# Kamala vs Surin: where to buy in Phuket

Source: https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/compare/kamala-vs-surin
Updated: 2026-11-14
Publisher: Thailand Property Investor (Omnia Capital Group)

Kamala is where to buy new; Surin is where to buy into a settled neighbourhood. The two bays are neighbours with similar asking prices: about THB 126,000 per sqm for a condominium in Kamala and THB 130,000 in Surin in June 2026. Kamala has the new hotel-managed sea-view schemes and a working village, 45 minutes from the airport. Surin is a small resale market 30 minutes from the airport, with Bang Tao's restaurants and golf a short drive north.

| | Kamala | Surin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Condominiums | THB 126,000 to THB 182,000 per sqm | THB 130,000 to THB 156,000 per sqm |
| Villas | THB 87,000 to THB 162,000 per sqm | THB 91,000 to THB 162,000 per sqm |
| Airport | 45 min, Phuket International (HKT) | 30 min, Phuket International (HKT) |
| Coast | Andaman coast | Andaman coast |
| Best for | Sea-view condominiums; Headland and hillside villas; Hotel-managed rental units; Buyers who want Patong close but not next door | Resale sea-view condominiums; Hillside villas in an established neighbourhood; Owner-occupiers who want quiet near Bang Tao |

## Choose Kamala if

- you want a new or off-plan condominium with a hotel operator or rental programme in place
- you want a village centre with a market and small restaurants, and a beach club at the north end of the bay
- you want Patong's restaurants and nightlife over the hill, close but not next door
- you are looking for a large villa on the rocky headland running south towards Patong

## Choose Surin if

- you want the airport 30 minutes away, not 45
- you want Porto de Phuket and Laguna Golf Phuket a short drive north in Bang Tao
- you are content to buy a resale and will check the building's accounts, sinking fund and repair record
- you want quiet evenings and a public beach with nothing built on the sand

## Fifteen minutes and a coast road

Surin sits between Kamala and Bang Tao, and that position is most of its appeal. It is 30 minutes from the airport against Kamala's 45, and Porto de Phuket and Laguna Golf Phuket are a short drive north. Kamala residents make the same trip for golf and larger supermarkets, on the coast road through Surin, which queues at peak times in high season. Kamala's only other way out is the steep hill road south to Patong.

## New stock or old

[Kamala](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/kamala) is still being built: sea-view condominiums on the slopes around the bay, many sold with hotel management or a rental programme, with new projects priced near THB 182,375 per sqm. The question to ask is whether the scheme holds a hotel licence, because an ordinary condominium cannot lawfully be let for under 30 days. Read [short-term rental rules](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/short-term-rental-rules).

[Surin](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/areas/phuket/surin) is a mature market with little new supply. You buy a resale, often low-rise and often with a sea view, in a building whose age and upkeep vary widely. Ask the juristic office for its accounts, the sinking fund balance and the record of major repairs, and confirm how much [foreign quota](https://www.thailandpropertyinvestor.com/guides/condominium-foreign-quota) is left before you make an offer.

## The beach and the evening

Surin's beach clubs were removed by the authorities, and the sand is now public and undeveloped. Pansea Beach, behind the headland to the north, is home to long-established resorts. Kamala keeps a beach club at its northern end and has the Phuket FantaSea and Carnival Magic theme parks on its main road. Evenings in both are calm by west-coast standards. Hillside villas in both are leasehold and sit on steep ground, so check the access road, drainage and retaining works as well as the lease.

## Questions

### Is Surin more expensive than Kamala?

For condominiums, barely. Median asking prices in June 2026 were about THB 130,000 per sqm in Surin and THB 126,000 in Kamala. Kamala's range runs higher, to about THB 182,375, because its new projects are priced at the top. For villas Surin is dearer: a median asking price of THB 33.9 million, against THB 23.5 million in Kamala.

### Can I buy a new-build in Surin?

Rarely. Few new freehold condominium projects launch in Surin, so most purchases are resales and the building's age, sinking fund and management decide what you are buying. For a new unit sold with hotel management or a rental programme, Kamala has more to choose from.

### Which beach is better for swimming?

Outside the monsoon, Kamala's bay is calm and Surin is usually fine. From May to October both face the southwest monsoon and fly red flags on many days, and Surin needs more care: the beach shelves steeply, takes heavy surf and swimming is often unsafe. Follow the lifeguards' flags on either.

### Which suits a rental investor?

Kamala. Like Bang Tao, it is a sea-view location that lets well to foreign tenants, and much of its condominium stock is built for holiday letting. Surin has rental demand in both high and low seasons, but the small number of units limits what an investor can buy, and most buyers there are owner-occupiers and repeat visitors.

## Sources

- [Knight Frank Thailand, Phuket villa and condominium market, year-end 2025](https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2838/documents/en/phuket-villa-condominium-market-year-end-2025-12944.pdf)
- [Knight Frank Thailand, Phuket villa and condominium market, year-end 2024](https://content.knightfrank.com/research/2838/documents/en/phuket-villa-condominium-market-2024-12106.pdf)
- [C9 Hotelworks, Phuket property market update, May 2025](https://c9hotelworks.com/market_reports/phuket-property-market-update-may-2025)
- [AIProperty Phuket, property price index by zone, listing medians at 5 June 2026](https://aiproperty-phuket.com/guide/phuket-property-price-index)
- [InterContinental Phuket Resort, getting to the resort](https://phuket.intercontinental.com/)
- [InterContinental Phuket Resort, destination guide](https://phuket.intercontinental.com/destination)
- [OpenStreetMap, coordinates of named places](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
- [The Thaiger, Buying property in Phuket, citing C9 Hotelworks medians, 24 July 2026](https://thethaiger.com/thai-life/property/buying-property-in-phuket)
- [Amanpuri, resort information](https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanpuri)