Koh Samui vs Phuket
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Koh Samui edges it, 56 to 53, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Koh Samui is stronger on air quality, cost of living; Phuket on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Big island hub with resorts, villas and a real airport
Full Koh Samui profile →Plan a trip to Koh Samui →Island life with a full expat infrastructure
Full Phuket profile →Plan a trip to Phuket →Where they differ
- Air quality. Koh Samui leads on air quality, 88 to 73, against Phuket. PM2.5: 10.4 µg/m³ vs 17 µg/m³.
- Cost of living. Koh Samui leads on cost of living, 74 to 62, against Phuket. Monthly cost, one person: $1,000 vs $1,289.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Koh Samui if you want
- to spend about $289 less a month
- faster internet (33.3 Mbps measured)
- cleaner air
Pick Phuket if you want
- no clear edge over Koh Samui in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 ✓ | 62 |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 |
| Internet | 69 ✓ | 65 |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 |
| Getting there & around | 6 | 10 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 88 ✓ | 73 |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 |
Cost
| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 ✓ | $1,289 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $586 |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 33.3 Mbps ✓ | 28 Mbps |
| Upload | 19.9 Mbps ✓ | 16.6 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 10 | 69 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 17 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Koh Samui or Phuket?
- Koh Samui is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,289 for one person.
- Is Koh Samui or Phuket safer?
- Koh Samui and Phuket score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Koh Samui or Phuket?
- Koh Samui: a measured median of 33.3 Mbps versus 28 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Koh Samui vs Koh Lanta
- Koh Samui vs Koh Phangan
- Phuket vs Koh Phangan
- Phuket vs Khao Lak
- 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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.