Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Surin
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Surin Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,041

/mo nomad

Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Surin

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

A single person spends $1,041 per month in Pattaya vs $869 in Surin, rent included.

Pattaya $1,041
Surin $869

A couple spends around $1,665 per month in Pattaya vs $1,444 in Surin, rent included.

Pattaya $1,665
Surin $1,444

A family of three spends $2,288 per month in Pattaya vs $2,018 in Surin, rent included.

Pattaya $2,288
Surin $2,018

Pattaya costs about 20% more than Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pattaya and Surin are more affordable than the global median – Pattaya 23% lower, Surin 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 ฿113

$3.03 ฿101

11.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 ฿1,183

$24.70 ฿826

43.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 ฿296

$7.23 ฿242

22.54%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ฿68.7

$1.74 ฿58.3

18.39%

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

$0.71 ฿23.64

$0.61 ฿20.30

16.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.40

$0.33 ฿10.89

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$2.20 ฿73.5

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.1

$3.42 ฿114

-22.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.6

$1.57 ฿52.4

13.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.31 ฿43.79

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.47 ฿48.98

-4.76%

Eggs

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.90 ฿63.5

15.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 ฿509

$17.41 ฿582

-12.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ฿87.2

$2.48 ฿83.0

5.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 ฿339

$8.89 ฿297

14.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ฿114

$2.57 ฿86.0

33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.71

$1.02 ฿34.23

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.7

$2.48 ฿82.9

-24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.2

$2.05 ฿68.5

-3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.24

$1.44 ฿48.20

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.43

$0.95 ฿31.77

8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ฿42.21

$0.94 ฿31.37

34.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.97

$0.44 ฿14.59

2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ฿148

$4.27 ฿143

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 ฿603

$16.36 ฿547

10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.8

$1.57 ฿52.4

12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100

$3.01 ฿100

-0.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ฿20.89

$0.92 ฿30.79

-31.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.40 ฿648

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.48

$1.37 ฿45.65

-5.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.63

$1.01 ฿33.73

11.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ฿119

$6.04 ฿202

-41.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.47

$1.35 ฿45.06

9.63%

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

$46.4K ฿1.5M

$22.7K ฿758.4K

104.26%

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

$26.3K ฿878.9K

$27.1K ฿904.4K

-2.81%

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

$93.7 ฿3,132

$77.8 ฿2,601

20.44%

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

$11.55 ฿386

$11.53 ฿385

0.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.15 ฿640

$18.68 ฿624

2.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 ฿1,399

$41.58 ฿1,390

0.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 ฿711

$11.45 ฿383

85.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ฿255

$6.51 ฿218

17.36%

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

$613 ฿20.5K

$628 ฿21.0K

-2.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿480.0K

$12.1K ฿405.0K

18.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,714

$53.1 ฿1,773

-3.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.14 ฿974

$27.95 ฿934

4.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,160

$73.3 ฿2,451

28.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ฿2,507

$68.0 ฿2,274

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 ฿18.8K

$440 ฿14.7K

28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ฿12.5K

$273 ฿9,126

37.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ฿50.8K

$1,185 ฿39.6K

28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ฿26.4K

$714 ฿23.9K

10.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,560 ฿85.6K

$1,730 ฿57.8K

48.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,428 ฿47.7K

$1,518 ฿50.7K

-5.96%

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 Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$374 35.9%

Surin

$273 31.4% 27% $101

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$245 23.5%

Surin

$235 27% 4.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 12%

Surin

$108 12.4% 13.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.8%

Surin

$100 11.5% 11% $12

Eating Out

Pattaya

$99 9.5%

Surin

$88 10.2% 11% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Surin

$55 6.3% 4.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.8%

Surin

$10 * 1.2% 65% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $564 in Pattaya versus $440 in Surin. 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 $25.00 in Surin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $235 – making Surin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Surin

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

40,104

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pattaya Surin 350 km

From you

Pattaya
Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya costs about 20% more than Surin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,303 in Surin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,041 in Pattaya and $869 in Surin. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $613 per month in Pattaya and $628 in Surin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surin costs $869 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 Surin. 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.