# Property in Koh Samui

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui
Updated: 2026-11-14
Publisher: Thailand Property Investor (Omnia Capital Group)

Koh Samui is a villa market. Most foreign buyers take a registered lease of up to 30 years on the land and own the building, because freehold condominiums are limited to a handful of projects. The median asking price in mid-2025 was THB 60,600 per sqm for landed property and THB 88,500 for condominiums. Access, water and hillside building rules are the risks to price in.

## Key facts

- Condominium asking prices: THB 60,000 to THB 88,500 per sqm (as of 2026-11-12)
- Airport: about 20 minutes to Samui International (USM)
- Coast: Gulf of Thailand
- Coordinates (longitude, latitude): 100, 9.5
- Best for: Private pool villas for personal use and holiday letting; Buyers who prefer a smaller, quieter island than Phuket; Wellness-led second homes; Leasehold buyers who understand what a 30-year lease is

Koh Samui suits a buyer who wants a private villa on a smaller, calmer island than Phuket and who is comfortable with leasehold. Most of what foreigners buy here is a pool villa on land held under a registered lease of up to 30 years. The median asking price for landed property was THB 60,600 per sqm in mid-2025. The island's constraints are practical: one privately owned airport, a strained water supply and strict rules on hillside building.

## What it is like to live there

Samui covers about 229 square kilometres in the Gulf of Thailand, with a 51 km ring road linking its beach towns. The north and east coasts hold most of the hotels, restaurants and services. The interior is steep and forested, and the south and west are quiet.

For a resident, the essentials are in the north-east: Bangkok Hospital Samui on the ring road at Chaweng, the International School of Samui in Bophut, and Central Samui for shopping. Golfers have Santiburi Samui Country Club, an 18-hole course in the hills above Maenam. The island has piers and moorings but no full-service marina of the kind found on Phuket. See [healthcare](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/healthcare) and [international schools](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/international-schools) for the national picture.

## The districts foreign buyers choose

| District | Character | Drive from the airport |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Bophut](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/bophut) | Fisherman's Village, families, hillside sea-view villas | About 15 minutes |
| [Chaweng](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/chaweng) | The main town: beach, nightlife, hospitals | About 10 minutes |
| [Choeng Mon](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/choeng-mon) | Sheltered bays and resort villas on the north-east tip | About 15 minutes |
| [Lamai](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/lamai) | Second beach town, wellness retreats, lower prices | 30 minutes or more |
| [Maenam](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/maenam) | Long quiet beach, golf, larger plots | 15 to 20 minutes |
| [Bang Rak and Plai Laem](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/bang-rak) | Big Buddha Beach and the north-east corner | About 10 minutes |
| [Lipa Noi and Taling Ngam](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/koh-samui/lipa-noi) | The quiet west coast, facing the sunset | About 45 minutes |

## The property on offer and what it costs

Samui is mostly villas. In Q1 2026, 113 residential projects were on sale, with 2,422 units worth more than THB 53.2 billion. Holiday villas made up 65 of those projects and more than half the value. Condominiums were just nine projects, mainly around Chaweng, Bophut and Lamai, though large ones: 1,214 units between them.

In mid-2025 the median asking price was THB 60,600 per sqm for landed property and THB 88,500 for condominiums. A three-bedroom villa of 250 to 350 sqm had a median price of THB 14.9 million. Condominiums averaged THB 60,000 to 80,000 per sqm in Q1 2026, with luxury projects above THB 200,000.

Tenure matters more than price. A foreigner cannot own land, so a villa is normally bought as a registered lease with separate ownership of the building. Leases of 10 to 30 years are the norm on the island. Read [buying a villa in Thailand](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/buying-a-villa-in-thailand) and [freehold vs leasehold](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/freehold-vs-leasehold) first, and avoid any structure that relies on Thai nominee shareholders: see [Thai company ownership risks](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/thai-company-ownership-risks). A freehold condominium within the [foreign quota](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/condominium-foreign-quota) is the alternative, though choice is limited.


## Who buys and what villas earn

Foreigners account for 85 to 90% of demand, with Europeans more than half, alongside buyers from Russia, France, Australia, China and Israel. Most buy for personal use and let the villa when they are away.

There were 3,055 villas on the rental market in 2025, after supply grew 34% in the year to January 2025. In 2024 the average nightly rate was THB 13,692 and average occupancy 56.6%, peaking at 76.2% in February and falling to 38.7% in September. More villas competing for guests pushed the average rate down 11% in the first quarter of 2025.

The returns of 8 to 10% you will hear quoted are developers' own estimates, not results. Letting a villa for under 30 days requires a hotel licence, and the 2025 raids cited breaches of the Hotel Act. See [short-term rental rules](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/short-term-rental-rules) and [hotel-managed and rental pool schemes](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/hotel-managed-and-rental-pool-schemes), and test your assumptions in the [rental yield calculator](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/tools/rental-yield-calculator).

