Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

Samut Prakan $886
Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Samut Prakan versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

Samut Prakan $1,378
Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,869 in Samut Prakan versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

Samut Prakan $1,869
Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Samut Prakan costs roughly 14% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 35% lower, Koh Phangan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 ฿110

$3.97 ฿133

-16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.12 ฿505

$29.08 ฿972

-48.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿250

$7.90 ฿264

-5.32%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ฿46.13

$2.53 ฿84.5

-45.45%

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

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.87 ฿28.98

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.77

$0.42 ฿13.98

-38.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.21 ฿73.9

-8.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿97.4

$3.45 ฿115

-15.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.92

$1.58 ฿52.9

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ฿32.62

$1.39 ฿46.52

-29.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.34

$1.50 ฿50.0

-41.33%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.05 ฿68.5

-10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿411

$18.33 ฿613

-32.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.1

$3.31 ฿111

-24.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$10.35 ฿346

-1.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.81 ฿93.9

-34.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.67

$1.66 ฿55.3

-53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.68

$2.11 ฿70.4

-37.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.59

$2.05 ฿68.5

-40.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.46 ฿48.81

4.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.78

$1.32 ฿44.04

-41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.99

$1.06 ฿35.46

-26.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.52 ฿17.45

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿151

$4.20 ฿140

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 ฿304

$17.36 ฿580

-47.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.76 ฿58.7

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.2

$2.67 ฿89.4

-29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ฿16.95

$2.06 ฿68.9

-75.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.64 ฿88.3

-34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ฿53.7

$0.92 ฿30.81

75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 ฿196

$3.47 ฿116

68.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ฿35.84

$1.32 ฿44.17

-18.94%

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

$12.1K ฿405.1K

$23.8K ฿796.2K

-49.12%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$24.5K ฿818.5K

-0.87%

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

$83.1 ฿2,776

$98.4 ฿3,287

-15.55%

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

$9.40 ฿314

$11.11 ฿371

-15.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.35 ฿547

$16.91 ฿565

-3.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 ฿1,595

$52.8 ฿1,764

-9.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 ฿503

$10.82 ฿362

39.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$7.69 ฿257

-16.64%

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

$148 ฿4,933

$560 ฿18.7K

-73.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,950 ฿198.9K

$11.7K ฿391.0K

-49.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.09 ฿504

$63.7 ฿2,129

-76.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ฿1,192

$28.59 ฿955

24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$95.9 ฿3,205

-26.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ฿4,004

$86.9 ฿2,905

37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ฿16.0K

$509 ฿17.0K

-6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ฿11.0K

$326 ฿10.9K

1.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.3K

$1,464 ฿48.9K

-21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 ฿23.1K

$833 ฿27.8K

-17.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 ฿57.7K

$2,509 ฿83.9K

-31.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ฿53.7K

$1,781 ฿59.5K

-9.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ฿22.4K

$713 ฿23.8K

-5.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2%

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8% 1.1% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5%

Koh Phangan

$256 25% 40.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3% 16.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1% 14% $15

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6% 28.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 12.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5% 31.4% $3.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Samut Prakan and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $256 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

💱 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

Samut Prakan Koh Phangan 430 km

From you

Samut Prakan
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

Samut Prakan vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan and Koh Phangan differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($886 vs $1,024 including rent). Samut Prakan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 6% lower in Koh Phangan. 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: $478 in Samut Prakan versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $886 per month in Samut Prakan versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $886 in Samut Prakan versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samut Prakan but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Samut Prakan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Samut Prakan and Koh Phangan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.