Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $776 a month against $992 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
Learn more

East London Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat Thani and in East London

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 East London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $776 per month in Surat Thani vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Surat Thani $776
East London $992

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Surat Thani vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Surat Thani $1,415
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $2,054 per month in Surat Thani vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Surat Thani $2,054
East London $2,230

Surat Thani is about 22% cheaper than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Surat Thani and East London are more affordable than the global median – Surat Thani 43% lower, East London 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ฿61.5

$9.10 R 151

-79.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.58 ฿592

$38.23 R 635

-54.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 ฿154

$5.57 R 92.6

-18.13%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ฿51.4

$2.05 R 34.04

-25.85%

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

$0.50 ฿16.87

$1.04 R 17.31

-51.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.59

$0.76 R 12.68

-59.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ฿87.6

$2.69 R 44.65

-3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 ฿129

$3.21 R 53.3

19.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ฿56.6

$1.18 R 19.68

42.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ฿41.58

$0.87 R 14.52

41.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.44 R 23.95

-18.06%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿62.1

$2.27 R 37.77

-18.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.52 ฿658

$8.37 R 139

133.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ฿113

$5.49 R 91.3

-38.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ฿257

$6.71 R 111

13.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 ฿97.5

$1.46 R 24.28

97.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.53 R 25.41

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿59.2

$1.63 R 27.14

7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.43 R 23.83

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.53

$1.68 R 27.86

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.01

$1.43 R 23.71

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.56

$1.17 R 19.46

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.73

$0.95 R 15.80

-53.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ฿102

$2.89 R 48.02

4.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.29 ฿616

$4.70 R 78.1

289.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ฿53.7

$1.19 R 19.78

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.3

$0.98 R 16.36

79.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ฿35.64

$1.47 R 24.50

-27.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.00 ฿707

$46.85 R 778

-55.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿41.26

$1.22 R 20.28

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ฿22.45

$0.46 R 7.58

45.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ฿121

$8.38 R 139

-57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿39.16

$1.35 R 22.42

-14.07%

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

$26.4K ฿890.5K

$34.7K R 576.1K

-23.76%

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

$26.8K ฿903.6K

$29.3K R 486.5K

-8.41%

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

$73.3 ฿2,469

$122 R 2,032

-40.06%

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

$11.14 ฿375

$32.64 R 542

-65.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.03 ฿574

$44.35 R 737

-61.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 ฿1,590

$39.51 R 656

19.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.46 ฿453

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 ฿154

$4.54 R 75.5

0.66%

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

$549 ฿18.5K

$177 R 2,943

209.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿394.0K

$5,438 R 90.4K

115.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ฿2,149

$56.8 R 944

12.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ฿956

$32.80 R 545

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 ฿3,251

$73.1 R 1,214

32.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 ฿3,004

$95.2 R 1,581

-6.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 ฿7,904

$290 R 4,825

-19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 ฿4,962

$251 R 4,164

-41.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 ฿38.1K

$543 R 9,017

108.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ฿23.7K

$633 R 10.5K

10.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,951 ฿65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,448 ฿48.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 26, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$246 31.7%

East London

$180 18.1% 27% $66

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$147 19%

East London

$251 25.3% 70.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$125 16.1%

East London

$116 11.7% 7.2% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

East London

$199 20.1% 96.4% $98

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9.1%

East London

$141 14.2% 100% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$56 7.3%

East London

$49 4.9% 13.8% $7.8

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$30 3.8%

East London

$56 5.7% 88.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in Surat Thani versus $290 in East London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Surat Thani versus $38 in East London. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Surat Thani vs $180 in East London – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

10:50 10:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

5 h behind Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

267,007

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surat Thani East London 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $776 in Surat Thani, $992 in East London – Surat Thani comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,165 per month in Surat Thani and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $235 there versus $290 in East London.

Kindergarten costs $549 per month in Surat Thani and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 27% cheaper in East London – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $776 in Surat Thani and $992 in East London, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. East London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $776 in Surat Thani to $992 in East London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.