---
title: "Koh Samui vs Phuket for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/koh-samui-vs-phuket
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 74 | 62 | Koh Samui |
| Safety | 51 | 51 | tie |
| Healthcare | 81 | 81 | tie |
| Internet | 69 | 65 | Koh Samui |
| Visa ease | 58 | 58 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 6 | 10 | Phuket |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 88 | 73 | Koh Samui |
| Quality of life | 52 | 52 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,000 | $1,289 | Koh Samui |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | $586 | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket | 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 | Koh Samui | Phuket | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 33.3 Mbps | 28 Mbps | Koh Samui |
| Upload | 19.9 Mbps | 16.6 Mbps | Koh Samui |

## Visa

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

## Climate and air

| Metric | Koh Samui | Phuket | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.4 µg/m³ | 17 µg/m³ | Koh Samui |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Koh Samui](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/koh-samui) · [Phuket](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/phuket). 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.

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