Phuket vs Koh Samui
The short answer
They cost about the same day to day — Phuket $35–90, Koh Samui $30–75 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Dec–Apr, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇹🇭 Phuket | 🇹🇭 Koh Samui | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $35–90 | $30–75 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $2–4 | $1.50–3cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $60–140 | $50–115cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.50–1cheaper | $1–4 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $500 | ≈ $480 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇹🇭 Phuket
Thailand's biggest island resort — turquoise water, buzzing nightlife on one coast, quiet coves on another, and a launchpad for boat trips to some of the country's most famous islands.
- Illuzion$$$Nightlife
- Blue Elephant$$$Restaurants
- Simon Cabaret$$Muay Thai & shows
- Sugar Club$$Nightlife
- Raya Restaurant$$Restaurants
🇹🇭 Koh Samui
Thailand's second-biggest island, and its most polished — coconut groves giving way to resort strips, a golden Big Buddha watching over the northeast coast, and an easy, no-boat-required flight straight in.
- Ark Bar$$Beach clubs
- The Shack$$Restaurants
- Green Mango$$Nightlife
- Nikki Beach$$$Beach clubs
- 2 Fishes$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Phuket | Koh Samui | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Thai. English is extremely widespread after decades of mass tourism — more so than almost anywhere else in the country. | Thai. English is widespread in Chaweng, Bophut, and Lamai; thinner in the interior. |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Thai baht (฿). US$1 ≈ ฿35
- Time zone
- ICT (UTC+7)
- Power
- 220V; outlets take most two-pin plugs (A/C hybrids)
- Tap water
- Don't drink it — bottled water is sold everywhere, often free at hotels
- Emergency
- 191 police · 1669 ambulance · 1155 tourist police (English)