Cost of living comparison
compared to
Koh Samui vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Koh Samui is 39.6% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 64.2% less in Koh Samui
- Groceries
-
pay 32.0% less in Koh Samui
- Transportation
-
pay 9.3% less in Koh Samui
- Housing
-
pay 65.2% less in Koh Samui
- Childcare
-
pay 48.8% less in Koh Samui
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 51.1% less in Koh Samui
- Clothing
-
pay 6.8% less in Koh Samui
Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, childcare, groceries, and transportation are lower in Koh Samui.
Koh Samui vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Koh Samui instead of United States, you would:
pay 64.2% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$3.10
THB97.69
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$8.99
THB283.30
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$0.71
THB22.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$0.38
THB11.87
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of restaurants
pay 32.0% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$1.73
THB54.35
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$8.53
THB268.74
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$6.58
THB207.35
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$2.28
THB71.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$1.07
THB33.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.51
THB47.56
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.56
THB17.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.03
THB32.51
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$0.98
THB30.87
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.73
THB22.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.63
THB19.87
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of groceries
pay 9.3% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$5.04
THB158.62
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$46.52
THB1,465.36
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$27,911.74
THB879,217.93
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$10.30
THB324.33
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of transportation
pay 65.2% less for housing
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$17.79
THB560.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$554.27
THB17,459.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$413.51
THB13,025.45
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$76.59
THB2,412.63
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of housing
pay 48.8% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$623.36
THB19,635.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$13,335.61
THB420,070.79
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of childcare
pay 51.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$2.17
THB68.38
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$2.31
THB72.66
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$4.34
THB136.77
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$34.11
THB1,074.60
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$7.13
THB224.69
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.8% less for clothing
|
United States
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$52.72
THB1,660.74
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$29.92
THB942.55
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$102.34
THB3,223.80
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$90.82
THB2,860.95
|
|
United States vs. Koh Samui - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Thailand.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Thailand.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Koh Samui or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.