Earn Here, Spend ThereWhat is this money worth over there?
KOOpen app
Journey will show you around
City pricesDaily travel budget & monthly costPrice mapTap a city, see it in your moneyTrip budgetPlan a multi-city trip budgetTravel difficultyEasiest & hardest cities to travelCompareTwo cities side by sideBlogTravel money stories & rankingsCurrencyQuick conversion tablesExpense trackerLog trip costs from a receiptPopular cities
Compare cities โบ Koh Samui vs Tongyeong
Koh Samui vs Tongyeong cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐น๐ญ Koh Samui
๐ฐ๐ท TongyeongKoh Samui is 17% cheaper than Tongyeong
Living on $1,942 a month in Koh Samui feels like about $1,855 in Tongyeong โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Koh Samui 17tie 0Tongyeong 3
One day's budget in Tongyeong ($140) lasts 1.4 days in Koh Samui
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$96.4 vs $140
Per month
$1,942 vs $1,855
Local meal
เธฟ 120 vs โฉ 10,000
$3.64 vs $7.25
Taxi 5 km
เธฟ 150 vs โฉ 7,300
$4.55 vs $5.29
At a glance
FoodKoh Samui 42% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksKoh Samui 22% cheaper
Transportsimilar
Staysimilar
FunKoh Samui 63% cheaper
- Where Tongyeong is clearly cheaper: Half-day tour (60%โ), Studio rent (month) (40%โ), Transit (23%โ)
- Where Koh Samui is clearly cheaper: Laundry (77%โ), Entry ticket (75%โ), Massage (72%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Koh Samui to see what gives the same standard of living in Tongyeong. Starts at the average Koh Samui salary.
Travel difficulty
Koh Samui
Tongyeong
Overall
Moderate2.8
Easy1.8
Rip-offs & haggling
4
1
Language
3
4
Getting around
3
2
Payments
2
1
Safety
2
1
Tongyeong is easier to travel (1.8 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Koh Samui 4 vs Tongyeong 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Koh Samui | Tongyeong | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | เธฟ 120$3.64 | โฉ 10,000$7.25 | Koh Samui โ50% |
| Street food1 item | เธฟ 70$2.12 | โฉ 4,000$2.9 | Koh Samui โ27% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | เธฟ 400$12.1 | โฉ 30,000$21.7 | Koh Samui โ44% |
| Coffeeone cup | เธฟ 90$2.73 | โฉ 5,000$3.62 | Koh Samui โ25% |
| Beerone bottle | เธฟ 100$3.03 | โฉ 5,000$3.62 | Koh Samui โ16% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | เธฟ 220$6.67 | โฉ 12,000$8.7 | Koh Samui โ23% |
| Bottled water | เธฟ 10$0.3 | โฉ 1,100$0.8 | Koh Samui โ62% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | เธฟ 30$0.91 | โฉ 2,000$1.45 | Koh Samui โ37% |
| Taxi5 km in town | เธฟ 150$4.55 | โฉ 7,300$5.29 | Koh Samui โ14% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | เธฟ 100$3.03 | โฉ 4,600$3.33 | Koh Samui โ9% |
| Transitone ride | เธฟ 50$1.52 | โฉ 1,600$1.16 | Tongyeong โ23% |
| Scooter rentalper day | เธฟ 250$7.58 | โฉ 15,000$10.9 | Koh Samui โ30% |
| Hotel night3-star | เธฟ 1,800$54.5 | โฉ 100,000$72.5 | Koh Samui โ25% |
| Studio rent (month) | เธฟ 16,000$485 | โฉ 400,000$290 | Tongyeong โ40% |
| Laundry | เธฟ 50$1.52 | โฉ 9,000$6.52 | Koh Samui โ77% |
| SIM card1 week data | เธฟ 299$9.06 | โฉ 30,000$21.7 | Koh Samui โ58% |
| Haircutcut | เธฟ 150$4.55 | โฉ 13,000$9.42 | Koh Samui โ52% |
| Massage1 hour | เธฟ 400$12.1 | โฉ 60,000$43.5 | Koh Samui โ72% |
| Half-day tourper person | เธฟ 1,200$36.4 | โฉ 20,000$14.5 | Tongyeong โ60% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | เธฟ 100$3.03 | โฉ 17,000$12.3 | Koh Samui โ75% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
Open free โบ
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Koh Samui or Tongyeong?
Koh Samui is 17% cheaper than Tongyeong. Daily budget $96.4 vs $140; a month $1,942 vs $1,855.
Which is easier to travel, Koh Samui or Tongyeong?
Tongyeong is easier: Tongyeong 1.8/5 vs Koh Samui 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Koh Samui and Tongyeong?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Koh Samui is about $1,942 and Tongyeong about $1,855 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.
Related comparisons
๐น๐ญ Bangkok vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui๐ฐ๐ท Busan vs ๐ฐ๐ท Tongyeong๐น๐ญ Chiang Mai vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui๐จ๐ณ Chengdu vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui๐ฐ๐ท Daegu vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui๐ฐ๐ท Daegu vs ๐ฐ๐ท Tongyeong๐ฐ๐ท Daejeon vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui๐ป๐ณ Da Nang vs ๐น๐ญ Koh Samui