Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surin and Pattaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Surin
🇹🇭 Thailand
$869
/mo nomad
Pattaya
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,041
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $869 per month in Surin vs $1,041 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Surin $869
  • Pattaya $1,041

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Surin vs $1,665 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Surin $1,444
  • Pattaya $1,665

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Surin vs $2,288 in Pattaya, rent included.

  • Surin $2,018
  • Pattaya $2,288

Surin is about 17% cheaper than Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Surin and Pattaya are more affordable than the global median – Surin 36% lower, Pattaya 23% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.03 ฿101
$3.37 ฿113
-10.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.70 ฿826
$35.40 ฿1,183
-30.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.23 ฿242
$8.86 ฿296
-18.40%
Cappuccino
$1.74 ฿58.3
$2.06 ฿68.7
-15.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.61 ฿20.30
$0.71 ฿23.64
-14.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.89
$0.31 ฿10.40
6.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.20 ฿73.5
$2.36 ฿78.9
-6.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 ฿114
$2.64 ฿88.1
29.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ฿52.4
$1.78 ฿59.6
-11.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 ฿43.79
$1.46 ฿48.90
-10.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 ฿48.98
$1.40 ฿46.70
5.00%
Eggs
$1.90 ฿63.5
$2.19 ฿73.2
-13.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.41 ฿582
$15.22 ฿509
14.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.48 ฿83.0
$2.61 ฿87.2
-4.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.89 ฿297
$10.15 ฿339
-12.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.57 ฿86.0
$3.43 ฿114
-25.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 ฿34.23
$1.22 ฿40.71
-16.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.48 ฿82.9
$1.88 ฿62.7
31.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.5
$1.98 ฿66.2
3.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.20
$1.20 ฿40.24
20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.95 ฿31.77
$1.03 ฿34.43
-7.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 ฿31.37
$1.26 ฿42.21
-25.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 ฿14.59
$0.45 ฿14.97
-2.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿143
$4.42 ฿148
-3.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.36 ฿547
$18.04 ฿603
-9.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 ฿52.4
$1.76 ฿58.8
-10.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 ฿100
$2.99 ฿100
0.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 ฿30.79
$0.63 ฿20.89
46.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.40 ฿648
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.37 ฿45.65
$1.30 ฿43.48
5.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.73
$1.13 ฿37.63
-10.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.04 ฿202
$3.55 ฿119
70.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 ฿45.06
$1.48 ฿49.47
-8.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.7K ฿758.4K
$46.4K ฿1.5M
-51.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K ฿904.4K
$26.3K ฿878.9K
2.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.8 ฿2,601
$93.7 ฿3,132
-16.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.53 ฿385
$11.55 ฿386
-0.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.68 ฿624
$19.15 ฿640
-2.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.58 ฿1,390
$41.86 ฿1,399
-0.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.45 ฿383
$21.27 ฿711
-46.17%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 ฿218
$7.64 ฿255
-14.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 ฿21.0K
$613 ฿20.5K
2.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K ฿405.0K
$14.4K ฿480.0K
-15.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.1 ฿1,773
$51.3 ฿1,714
3.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.95 ฿934
$29.14 ฿974
-4.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.3 ฿2,451
$94.6 ฿3,160
-22.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.0 ฿2,274
$75.0 ฿2,507
-9.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 ฿14.7K
$564 ฿18.8K
-21.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$273 ฿9,126
$374 ฿12.5K
-27.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,185 ฿39.6K
$1,521 ฿50.8K
-22.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$714 ฿23.9K
$791 ฿26.4K
-9.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,730 ฿57.8K
$2,560 ฿85.6K
-32.44%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,518 ฿50.7K
$1,428 ฿47.7K
6.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surin
Pattaya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$453 ฿15.1K
-
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 Surin: October 18, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Surin
$273
Pattaya
$374 37% $101
Groceries & Markets
Surin
$235
Pattaya
$245 4.4% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surin
$108
Pattaya
$124 15.2% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Surin
$100
Pattaya
$113 12.4% $12
Eating Out
Surin
$88
Pattaya
$99 12.4% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Surin
$55
Pattaya
$57 4.7% $2.5
Getting Around
Surin
$10 *
Pattaya
$29 185% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Surin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Surin versus $35.00 in Pattaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $245 – making Surin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Surin
🇹🇭 Pattaya
🕒 Local time
12:42 12:42 PM
12:42 12:42 PM
Same time as Surin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,104
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
  • Surin Pattaya 350 km
From you
  • Surin
  • 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
Surin vs Pattaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Surin or Pattaya?
Pattaya costs about 20% more than Surin, 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 Surin and in Pattaya?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Surin 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, Surin or Pattaya?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Surin, 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 Surin compared to Pattaya?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $869 in Surin and $1,041 in Pattaya. That's a gap of about 20%.
How do childcare costs compare in Surin and in Pattaya?
Kindergarten costs $628 per month in Surin 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 $1,000/month in Surin or in Pattaya?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Surin or Pattaya?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surin costs $869 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 Surin 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 Surin or to Pattaya?
If budget matters most, go with Surin. 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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