Samui areas: prices and inventory compared

Buyers usually shortlist Koh Samui areas by beach photos. The photos are interchangeable; the areas are not. Samui is a low-rise island — no residential towers, a ring road tracing the coast, a private airport served mainly by Bangkok Airways — and its market is small and villa-heavy. Our current catalogue holds 34 listings across 16 projects, with entry from THB 3.0M and a median of THB 7.7M. That is a thinner market than Phuket, where the median sits at THB 10.2M across 571 listings. On a market this size, the area should be chosen for what you want from it — rental income, your own residence, or a minimal entry ticket — not for the view in a brochure.

How the island is laid out

Nearly all supply sits on one arc: the north-east, the airport side of the island. Bophut with Fisherman's Village, the quiet cape of Choeng Mon, the villa hills of Plai Laem, and Chaweng above the island's main beach all belong to it. Lamai has the south-east to itself. Villas dominate — Plai Laem, Lamai and Chaweng alone account for most of the 34 listings — and condominiums are effectively confined to Bophut. Each area has its own guide on the site; the short version reads like this:

The areas on that arc

• Plai Laem — 12 listings, median THB 8.7M; a north-eastern district with villas in our selection.
• Bophut — condominiums plus Fisherman's Village: 10 listings, median THB 6.0M, the lowest entry on Samui.
• Lamai — villas only, south-east: 7 listings, median THB 10.9M.
• Chaweng Noi — the bay just south of Chaweng, villas only: 5 listings, median THB 7.8M.
• Choeng Mon — a quiet cape; our catalogue currently records 0 listings under this district. Horizon Homes Samui is recorded under Plai Laem.

Areas for rental income

Rental demand concentrates where tourists already are: Chaweng and Bophut. Next to Chaweng, in the Chaweng Noi bay, our villas start at THB 5.5M with a median of THB 7.8M. Bophut pairs the island's lowest ticket with the walkable evening economy of Fisherman's Village — condominiums from THB 3.0M, median THB 6.0M. How gross rent translates into net yield after management fees and tax is the subject of our investment and ROI guide; run the numbers there before committing to either area.

Areas for living

For a home on the north-east of the island, compare Plai Laem's 12 listings at a median of THB 8.7M with the nearby areas. Choeng Mon has its own guide, but Horizon Homes Samui is now recorded under Plai Laem, not Choeng Mon. Lamai is the south-eastern alternative, with 7 listings, an entry price of THB 7.5M and a median of THB 10.9M.

Areas for the smallest budget

At the lowest budgets the island effectively makes the choice for you: Bophut. Its condominium projects start at THB 3.0M, and no other area offers an apartment-level entry. Foreigners buy these units freehold within the 49% foreign quota of a condominium's saleable area. Villas start at THB 5.9M in Plai Laem — but that is villa territory, where foreign ownership normally runs through a 30-year registered leasehold. The mechanics of both routes are laid out in our freehold-for-foreigners guide and the guide on how to buy property in Thailand.

The areas side by side

The comparison table at the top of this page is built from the live catalogue: listings, entry price and median for every district, plus a one-line profile.

Reading the medians

Read the medians with their context: THB 7.7M across our Samui selection and THB 10.2M across Phuket. Samui contains 24 villas and 9 apartments; Phuket contains 148 villas and 418 apartments. Comparing those medians does not isolate the cost of the location or tell you which island will be easier to resell on.

What to verify before you commit

• Confirm the ownership route first: condominium freehold within the 49% quota, or a villa leasehold with the standard 30-year registered term.
• Check the land title behind the project and agree who pays the 2% transfer fee; the taxes guide includes a calculator for the full closing cost.
• Visit the area at the hours you would actually keep — Chaweng after dark and Choeng Mon after dark are different islands.
• If income matters, request the management contract and real rental statements rather than projections; the investment and ROI guide shows what to look for in both.
• If you are paying in stages, compare the developer's schedule against the market norms in our installment guide.

Where to start

Each of the five areas above has a dedicated guide with project-level detail. Start with the one that matches your goal, then work through the how-to-buy guide before any deposit leaves your account.