Koh Samui vs Lima

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Koh Samui, Thailand
🇹🇭Thailand

Koh Samui

69Freedom Score#53Global rank$1,400Per month

Thailand's island of palms and granite boulders — direct airport access, beach clubs, and the DTV long-stay visa for remote workers.

Lima, Peru
🇵🇪Peru

Lima

74Freedom Score#35Global rank$1,367Per month

The gastronomic capital of the Americas — Lima pairs world-class Miraflores dining and a Pacific cliffside lifestyle with South America's most underrated value, fast internet, and a growing creative scene.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseKoh SamuiLima
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,400$1,367✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$450✓$774
Meal, mid-range$8✓$12
Coworking deskper month$190$160✓
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper46.0✓54.0

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureKoh SamuiLima
Safety
70
52
Healthcare
65
72
Walkability
48
70
English spoken
55
42
Food & dining
72
92
Nightlife
62
78
Outdoors
44
65
Nomad community
58
62
Climate quality
78
52
Public transit
40
55

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureKoh SamuiLima
Freedom Score69/10074/100✓
Global rankof 100 cities#53#35✓
Internet60 Mbps100 Mbps✓
Average temperature82°F66°F
Air quality40/10055/100✓
Airport connectivity58/10078/100✓
Nomad visaDTV 5-year90 days
Headline tax rateon local income15%15%

Which should you choose?

Choose Koh Samui if rent is $324/mo lower, it scores higher on safety (70 vs 52), English is more widely spoken and the climate scores better.

Choose Lima if runs $33/mo cheaper, internet is faster at 100 Mbps, it is more walkable and the nomad community is larger.

What each city is known for

Koh Samui

  • Own international airport — fly direct
  • Palm beaches and granite boulders
  • Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
  • Big expat and digital-nomad scene

Lima

  • Back-to-back World's 50 Best Restaurant wins — unmatched food scene
  • Fast 100 Mbps fiber and a growing Barranco/Miraflores creative hub
  • Pacific cliffside malecón living at a fraction of coastal-city prices
  • Perfect US market alignment — open at 10:30am local time

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Koh Samui or Lima?
Lima scores higher on the Freedom Score (74/100 against 69/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Koh Samui or Lima?
Lima is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $1,367 against $1,400, a difference of $33 a month or about $396 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $450/mo in Koh Samui versus $774/mo in Lima.
Which is safer: Koh Samui or Lima?
Koh Samui scores higher on safety, 70/100 against 52/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Koh Samui and Lima?
Koh Samui averages 60 Mbps and Lima averages 100 Mbps, so Lima has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Koh Samui or Lima?
Koh Samui sits in Thailand (DTV 5-year) and Lima in Peru (90 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.