ฿509

$19.18 ฿641

-20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ฿87.2

$3.33 ฿111

-21.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 ฿339

$7.44 ฿249

36.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ฿114

$2.91 ฿97.2

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.71

$1.68 ฿56.3

-27.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.7

$1.76 ฿58.7

6.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.2

$2.05 ฿68.4

-3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.24

$1.30 ฿43.57

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.43

$1.37 ฿45.90

-24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ฿42.21

$1.11 ฿37.24

13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.97

$0.41 ฿13.66

9.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ฿148

$3.07 ฿103

43.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 ฿603

$18.86 ฿630

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.8

$1.54 ฿51.6

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100

$1.82 ฿60.7

64.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ฿20.89

$1.02 ฿34.00

-38.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.40 ฿648

$20.95 ฿700

-7.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.48

$1.18 ฿39.50

10.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.63

$0.63 ฿21.05

79.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ฿119

$3.49 ฿117

1.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.47

$1.16 ฿38.93

27.59%

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

$46.4K ฿1.5M

$26.6K ฿890.1K

74.04%

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

$26.3K ฿878.9K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

-3.59%

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

$93.7 ฿3,132

$72.9 ฿2,437

28.54%

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

$11.55 ฿386

$11.12 ฿372

3.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.15 ฿640

$17.32 ฿579

10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 ฿1,399

$48.24 ฿1,612

-13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 ฿711

$11.52 ฿385

84.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ฿255

$4.53 ฿151

68.65%

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

$613 ฿20.5K

$549 ฿18.3K

11.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿480.0K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,714

$61.9 ฿2,070

-17.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.14 ฿974

$29.16 ฿974

-0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,160

$97.3 ฿3,252

-2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ฿2,507

$86.5 ฿2,892

-13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 ฿18.8K

$237 ฿7,910

138.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ฿12.5K

$149 ฿4,985

150.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ฿50.8K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ฿26.4K

$709 ฿23.7K

11.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,560 ฿85.6K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

14.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,428 ฿47.7K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

1.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 ฿15.1K

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 20, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$374 35.9%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 60.1% $225

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$245 23.5%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 12%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 18.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.8%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 10% $11

Eating Out

Pattaya

$99 9.5%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 29.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.8%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 1.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $564 in Pattaya versus $237 in Surat Thani. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pattaya versus $18.00 in Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

132,040

💱 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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Pattaya Surat Thani 460 km

From you

Pattaya
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya costs about 34% more than Surat Thani, 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 $1,562 per month in Pattaya and $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Pattaya and $18.00 in Surat Thani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,041 in Pattaya and $775 in Surat Thani. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Surat Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surat Thani costs $775 versus $1,041 in Pattaya. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Surat Thani. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pattaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.