Koh Lipe vs Koh Samui
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 56. Koh Lipe is stronger on getting there & around; Koh Samui on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Tiny Andaman island near Malaysia with no cars and clear water
Full Koh Lipe profile →Plan a trip to Koh Lipe →Big island hub with resorts, villas and a real airport
Full Koh Samui profile →Plan a trip to Koh Samui →Where they differ
- Internet. Koh Samui leads on internet, 69 to 57, against Koh Lipe. Measured download: 18.3 Mbps vs 33.3 Mbps.
- Getting there & around. Koh Lipe leads on getting there & around, 17 to 6, against Koh Samui. Non-stop airport destinations: 15 vs 10.
Where they are close. Within five points on air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Koh Lipe if you want
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Koh Samui if you want
- faster internet (33.3 Mbps measured)
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 |
| Internet | 57 | 69 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 17 ✓ | 6 |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 85 | 88 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 |
Cost
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55.8 | 55.8 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 82 | 82 |
| Life expectancy | 78.1 yrs | 78.1 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18.3 Mbps | 33.3 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 9.4 Mbps | 19.9 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) | Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | 30 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | 30 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 15 ✓ | 10 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Koh Lipe | Koh Samui |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11.7 µg/m³ | 10.4 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Koh Lipe or Koh Samui?
- Koh Lipe and Koh Samui cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Koh Lipe or Koh Samui safer?
- Koh Lipe 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, Koh Lipe or Koh Samui?
- Koh Samui: a measured median of 33.3 Mbps versus 18.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Koh Lipe vs Khao Lak
- Koh Lipe vs Krabi (Ao Nang)
- Koh Samui vs Koh Lanta
- Koh Samui vs Koh Phangan
- All comparisons
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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.