Thinking of Moving to Koh Samui? Here's What Life Really Costs in 2025 – Gym, Groceries & More
🏝️ Cost of Living on Koh Samui – 2025 Guide
Thinking of trading rush hour for sunsets and scooters? You’re not alone. Koh Samui continues to attract digital nomads, retirees, and lifestyle-seekers looking for a slower pace — but what does it really cost to live here?
Here’s a breakdown based on our personal experience and current local prices.
💡 Currency tip: For NZD, take a zero off and halve it.
E.g. 80 Baht = ~$4 NZD.
For USD, take a zero off, then divide by 3.
🥘 Food & Groceries
Local Thai food is incredibly affordable. A meal at a roadside eatery or night market costs 60–80 THB ($3–$4 NZD). Western-style cafés and restaurants are pricier, ranging from 200–500 THB per meal, though you can pay much more if you want to. One steakhouse in Fisherman’s Village charges 4,000 Baht for a steak (around $200 NZD). No — we haven’t eaten there.
Groceries vary depending on your habits. Fresh produce, chicken, pork, and fish are good value. Beef and lamb are expensive, even compared to NZ. Milk, cheese, butter, and bread are also costly — mostly imported or made for expats.
Beer is reasonably priced. Wine, on the other hand, can be 50–100% more expensive than back home.
We average one restaurant or takeaway meal a day — it’s often cheaper than cooking. Our grocery bill is around 5,000 THB/month, or ~$60/week NZD, and when you include eating out, it's more like $200/week.
🔍 Insider tip: Samui’s Makro is your friend for bulk buys on meat, fish, and veggies.
🏠 Rent & Property Costs
Rental prices vary widely based on location, size, and view. Here’s a rough guide:
🛏️ 1-bed apartment (long-term): 8,000–15,000 THB/month
🏡 2–3 bed villa with pool: 25,000–70,000 THB/month
🌊 Luxury villas: 80,000+ THB/month
Buying property?
Foreigners can’t own land directly, but you can buy condos under the foreigner quota, or lease land for villas.
🔑 Condo (foreigner quota): 2M–6M THB
🌴 Villa (leasehold or Thai company structure): 5M–25M+ THB
Rates (as in council rates) are nearly nonexistent. We pay an annual land/building tax of around 6,000 THB ($300 NZD). House insurance is about 12,000 THB/year ($600 NZD).
Rubbish collection, done several times a week, costs 2,400 THB/year ($2/week).
📚 Tip: Always use a lawyer who understands Thai property law — it's not the same playbook as back home.
⛽ Fuel & Transport
⛽ Petrol: ~40 THB/litre (Diesel is ~33 THB/litre). No road user charges like in NZ — roughly half the cost.
🛵 Scooter rental: 2,500–3,500 THB/month
🚗 Car rental: 15,000–30,000 THB/month
🚕 Grab/taxi ride (short trip): 100–400 THB
We bought both a scooter and a double-cab ute.
Our ute cost 560,000 Baht (~$27K NZD)
The scooter was 80,000 Baht (~$4K NZD)
Car insurance: ~12,000 THB/year ($600 NZD)
Scooter insurance: ~5,000 THB/year ($250 NZD)
🚌 Note: There’s no public transport. Most expats drive or ride.
🩺 Health & Insurance
Thailand has world-class private hospitals, and Samui offers everything from walk-in clinics to full hospitals.
👨⚕️ GP visit: 200–1,500 THB (typically ~200 for a local clinic visit)
🦷 Dental clean: 800–1,200 THB
👑 Crown (real example): 18,000 THB (~$900 NZD)
💊 Health insurance: 25,000–80,000 THB/year, depending on age and cover
Generally, we walk in and see a doctor within 30 minutes.
Medical tourism is big here — people fly in for dental and cosmetic surgery.
💡 Utilities
⚡ Electricity: 2,000–8,000 THB/month
(We average 6,000 Baht — using aircon nightly and running the pool)🚿 Water: 100–300 THB/month
🌐 Internet (1Gb/500Mb fibre): 750 THB/month
📱 Mobile plan:
We use AIS — 900 THB for 6 months with a 100GB data cap (~150 THB/month or $7 NZD).
All calls go via WhatsApp or other data apps.
🏋️ Gym & Wellness
Gym Memberships
Gyms on Samui range from open-air sweatboxes to luxury air-conditioned clubs with ocean views. Expect to pay 1,000–2,500 THB/month depending on the setup, gear, and whether you want classes included.
Yoga & Pilates
Yoga & Pilates classes are reasonably widely available - from beachside shalas to full-service wellness resorts.
Drop-in yoga typically costs 300–700 THB per session. Multi-class passes or unlimited monthly deals can bring that down to 200–500 THB per class. Pilates Reformer sessions are pricier, from 650 THB (group) to 3,500 THB (private).
Monthly unlimited yoga at Vikasa: 4,000 THB
At Absolute Sanctuary: 7,000–10,000 THB for yoga or Pilates
Padel Tennis & Pickleball
Padel Tennis & Pickleball are gaining traction, especially at indoor clubs like Padel & Play. Expect 400–600 THB/hour for tennis or pickleball, and 600–1,200 THB/hour for padel court hire. Prepaid memberships can shave 20–25% off if you’re a regular.
Thai / Oil Massage
Massage Therapy is one of Thailand’s great gifts to the world. A solid Thai massage starts at 350 THB, while oil massages and spa treatments range from 800–1,200 THB. At those prices, we’ve made it a weekly habit — for health, obviously.
🧘 Wellness Summary Table
ActivityPrice (THB)
Gym membership 1,000–2,500/month
Yoga (drop-in) 300–700/class
Private yoga - 1,200–3,200/hour
Pilates group - 650–1,300 (drop-in), 10,000/month unlimited
Private Pilates~3,500/session
Padel court hire 600–1,200/hour
Tennis/pickleball 400–600/hour
Tennis club gym1,000/month (day passes available)
🎓 Schooling (if relevant)
If you’ve got kids, there are a few international schools to consider:
ISS (International School of Samui): 300,000–500,000 THB/year
PBISS / Greenacre: ~200,000–300,000 THB/year
We don’t have school-age kids here, so do your own due diligence on curriculum and fees.
🧾 So, What’s the Bottom Line?
Here’s a monthly estimate for a couple living comfortably in a rented villa:
Expense
THB/month
Rent (2-bed villa)
30,000
Food & groceries
15,000
Utilities & internet
6,000
Fuel & transport
2,000
Health insurance
5,000
Extras & fun
10,000
Total
68,000 THB (~$3,500 NZD/month)
If you own your property, that drops dramatically — but of course, there’s the upfront capital cost.
✈️ Final Thoughts from the Island
If you own a home here, the cost of living is excellent for the lifestyle you get in return. If you’re renting, it can still be affordable, but rent will be your biggest expense. That’s also why investment properties here can return 8–10% (and more) per year.
Koh Samui offers a lifestyle that’s hard to beat: warm weather, great food, and a community of people who’ve chosen life over grind. But it’s not all hammock naps and happy hour. Do your homework, visit before you commit, and always budget for the unexpected.
We’ve lived here. We’ve eaten the budget noodles and splashed out on the beachfront brunches. If you’re considering the move or have questions, just drop me a message. I’ll be happy to help if I can.
