Living in Koh Samui: what it really costs, and what you get for it

No stories about "living like a king on $500 a month". This is what we see here after 11 years of real estate and construction on the island.

Aviram Savir, A.B Capital · Koh Samui

Almost every conversation with someone dreaming of moving to Thailand starts the same way: "I heard everything there costs half." So let's be honest. Koh Samui is not the cheap part of Thailand. It is the upscale, beachfront part of the country, and on top of that it is an island, so everything arrives by ferry.

But the right question is not "how much does it cost", it is "what do you get for the same money". And there, the difference is huge.

Housing: a villa instead of a city apartment

For roughly what a family pays in many Western or Israeli cities for a 3-bedroom apartment in a shared building, around 2,000 to 2,500 US dollars a month, you can rent a real villa here: 250 to 300 square meters built, a private pool, a large garden and room for dogs. Not on the waterfront and not with a sea view, because those push the price up a lot, but a good villa, built to a high standard, in a good location.

A word about the word "villa". On Facebook you will see plenty of "villas" at prices that sound great. Some were built in four or five months, to a standard you cannot see in photos: plumbing, electrics, waterproofing and water. After 11 years of building here, we know the difference between a house and a shed. That deserves an article of its own.

What you do not pay here at all

There are no municipal property taxes for tenants and no building committee fees. Money that leaves your account every month back home simply stays with you.

Electricity: why the price differs from place to place

The official utility rate is around 5 baht per kWh, but as a tenant you will rarely pay it. In most projects the utility installs one meter at the entrance, and everything else is on the owner: transformers, underground cables, a meter for each house and a backup generator. So owners charge their own rate, and that is completely legal.

We, for example, charge 7 baht per kWh. Koh Samui has many power cuts and our generator runs quite a lot. Its diesel alone costs us 20,000 to 30,000 baht a month. Some places charge more with no backup at all. So when you rent, the first question is: how much per kWh, and what happens when the power goes out.

Supermarkets and food

The big supermarkets, such as Makro, are open every day from 6 in the morning until 11 at night, and they have everything. Imported products, European cheeses and cold cuts are easy to find, at prices similar to home. Local products cost much less.

A few examples from this week: a whole grilled chicken, seasoned and delicious, about 700 to 800 grams, costs 119 baht. For a couple that is lunch for two days. Chicken and pork are very cheap, beef costs more. A liter of milk is 47 baht. Eggs, oil, rice and all the basics are much cheaper than in Israel or Europe.

Eating out: a full Thai meal, fresh and clean, costs 70 to 80 baht. And if you want a steak that costs close to 200 dollars, there are restaurants for that too.

Fuel

A liter of fuel here costs about half of what it costs in Israel.

One word about getting around, because it matters: do not ride a motorbike. We see accidents here every day, and a foreigner who gets hurt pays dearly, in health and in money. Rent a car, or buy one. More on that in a separate article.

The bottom line

For about the rent of a city apartment, you live in a villa with a pool. No property tax and no building fees, cheaper food and fuel, and no traffic jams, no sirens and no bomb shelters. The biggest worry here is whether it will rain.

It does not mean you need less money each month. It means that for the same money, you live a completely different life.