Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inKoh Samui, Thailand
Surat Thani, Thailand50KUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Christophe95
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 3.41x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Thailand: $22,432/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 63% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
2.7x further
Prices are 63% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
7.8x further
Prices are 87% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.3x further
Prices are 56% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
4.3x further
Prices are 77% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$22,432
PPP, International $
City Population
50K
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$839/mo
1BR Outside Center$425/mo
3BR City Center$1,824/mo
3BR Outside Center$1,402/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$4.56
Mid-Range (2 people)$30
Milk (1L)$1.51
Eggs (12)$2.17
Transport
Monthly Pass$46
Gasoline (1L)$1.27
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$83/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$18/mo
Education
Preschool$568/mo
Intl Primary School$8,107/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Thailand as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Koh Samui.
Quality
Limited fit for most expats
Expat access
Possible, rarely the expat choice
hardInstruction
Thai
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Thailand’s public system is not the path most expat families choose, especially if they want English-medium schooling.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Some resident families can use local public schools, but Thai-medium instruction makes it a hard fit unless the family wants full local immersion.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with registrationRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Homeschooling has been legal since the National Education Act of 1999. Families must register with the local education service area office and submit a learning plan. Annual assessments are required. Thailand has a growing homeschool/worldschool community, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Homeschool legality in Thailand — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
4 more suggested by AI, not verified
- British1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Thailand.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$550-$700
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,100-$1,350
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Koh Samui: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 20/100 (walkable core). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
20/100
mobility profile walkability mention
Airport
Samui airport and ferry access
The refreshed family mobility queue lists Koh Samui as a Thailand walkability gap; Samui Airport plus ferries form the island travel layer.
Urban transit
Songthaews, ferries, and walkable village cores
songthaewferrywalking
Daily movement is mostly road-based, but village cores, songthaews, and ferry links give families a modest non-car baseline.
Rideshare
Taxi-first, limited app coverage
Taxis and arranged rides matter more than deep open rideshare coverage, especially outside the main beach corridors.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Thailand.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
5 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
GoodGood national coverage and low out-of-pocket burden help, but doctor staffing is lighter.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage, strong public funding, and relatively low patient cost-sharing support this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
82/100
2023
Physicians
0.54/1k
2021
Hospital beds
2.39/1k
2023
Out of pocket
10%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
76.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
34/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
5.1/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 2Doctor: 2Pharmacy: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Thailand yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
โรงพยาบาลเกาะสมุย
Hospital · Emergency
Koh Samui Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
Chaweng Pharmacy 4
Pharmacy
Clinic Dr. Pisanu
Doctor
Eye Doctor
Doctor
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index74/100
Crime Index26/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.80
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Koh Samui, Thailand · Source: NSO LFS (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$1.79Estimated77% cheaper
big mac
$4.02Estimated35% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.75Estimated48% cheaper
budget hotel
$97.15Survey-verified168% more
childcare preschool
$568.37Estimated63% cheaper
cinema
$4.56Estimated72% cheaper
coca cola
$0.50Estimated77% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.17Estimated55% cheaper
gasoline liter
$34.74Survey-verified3273% more
inexpensive meal
$10.26Survey-verified51% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$18.19Estimated73% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
jeans
$30.10Estimated41% cheaper
latte
$2.37Estimated55% cheaper
luxury hotel
$97.15Survey-verified80% cheaper
mcmeal
$10.26Survey-verified1% more
milk liter
$1.51Estimated24% more
monthly pass
$34.74Survey-verified50% cheaper
nike shoes
$62.00Estimated32% cheaper
rent 1br
$581.00Survey-verified68% cheaper
rent 2br
$581.00Survey-verified86% cheaper
rent 3br
$1824.18Estimated43% cheaper
subway fare
$34.74Survey-verified1342% more
taxi km
$1.27Estimated32% cheaper
utilities basic
$82.59Estimated61% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 60 days
US passport holders can stay up to 60 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
digital nomad
Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa
60 monthsRenewableMin. $6,666.67/mo income
Migrated from legacy digital_nomad_visas row 31
retirement
Thailand Elite Privilege Card60 monthsRenewable
retirement
Thailand O-A Long Stay Visa12 monthsRenewable
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Koh Samui compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.4x further in Koh Samui than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Thailand here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Koh Samui cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Koh Samui is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 63% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Koh Samui. We are using the country-level cost index for Thailand here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Koh Samui compare with New York City?
Rent in Koh Samui is about 87% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Thailand here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Koh Samui?
Groceries in Koh Samui are about 57% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 77% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Thailand here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Koh Samui
Koh Samui is an island in Surat Thani Province on the Gulf of Thailand side of southern Thailand, with the principal urban areas hosting around 50,000 residents and a much larger seasonal tourist and expat-resident population spread along its coasts. The local economy is overwhelmingly tourism-driven, with hospitality, services, and a long-established hospital and wellness sector serving foreign patients and residents. Thai is essential, with English widely functional in tourism. Samui Airport provides domestic and regional flights operated by a single carrier, which constrains pricing relative to mainland alternatives. The climate is tropical with an unusual late-year rainy season peaking in October and November rather than the southwest monsoon. Koh Samui suits relocators wanting island living with established expat infrastructure and direct flight access.
Tropical climate with hot, humid weather year-round; monsoon season (Oct-Nov) brings heavy rainReliable 4G/5G internet infrastructure with fiber options in main areasLarge, established expat and digital nomad community with abundant coworking spacesSpread-out geography across multiple beaches; less walkable than urban areas but easily navigable by motorbikeExceptional Thai and international food scene with both street food and upscale diningWorld-famous nightlife including clubs, beach bars, and entertainment venuesMultiple coworking spaces and cafes with strong nomad networking cultureGenerally safe for tourists and expats; petty theft possible in crowded areas
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