Cost of living Samui
So, you want to come and live on Samui? Your first question is probably; how much is the cost of living on Samui, right? Well, it depends of course on what sort of life-style you can afford as Samui is after all a tourist destination and many of the places cater strictly to the vacationers’ free spending. It is possible, however, to escape all that, and there is a sizeable ex-pat community who know where to shop, eat and relax cheaply.
However, Samui certainly isn’t one of the cheapest places to ‘retire’ in Thailand and because it’s an island, prices are generally higher than on the mainland. Unlike Phuket it doesn’t support a regular Thai industry. It may seem like paradise but you might find that some services are limited and therefore cost a premium. There are some foreigners who ‘disappear’ into the Thai environment of Na Thon town or the island’s farmer community on the south of the island; they get by on very little but have easy access to the rest of the island’s beauty. The beaches, after all, are always free.
Living on Koh Samui will vary in cost depending on your lifestyle and the standard of living you want to experience. At the lowest end of the scale it is possible to live on around 15,000 Baht a month ($250) but this will mean living in a small house, eating local cuisine and being conservative with your social habits.
Socialising can soon see your carefully worked budget fall by the wayside though. Your average monthly expenditure will likely be the best indicator to how your party life is coming along. A reasonably average monthly outgoing would probably be around 30,000 baht. This should be enough to rent a one bedroom house with air-con, hot water and TV – away from the beaches, rent a scooter for transportation and leave enough cash to eat a good varied diet and give you some pocket money for a few nights out a week. However, many find it easy to burn 50,000-60,000 Baht a month with regular visits to Western bars and restaurants quickly racking up.
At the top end, the sky really is the limit. There are some truly luxurious properties for rent, and living expenses could go through the roof if you decide to sample all of the world-class restaurants on the island. Daytime activities range from free strolls on the beach or sun worshipping, to more expensive pursuits such as a round of golf, or a trip scuba diving the beautiful coral reefs of the neighbouring islands.
Once again, as always with Koh Samui, the choices are limitless, even if your budget isn’t.
As a general indication, here are the prices of some typical items:
- A litre of petrol: (30 – 35 baht depending where you fill up!)
- Half a dozen beers in a supermarket: 150 – 200 baht
- Dozen eggs: 35 baht, litre of milk: 40 baht, loaf of bread: 30 baht
- T-shirts at a night market: 100 – 150 baht
- Modest designer label jeans in a Chaweng boutique: 1000 baht+
- Simple noodle dish at a roadside café: 30 baht
- Thai meal in a modest tourist restaurant: 50 – 80 baht
- Western dish in an average restaurant: 200 – 350 baht
- Taxi fare: minimum 200 baht (Samui is poor value for taxis due to the local mafia!)
- Consultation fee for a visit to the local hospital: 200 baht
- Basic medical insurance: 10,000 baht per year with Bupa Blue Cross.
- New desktop computer (latest common spec): 20,000 baht or less
- DVD rentals: 50 baht per movie
- Broadband internet: 1000 baht for 1mb speed, per month
Updated: January 2010
The other option if you decide to live full time in Thailand is to set up a Thai company, which will allow the property to be bought outright.
The Samui property scandal
Everywhere in Thailand that has proved popular with foreigners, there has been a lucrative land grab that has made some local tycoons exceedingly rich quickly. Samui is the latest trendy island on which to buy a villa and the market has seen big demand which has resulted in some dodgy deals that have given the island a shady reputation. Although there are plenty of honest developers and realtors on the island, it came to light in mid-2006 that one company had seriously encroached on public land and was openly advertising plots. This isn’t unusual among locals with access to corrupt land officials but it co-incided with a government crack-down on foreigners setting up ghost companies with the express intent of owning land. Since then they’ve become very strict with this popular method for circumventing restrictions on freehold ownership and it’s had a huge impact of the villa property industry. Meanwhile Samui seemed to be at the forefront of negative publicity over sleazy deals. Since then developers have devised new long-term lease-hold structures, but it’s wise to thoroughly check the background of the property arrangement, and to even check the background of your lawyer to be sure.
