Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakon Nakhon and Pattaya

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.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sakon Nakhon
Learn more

Sakon Nakhon Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
Learn more

Pattaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$896

/mo nomad

Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Sakon Nakhon $896
Pattaya $1,055

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

Sakon Nakhon $1,416
Pattaya $1,734

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

Sakon Nakhon $1,937
Pattaya $2,414

Sakon Nakhon is about 15% cheaper than Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.46 ฿49.20

$3.04 ฿102

-51.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.98 ฿505

$32.70 ฿1,102

-54.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.89 ฿97.5

$8.67 ฿292

-66.67%

Cappuccino

$1.46 ฿49.23

$1.96 ฿66.2

-25.51%

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

$0.73 ฿24.55

$0.66 ฿22.33

10.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ฿8.38

$0.29 ฿9.63

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ฿67.9

$2.38 ฿80.3

-15.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ฿71.5

$2.65 ฿89.3

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$1.70 ฿57.3

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.46 ฿49.22

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$1.41 ฿47.49

-14.18%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.7

$2.17 ฿73.3

-3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ฿354

$15.25 ฿514

-31.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.48 ฿83.7

$2.55 ฿86.1

-2.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 ฿350

$9.97 ฿336

4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ฿105

$3.38 ฿114

-7.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ฿39.24

$1.24 ฿41.81

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.9

$1.86 ฿62.7

14.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 ฿62.8

$1.87 ฿63.1

-0.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.20

$1.18 ฿39.85

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.72

$1.06 ฿35.86

36.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ฿18.25

$1.22 ฿41.23

-55.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.10

$0.48 ฿16.04

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿147

$4.33 ฿146

0.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.49 ฿589

$17.95 ฿605

-2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.70 ฿57.1

-2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$3.00 ฿101

-8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.25

$0.53 ฿17.88

64.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.62 ฿661

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.30 ฿43.81

12.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.07 ฿36.19

2.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 ฿181

$3.60 ฿121

48.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ฿42.54

$1.47 ฿49.66

-14.29%

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

$26.3K ฿887.7K

$45.4K ฿1.5M

-42.01%

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

$27.4K ฿921.7K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

2.00%

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

$83.2 ฿2,803

$93.5 ฿3,152

-11.06%

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

$10.13 ฿342

$11.55 ฿389

-12.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 ฿528

$19.11 ฿644

-17.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.92 ฿1,649

$42.49 ฿1,432

15.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 ฿407

$20.52 ฿692

-41.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ฿119

$7.49 ฿252

-52.74%

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

$660 ฿22.2K

$623 ฿21.0K

5.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿370.3K

$14.2K ฿477.6K

-22.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.47 ฿656

$51.1 ฿1,720

-61.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.67 ฿225

$29.47 ฿993

-77.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ฿3,988

$92.5 ฿3,118

27.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ฿2,497

$76.1 ฿2,563

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 ฿13.8K

$618 ฿20.8K

-33.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ฿11.3K

$396 ฿13.3K

-15.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 ฿41.1K

$1,655 ฿55.8K

-26.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$948 ฿32.0K

-20.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 ฿73.2K

$2,807 ฿94.6K

-22.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,814 ฿61.1K

$1,808 ฿60.9K

0.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 ฿25.0K

$456 ฿15.4K

62.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Sakon Nakhon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sakon Nakhon

$336 37.5%

Pattaya

$396 37.5% 17.7% $60

Groceries & Markets

Sakon Nakhon

$230 25.6%

Pattaya

$242 23% 5.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sakon Nakhon

$109 12.2%

Pattaya

$124 11.8% 13.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sakon Nakhon

$98 11%

Pattaya

$112 10.6% 14% $14

Eating Out

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3%

Pattaya

$95 9% 69.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3%

Pattaya

$57 5.5% 2.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Sakon Nakhon

$10 * 1.2%

Pattaya

$28 2.7% 172% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $410 in Sakon Nakhon versus $618 in Pattaya. 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 $15 in Sakon Nakhon versus $33 in Pattaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $242 – making Sakon Nakhon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

Same time as Sakon Nakhon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,100

119,532

💱 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

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

From you

Sakon Nakhon
Pattaya

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

Sakon Nakhon vs Pattaya: 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 $1,343 per month in Sakon Nakhon and $1,583 in Pattaya. 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 $896 in Sakon Nakhon and $1,055 in Pattaya. That makes Sakon Nakhon about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $660 per month in Sakon Nakhon and $623 in Pattaya. 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 $896 in Sakon Nakhon and $1,055 in Pattaya, 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.