Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Bangkok

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,112 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat Thani and in Bangkok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,112 in Bangkok.

Surat Thani $775
Bangkok $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Surat Thani versus $1,788 in Bangkok.

Surat Thani $1,414
Bangkok $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,053 in Surat Thani versus $2,464 in Bangkok.

Surat Thani $2,053
Bangkok $2,464

Living in Surat Thani costs roughly 30% less than in Bangkok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surat Thani 43% lower, Bangkok 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$2.95 ฿98.7

-35.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$35.13 ฿1,174

-49.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$7.33 ฿245

-38.47%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.73 ฿91.3

-45.05%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$0.62 ฿20.78

-19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$0.36 ฿12.17

-19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$2.63 ฿87.9

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$4.35 ฿145

-15.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.85 ฿61.8

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$1.51 ฿50.5

-21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$1.34 ฿44.72

-12.69%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$2.62 ฿87.4

-28.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$17.10 ฿572

12.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$3.67 ฿123

-9.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$12.83 ฿429

-42.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$3.73 ฿125

-21.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.74 ฿58.2

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$2.79 ฿93.2

-36.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.88 ฿62.9

9.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$1.75 ฿58.4

-25.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$1.49 ฿49.68

-8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.24 ฿41.51

-10.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$0.55 ฿18.22

-25.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$4.73 ฿158

-35.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$15.10 ฿505

24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$1.77 ฿59.0

-12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$3.18 ฿106

-42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.11 ฿37.19

-8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$34.46 ฿1,152

-39.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$1.06 ฿35.47

11.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$1.15 ฿38.60

-45.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$5.81 ฿194

-39.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$1.41 ฿47.14

-17.73%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-16.10%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$26.6K ฿887.8K

2.68%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$108 ฿3,612

-32.53%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$15.14 ฿506

-26.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$18.15 ฿607

-4.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$55.6 ฿1,857

-13.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$18.54 ฿620

-37.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$7.82 ฿261

-42.07%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$569 ฿19.0K

-3.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$16.7K ฿557.0K

-30.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$70.9 ฿2,371

-12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$42.61 ฿1,424

-31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$101 ฿3,361

-3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$107 ฿3,560

-18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$673 ฿22.5K

-64.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$333 ฿11.1K

-55.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$1,982 ฿66.2K

-41.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$732 ฿24.5K

-3.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$6,236 ฿208.4K

-64.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$3,096 ฿103.5K

-54.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Bangkok

$272 24.5% 11.5% $28

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Bangkok

$333 30% 123% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Bangkok

$144 13% 16.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Bangkok

$141 12.7% 39.5% $40

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Bangkok

$104 9.4% 49% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Bangkok

$71 6.4% 24.3% $14

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Bangkok

$46 4.1% 55.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $237 in Surat Thani and $673 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surat Thani vs $35.00 in Bangkok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $272 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

Same time as Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

5,666,264 Capital

💱 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

Surat Thani Bangkok 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
Bangkok

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

Surat Thani vs Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani and Bangkok differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($775 vs $1,112 including rent). Surat Thani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,163 in Surat Thani and $1,669 in Bangkok to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $237 in Surat Thani versus $673 in Bangkok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Surat Thani – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $35.00 in Bangkok. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $775 per month in Surat Thani versus $1,112 in Bangkok – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,112 in Bangkok, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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, Surat Thani and Bangkok 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.