Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yala and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $912 a month against $1,103 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
Learn more

Yala Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
Learn more

Koh Phangan Living Index

Jump to prices

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$912

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Yala versus $1,103 in Koh Phangan.

Yala $912
Koh Phangan $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,463 in Yala versus $1,874 in Koh Phangan.

Yala $1,463
Koh Phangan $1,874

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,014 in Yala versus $2,646 in Koh Phangan.

Yala $2,014
Koh Phangan $2,646

Living in Yala costs roughly 17% less than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yala 33% lower, Koh Phangan 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.46 ฿49.22

$3.88 ฿131

-62.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 ฿833

$28.98 ฿977

-14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿252

$7.88 ฿266

-4.95%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿65.9

$2.46 ฿83.0

-20.33%

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

$0.53 ฿17.88

$0.80 ฿27.01

-33.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ฿5.88

$0.44 ฿14.87

-61.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿71.1

$2.25 ฿75.9

-6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.26 ฿110

-10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿58.0

$1.59 ฿53.5

8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿47.03

$1.38 ฿46.50

1.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.16

$1.44 ฿48.40

-9.03%

Eggs

$1.99 ฿67.0

$2.00 ฿67.2

-0.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ฿567

$18.46 ฿622

-8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.3

$3.29 ฿111

-18.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ฿347

$10.67 ฿360

-3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$2.72 ฿91.6

5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.45

$1.54 ฿51.9

-31.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.6

$2.07 ฿69.7

6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ฿65.5

$1.93 ฿65.1

0.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.1

$1.44 ฿48.53

5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.53

$1.23 ฿41.59

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.82

$1.07 ฿35.92

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.57

$0.48 ฿16.02

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.04 ฿136

6.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿601

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.8

$1.70 ฿57.4

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.4

$2.65 ฿89.4

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.57

$1.32 ฿44.55

-56.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.08 ฿1,654

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.05

$2.61 ฿88.1

-55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 ฿39.52

$0.96 ฿32.37

21.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.91 ฿199

$3.32 ฿112

78.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.38

$1.33 ฿44.90

6.02%

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

$26.9K ฿907.5K

$23.5K ฿793.5K

14.36%

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

$26.8K ฿902.8K

$23.7K ฿797.8K

13.16%

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

$84.3 ฿2,841

$98.0 ฿3,304

-13.99%

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

$12.13 ฿409

$11.12 ฿375

9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 ฿635

$16.94 ฿571

11.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.71 ฿1,608

$67.7 ฿2,281

-29.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.35 ฿450

$10.81 ฿364

23.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ฿223

$7.68 ฿259

-13.93%

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

$581 ฿19.6K

$478 ฿16.1K

21.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿366.0K

$11.6K ฿390.9K

-6.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.99 ฿1,685

$62.1 ฿2,093

-19.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.59 ฿997

$28.52 ฿961

3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 ฿2,588

$96.0 ฿3,236

-20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ฿2,536

$86.5 ฿2,915

-13.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.7K

$498 ฿16.8K

-12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$348 ฿11.7K

-13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 ฿38.1K

$1,349 ฿45.5K

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 ฿23.0K

$1,007 ฿34.0K

-32.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 ฿64.3K

$2,927 ฿98.6K

-34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,461 ฿49.2K

$2,098 ฿70.7K

-30.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$724 ฿24.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Yala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yala

$301 32.9%

Koh Phangan

$348 31.6% 15.8% $47

Groceries & Markets

Yala

$245 26.9%

Koh Phangan

$254 23.1% 3.7% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yala

$115 12.6%

Koh Phangan

$126 11.4% 9.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Yala

$104 11.4%

Koh Phangan

$123 11.1% 17.9% $19

Eating Out

Yala

$77 8.4%

Koh Phangan

$107 9.7% 39.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Yala

$61 6.7%

Koh Phangan

$83 7.5% 36.3% $22

Getting Around

Yala

$9.4 * 1%

Koh Phangan

$62 5.6% 561% $52

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 $437 in Yala and $498 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Yala vs $29 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $254 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Yala

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

Same time as Yala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,617

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yala Koh Phangan 380 km

From you

Yala
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

Yala vs Koh Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $912 in Yala and $1,103 in Koh Phangan, so Yala is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,369 in Yala and $1,654 in Koh Phangan 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: $437 in Yala versus $498 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Koh Phangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $912 per month in Yala versus $1,103 in Koh Phangan – Yala is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Yala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Yala and Koh Phangan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.