---
title: "Khao Lak vs Koh Samui for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/khao-lak-vs-koh-samui
description: "Under balanced weights Koh Samui edges it, 56 to 55, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Khao Lak is stronger on nothing outright; Koh Samui on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Khao Lak vs Koh Samui for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Koh Samui edges it, 56 to 55, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Khao Lak is stronger on nothing outright; Koh Samui on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Internet.** Koh Samui leads on internet, 69 to 57, against Khao Lak. Measured download: 18.3 Mbps vs 33.3 Mbps.
- **Getting there & around.** Khao Lak leads on getting there & around, 15 to 6, against Koh Samui. Non-stop airport destinations: 69 vs 10.

Where they are close: within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Khao Lak if you want** no clear edge over Koh Samui in the data.

**Pick Koh Samui if you want** faster internet (33.3 Mbps measured).

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 | tie |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 | tie |
| Internet | 57 | 69 | Koh Samui |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 15 | 6 | Khao Lak |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 85 | 88 | Koh Samui |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,000 | $1,000 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 4.4 | 4.4 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55.8 | 55.8 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 78.1 yrs | 78.1 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18.3 Mbps | 33.3 Mbps | Koh Samui |
| Upload | 9.4 Mbps | 19.9 Mbps | Koh Samui |

## Visa

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 69 | 10 | Khao Lak |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Khao Lak | Koh Samui | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.9 µg/m³ | 10.4 µg/m³ | Koh Samui |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Khao Lak or Koh Samui?

Khao Lak and Koh Samui cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.

### Is Khao Lak or Koh Samui safer?

Khao Lak and Koh Samui score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Khao Lak or Koh Samui?

Koh Samui: a measured median of 33.3 Mbps versus 18.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Khao Lak](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/khao-lak) · [Koh Samui](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/koh-samui). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/khao-lak-vs-koh-samui