Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saraburi and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Saraburi: $782 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saraburi
🇹🇭 Thailand
$782
/mo nomad
Koh Phangan
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,024
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Saraburi versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

  • Saraburi $782
  • Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,419 in Saraburi versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

  • Saraburi $1,419
  • Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,056 in Saraburi versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

  • Saraburi $2,056
  • Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Saraburi costs roughly 24% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saraburi 42% lower, Koh Phangan 24% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.17 ฿206
$3.97 ฿133
55.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.93 ฿900
$29.08 ฿972
-7.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ฿215
$7.90 ฿264
-18.61%
Cappuccino
$2.28 ฿76.2
$2.53 ฿84.5
-9.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.15
$0.87 ฿28.98
-24.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 ฿7.99
$0.42 ฿13.98
-42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 ฿66.6
$2.21 ฿73.9
-9.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ฿106
$3.45 ฿115
-8.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ฿50.3
$1.58 ฿52.9
-4.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 ฿37.35
$1.39 ฿46.52
-19.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.47
$1.50 ฿50.0
-11.33%
Eggs
$1.96 ฿65.5
$2.05 ฿68.5
-4.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.86 ฿563
$18.33 ฿613
-8.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.57 ฿86.0
$3.31 ฿111
-22.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.89 ฿331
$10.35 ฿346
-4.44%
Apples (1kg)
$5.15 ฿172
$2.81 ฿93.9
83.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.7
$1.66 ฿55.3
2.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 ฿69.4
$2.11 ฿70.4
-1.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.90 ฿63.5
$2.05 ฿68.5
-7.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$1.46 ฿48.81
2.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 ฿35.81
$1.32 ฿44.04
-18.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.51
$1.06 ฿35.46
5.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.52 ฿17.45
-5.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$4.20 ฿140
5.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.05 ฿703
$17.36 ฿580
21.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 ฿55.4
$1.76 ฿58.7
-5.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ฿93.5
$2.67 ฿89.4
4.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 ฿30.05
$2.06 ฿68.9
-56.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 ฿34.98
$2.64 ฿88.3
-60.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 ฿38.75
$0.92 ฿30.81
26.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.03 ฿202
$3.47 ฿116
73.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ฿46.57
$1.32 ฿44.17
5.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K ฿765.9K
$23.8K ฿796.2K
-3.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.8K ฿962.3K
$24.5K ฿818.5K
17.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.9 ฿2,737
$98.4 ฿3,287
-16.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.58 ฿387
$11.11 ฿371
4.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.63 ฿556
$16.91 ฿565
-1.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.66 ฿1,426
$52.8 ฿1,764
-19.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.23 ฿476
$10.82 ฿362
31.52%
Cinema Ticket
$6.73 ฿225
$7.69 ฿257
-12.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$581 ฿19.4K
$560 ฿18.7K
3.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,594 ฿220.4K
$11.7K ฿391.0K
-43.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 ฿1,712
$63.7 ฿2,129
-19.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.84 ฿997
$28.59 ฿955
4.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ฿2,572
$95.9 ฿3,205
-19.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.5 ฿2,589
$86.9 ฿2,905
-10.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$428 ฿14.3K
$509 ฿17.0K
-15.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$124 ฿4,154
$326 ฿10.9K
-61.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 ฿39.1K
$1,464 ฿48.9K
-20.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$602 ฿20.1K
$833 ฿27.8K
-27.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,682 ฿56.2K
$2,509 ฿83.9K
-32.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,662 ฿55.6K
$1,781 ฿59.5K
-6.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saraburi
Koh Phangan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$453 ฿15.1K
$713 ฿23.8K
-36.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.57
-

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

Last update for Saraburi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Saraburi
$259
Koh Phangan
$256 1.4% $3.7
Accommodation & Living
Saraburi
$124
Koh Phangan
$326 162% $202
Eating Out
Saraburi
$116
Koh Phangan
$109 6.1% $7.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saraburi
$110
Koh Phangan
$126 14.8% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Saraburi
$106
Koh Phangan
$124 16.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Saraburi
$56
Koh Phangan
$68 21.5% $12
Getting Around
Saraburi
$10 *
Koh Phangan
$16 * 48.5% $5.1

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 $428 in Saraburi and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 57% 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: $27.00 in Saraburi vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan. Groceries flip the comparison at $259 vs $256, with Koh Phangan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Saraburi
🇹🇭 Koh Phangan
🕒 Local time
23:23 11:23 PM
23:23 11:23 PM
Same time as Saraburi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,900
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saraburi Koh Phangan 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Saraburi
  • 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
Saraburi vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Saraburi and in Koh Phangan?
Saraburi and Koh Phangan differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $1,024 including rent). Saraburi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 57% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Saraburi and in Koh Phangan?
Rent for a central apartment: $428 in Saraburi versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Koh Phangan pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more expensive overall: Saraburi or Koh Phangan?
All in, you'll spend $782 per month in Saraburi versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $782 in Saraburi versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Saraburi but tight or insufficient in Koh Phangan. The gap between the two cities makes Saraburi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Saraburi and Koh Phangan?
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.
Is Saraburi or Koh Phangan safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Saraburi 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.
Where should expats move: Saraburi or Koh Phangan?
Expats usually find Saraburi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Koh Phangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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