Cost of living comparison

compared to

Koh Samui vs. Quito Cost of Living Summary

Koh Samui is 21.5% more expensive than Quito.

Restaurants
pay 19.8% less in Koh Samui
Groceries
pay 24.4% more in Koh Samui
Transportation
pay 53.7% more in Koh Samui
Housing
pay 60.1% more in Koh Samui
Childcare
pay 18.7% less in Koh Samui
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.6% less in Koh Samui
Clothing
pay 30.7% less in Koh Samui

The cost of housing, transportation, and groceries in Koh Samui are more expensive than in Quito. Expenses including clothing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Koh Samui.

Koh Samui vs. Quito Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Koh Samui instead of Quito, you would:

pay 19.8% less for restaurants

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $6.00
 
$4.46
THB149.58
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.67
 
$8.62
THB289.18
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.40
 
$0.92
THB30.81

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pay 24.4% more for groceries

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Bread
1 loaf
$1.57
 
$1.42
THB47.75
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.21
 
$9.70
THB325.43
Milk (1 gallon) $4.29
 
$5.59
THB187.48

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pay 53.7% more for transportation

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.17
 
$5.41
THB181.64
Monthly public transit pass $21.00
 
$44.56
THB1,495.76
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,000.00
 
$26,737.57
THB897K

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pay 60.1% more for housing

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.45
 
$17.15
THB575.63
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $482.78
 
$842.23
THB28,269.80
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $313.44
 
$391.56
THB13,142.72

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pay 18.7% less for childcare

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $743.00
 
$555.38
THB18,641.56
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,951.43
 
$7,921.52
THB266K

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pay 22.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.50
 
$2.38
THB79.77
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.38
 
$2.14
THB71.67
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$6.00
 
$4.33
THB145.19

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pay 30.7% less for clothing

 
Quito
Koh Samui
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$70.10
 
$41.59
THB1,396.04
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$49.62
 
$28.69
THB963.11
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$115.66
 
$95.68
THB3,211.43

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this

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