Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saraburi and Pattaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Saraburi: $782 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pattaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Saraburi
🇹🇭 Thailand
$782
/mo nomad
Pattaya
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,041
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $782 per month in Saraburi vs $1,041 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Saraburi $782
  • Pattaya $1,041

A couple spends around $1,419 per month in Saraburi vs $1,665 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Saraburi $1,419
  • Pattaya $1,665

A family of three spends $2,056 per month in Saraburi vs $2,288 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Saraburi $2,056
  • Pattaya $2,288

Saraburi is about 25% cheaper than Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Saraburi and Pattaya are more affordable than the global median – Saraburi 42% lower, Pattaya 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.17 ฿206
$3.37 ฿113
83.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.93 ฿900
$35.40 ฿1,183
-23.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ฿215
$8.86 ฿296
-27.43%
Cappuccino
$2.28 ฿76.2
$2.06 ฿68.7
10.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.15
$0.71 ฿23.64
-7.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 ฿7.99
$0.31 ฿10.40
-22.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 ฿66.6
$2.36 ฿78.9
-15.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ฿106
$2.64 ฿88.1
20.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 ฿50.3
$1.78 ฿59.6
-15.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 ฿37.35
$1.46 ฿48.90
-23.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.47
$1.40 ฿46.70
-5.00%
Eggs
$1.96 ฿65.5
$2.19 ฿73.2
-10.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.86 ฿563
$15.22 ฿509
10.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.57 ฿86.0
$2.61 ฿87.2
-1.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.89 ฿331
$10.15 ฿339
-2.56%
Apples (1kg)
$5.15 ฿172
$3.43 ฿114
50.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.7
$1.22 ฿40.71
39.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 ฿69.4
$1.88 ฿62.7
10.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.90 ฿63.5
$1.98 ฿66.2
-4.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.1
$1.20 ฿40.24
25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.07 ฿35.81
$1.03 ฿34.43
3.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.51
$1.26 ฿42.21
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.45 ฿14.97
8.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$4.42 ฿148
0.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.05 ฿703
$18.04 ฿603
16.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 ฿55.4
$1.76 ฿58.8
-5.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ฿93.5
$2.99 ฿100
-6.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 ฿30.05
$0.63 ฿20.89
42.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.40 ฿648
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 ฿34.98
$1.30 ฿43.48
-19.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 ฿38.75
$1.13 ฿37.63
2.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.03 ฿202
$3.55 ฿119
69.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ฿46.57
$1.48 ฿49.47
-6.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.9K ฿765.9K
$46.4K ฿1.5M
-50.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.8K ฿962.3K
$26.3K ฿878.9K
9.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.9 ฿2,737
$93.7 ฿3,132
-12.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.58 ฿387
$11.55 ฿386
0.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.63 ฿556
$19.15 ฿640
-13.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.66 ฿1,426
$41.86 ฿1,399
1.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.23 ฿476
$21.27 ฿711
-33.10%
Cinema Ticket
$6.73 ฿225
$7.64 ฿255
-11.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$581 ฿19.4K
$613 ฿20.5K
-5.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,594 ฿220.4K
$14.4K ฿480.0K
-54.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 ฿1,712
$51.3 ฿1,714
-0.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.84 ฿997
$29.14 ฿974
2.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.0 ฿2,572
$94.6 ฿3,160
-18.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.5 ฿2,589
$75.0 ฿2,507
3.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$428 ฿14.3K
$564 ฿18.8K
-24.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$124 ฿4,154
$374 ฿12.5K
-66.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 ฿39.1K
$1,521 ฿50.8K
-23.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$602 ฿20.1K
$791 ฿26.4K
-23.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,682 ฿56.2K
$2,560 ฿85.6K
-34.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,662 ฿55.6K
$1,428 ฿47.7K
16.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saraburi
Pattaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$453 ฿15.1K
$453 ฿15.1K
0.08%
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 Saraburi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Saraburi
$259
Pattaya
$245 5.6% $14
Accommodation & Living
Saraburi
$124
Pattaya
$374 201% $250
Eating Out
Saraburi
$116
Pattaya
$99 14.3% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saraburi
$110
Pattaya
$124 13% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Saraburi
$106
Pattaya
$113 6.2% $6.5
Sport & Entertainment
Saraburi
$56
Pattaya
$57 1.8% $1
Getting Around
Saraburi
$10 *
Pattaya
$29 176% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Saraburi 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 0% higher in Saraburi, 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 $27.00 in Saraburi versus $35.00 in Pattaya. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Saraburi vs $245 in Pattaya – so Pattaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Saraburi
🇹🇭 Pattaya
🕒 Local time
23:22 11:22 PM
23:22 11:22 PM
Same time as Saraburi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
61,900
119,532
💱 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 Pattaya 180 km
From you
  • Saraburi
  • 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
Saraburi vs Pattaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Saraburi or Pattaya?
Pattaya costs about 33% more than Saraburi, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Saraburi and in Pattaya?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Saraburi and $1,562 in Pattaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Saraburi or Pattaya?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saraburi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Saraburi compared to Pattaya?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $782 in Saraburi and $1,041 in Pattaya. That's a gap of about 33%.
How do childcare costs compare in Saraburi and in Pattaya?
Kindergarten costs $581 per month in Saraburi and $613 in Pattaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Saraburi or in Pattaya?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saraburi, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Saraburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Saraburi or Pattaya?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saraburi costs $782 versus $1,041 in Pattaya. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Saraburi compared to Pattaya?
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.
Should I move to Saraburi or to Pattaya?
If budget matters most, go with Saraburi. 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.

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