Cost of Living in Koh Samui, 🇹🇭 Thailand - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $853 $548 $1,371 $259 $97

Utilities $107 $137 $259 $37 —

Internet & Mobile $46 $37 $67 $20 $2

Groceries $91 $305 $731 $152 $8

Transportation $137 $107 $366 $46 $24

Dining Out $548 $274 $609 $91 $55

Leisure Activities $244 $152 $457 $30 $37

Health Insurance $76 $122 $426 $15 $5

Visa & Legal Fees $61 $58 $183 — —

Total $2,163 $1,740 $4,469 $650 $228

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $563.52 per month

Coworking Space $197.99 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,370.72 per month

Coliving Space $852.89 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $2.89 per cup

Beer $2.59 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $3.66 per meal

Fast Food Combo $7.62 per meal

Apples $3.35 per kg

Bread $1.68 per loaf

Milk $1.83 per liter

Rice $1.37 per kg

Chicken Fillets $6.40 per kg

Beef $16.75 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $22.85 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $45.69 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.61 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $6.09 per trip

Taxi per km $1.52 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $45.69 per month

Gasoline $1.28 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $10.66 per trip

Scooter Rental $106.61 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $18.28 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $22.85 per month

Gym Membership $67.01 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $15.23 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $15.20 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $7.62 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $67.01 per pair

Summer Dress $36.55 per dress

Running Shoes $97.47 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $13.71 per visit

Laundry $1.52 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $54.83 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $5.48 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 32.8295 THB

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Koh Samui cost of living