Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Pattaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Samut Prakan vs $1,041 in Pattaya, rent included.

Samut Prakan $886
Pattaya $1,041

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Samut Prakan vs $1,665 in Pattaya, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,378
Pattaya $1,665

A family of three spends $1,869 per month in Samut Prakan vs $2,288 in Pattaya, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,869
Pattaya $2,288

Samut Prakan is about 15% cheaper than Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Samut Prakan and Pattaya are more affordable than the global median – Samut Prakan 35% lower, Pattaya 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 ฿110

$3.37 ฿113

-2.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.12 ฿505

$35.40 ฿1,183

-57.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿250

$8.86 ฿296

-15.58%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ฿46.13

$2.06 ฿68.7

-33.01%

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

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.71 ฿23.64

-26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.77

$0.31 ฿10.40

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.36 ฿78.9

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿97.4

$2.64 ฿88.1

10.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.92

$1.78 ฿59.6

-17.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ฿32.62

$1.46 ฿48.90

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.34

$1.40 ฿46.70

-37.14%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.19 ฿73.2

-15.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿411

$15.22 ฿509

-19.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.1

$2.61 ฿87.2

-4.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$10.15 ฿339

0.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$3.43 ฿114

-46.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.67

$1.22 ฿40.71

-36.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.68

$1.88 ฿62.7

-30.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.59

$1.98 ฿66.2

-38.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.20 ฿40.24

26.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.78

$1.03 ฿34.43

-25.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.99

$1.26 ฿42.21

-38.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.45 ฿14.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿151

$4.42 ฿148

1.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 ฿304

$18.04 ฿603

-49.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.76 ฿58.8

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.2

$2.99 ฿100

-36.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ฿16.95

$0.63 ฿20.89

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.40 ฿648

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.30 ฿43.48

33.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ฿53.7

$1.13 ฿37.63

42.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 ฿196

$3.55 ฿119

64.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ฿35.84

$1.48 ฿49.47

-27.70%

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

$12.1K ฿405.1K

$46.4K ฿1.5M

-73.85%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$26.3K ฿878.9K

-7.68%

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

$83.1 ฿2,776

$93.7 ฿3,132

-11.37%

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

$9.40 ฿314

$11.55 ฿386

-18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.35 ฿547

$19.15 ฿640

-14.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 ฿1,595

$41.86 ฿1,399

14.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 ฿503

$21.27 ฿711

-29.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$7.64 ฿255

-16.10%

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

$148 ฿4,933

$613 ฿20.5K

-75.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,950 ฿198.9K

$14.4K ฿480.0K

-58.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.09 ฿504

$51.3 ฿1,714

-70.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ฿1,192

$29.14 ฿974

22.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$94.6 ฿3,160

-25.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ฿4,004

$75.0 ฿2,507

59.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ฿16.0K

$564 ฿18.8K

-15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ฿11.0K

$374 ฿12.5K

-11.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.3K

$1,521 ฿50.8K

-24.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 ฿23.1K

$791 ฿26.4K

-12.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 ฿57.7K

$2,560 ฿85.6K

-32.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ฿53.7K

$1,428 ฿47.7K

12.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ฿22.4K

$453 ฿15.1K

48.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

-49.66%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2%

Pattaya

$374 35.9% 13.5% $44

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5%

Pattaya

$245 23.5% 34.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Pattaya

$124 12% 14.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Pattaya

$113 10.8% 3.6% $3.9

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5%

Pattaya

$99 9.5% 17.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8%

Pattaya

$57 5.5% 5.6% $3.4

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Pattaya

$29 2.8% 144% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Samut Prakan versus $564 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 48% higher in Samut Prakan, 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan versus $35.00 in Pattaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $245 – making Samut Prakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

119,532

💱 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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Samut Prakan Pattaya 80 km

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Samut Prakan
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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 Pattaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya costs about 18% more than Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,329 per month in Samut Prakan and $1,562 in Pattaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samut Prakan, 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 $886 in Samut Prakan and $1,041 in Pattaya. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $148 per month in Samut Prakan and $613 in Pattaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samut Prakan, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Samut Prakan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Samut Prakan costs $886 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 Samut Prakan. 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.