## Getting there and around

Samui International (USM) is owned by Bangkok Airways, and the island carried 65% of the airline's passengers in 2025. The cap was raised to 73 daily flights in 2024, and a terminal expansion due to run from 2026 to 2030 is planned to lift capacity to 6 million passengers a year. Direct international flights are few. Hong Kong and Singapore are served, and frequencies on both were reduced for November 2026.

The alternative is Surat Thani airport on the mainland and a ferry, about 3 hours 45 minutes from Chaweng. More in [flights and getting around](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/living/flights-and-getting-around).

## What to watch for

Water first. In late July 2026 the Provincial Waterworks Authority began zoned rationing, with higher ground worst affected. Demand was about 34,000 cubic metres a day against some 16,000 arriving by pipeline. Ask any seller about wells, storage tanks and delivery costs.

Hillside plots second. Raids in July 2025 targeted villas that exceeded a six-metre height limit on slopes of 35 to 50%, and on steeper land where at least 75% must stay undeveloped. Have a lawyer check the building permit against what was built, as set out in [title deeds and due diligence](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/title-deeds-and-due-diligence).

Weather third. The Gulf side is wettest from October to December, with November averaging about 445 mm. Our [seasons tool](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/tools/seasons) compares the coasts.

## What to weigh

- Samui International is owned by Bangkok Airways, which carries most of the traffic, and daily flights are capped. Seats are short in peak weeks, and Hong Kong and Singapore frequencies were cut for November 2026.
- Mains water is short. In late July 2026 the Provincial Waterworks Authority introduced zoned rationing, with demand of about 34,000 cubic metres a day against about 16,000 arriving by pipeline from the mainland.
- Hillside building is tightly controlled and enforcement is active. In 2024 and 2025 authorities closed or raided villas built without permits or beyond height and slope limits in Bophut and Maenam.
- Foreigners cannot own the land. A villa is normally held on a registered lease of up to 30 years, renewal clauses are contractual promises only, and Thai nominee companies are illegal.
- The wet season is the reverse of Phuket's. November averages about 445 mm of rain, and villa occupancy fell as low as 38.7% in September 2024.

## Questions

### Can a foreigner own a villa on Koh Samui?

A foreigner can own the building but not the land beneath it. The usual lawful structure is a registered lease of the land for up to 30 years with separate ownership of the villa. Renewal terms are contractual and not registered rights, so take independent legal advice before signing.

### How much does property cost on Koh Samui?

In mid-2025 median asking prices were THB 60,600 per sqm for villas and other landed property and THB 88,500 per sqm for condominiums, with a three-bedroom villa of 250 to 350 sqm at a median of THB 14.9 million. Condominiums averaged THB 60,000 to 80,000 per sqm in Q1 2026.

### When should I visit to view property?

February to April is the driest stretch, with February averaging about 64 mm of rain. October to December is the wet season on the Gulf side, peaking in November, which is a useful time to see how a plot drains and how an access road holds up.

## Sources

- [C9 Hotelworks, Samui Property Market Review, June 2025](https://c9hotelworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Samui-Property-Market-Update-June-2025.pdf)
- [The Nation, Colliers on the Koh Samui residential market, Q1 2026 (6 June 2026)](https://www.nationthailand.com/business/property/40067109)
- [The Nation, Savills on Phuket and Samui (29 July 2026)](https://www.nationthailand.com/business/property/40069163)
- [TTR Weekly, Bangkok Airways sets out 2026 vision (March 2026)](https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2026/03/bangkok-airways-sets-out-2026-vision)
- [Kaohoon International, Samui Airport renovation and flight cap (16 September 2024)](https://www.kaohooninternational.com/markets/544473)
- [AeroRoutes, Bangkok Airways November 2026 Koh Samui international service reductions](https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/261106-pgnov26usm)
- [Pattaya Mail, emergency measures for the Koh Samui water shortage (30 July 2026)](https://www.pattayamail.com/?p=559361)
- [Asia Lifestyle Magazine, Samui seeks investment to fix water shortage (4 August 2026)](https://www.asialifestylemagazine.com/samui-seeks-investment-to-fix-water-shortage/)
- [Khaosod English, villas raided in Koh Samui crackdown (25 July 2025)](https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2025/07/25/ex-beckham-villa-among-properties-raided-in-koh-samui-crackdown/)
- [Bangkok Post, illegal villas closed on Koh Samui (18 September 2024)](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2867727/illegal-villas-closed-tenants-ordered-out-on-koh-samui)
- [Wikipedia, Ko Samui (area, airport and WMO climate normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Samui)
- [Amari Koh Samui, distances to airports](https://www.amari.com/koh-samui)
- [OpenStreetMap, place coordinates](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)