Cost to Build a Villa in Phuket vs Samui vs Koh Phangan (Price/m² 2025)
8/25/20252 min read
Cost to Build a Villa in Phuket vs Samui vs Koh Phangan (Price/m² 2025)
Summary
2025 planning ranges (villa quality, structure included pool/external works excluded):
Basic/Thai-standard: ~฿18k–฿25k/m² (rarely suitable for expat specs).
Mid / “Western standard”: ~฿25k–฿40k/m² (most common inbound brief).
Premium/Luxury: ฿40k–฿60k+ /m² (custom finishes, glazing, smart MEP).
Island logistics reality (build-only uplift vs mainland): Phuket ~0–5%, Samui ~+5–10%, Phangan ~+8–15% (access, barge, supply).
Add separate allowances for pool, external works, professional fees, and contingency.
These are ROM planning bands—final pricing requires a site visit, zoning check, and a scoped BOQ.
Price/m² Bands (Build-only, 2025 ROM)
What’s in the m² price (and what isn’t)
Included (typical): RC structure, roof system, walls, waterproofing, standard electrical & plumbing, standard tile/paint, standard windows/doors, bathrooms/kitchen to band spec.
Not included (plan for separately): Swimming pool, external works (retaining walls, driveways, drainage, boundary walls, landscaping), professional fees (architect/engineer/QS/permits), furniture & appliances, utility hookups (PEA/PWA, well/septic upgrades where relevant).
Example Budgets (all-in ROM, 2025)
Example A — 200 m² Mid-standard Villa (Phuket)
Build: 200 × ฿30k = ฿6.0M
External works (roads/drainage/retaining/landscape) ~10–15% of build → ฿0.6–0.9M
Pool allowance (3×7–4×8 m; equipment/finish dependent) → ฿0.6–1.0M (planning allowance)
Professional fees (arch/eng/QS/permits) ~8–12% of build → ฿0.48–0.72M
Contingency (hard costs: build+external+pool) ~10% → ~฿0.75M
Indicative total: ~฿8.3–9.9M (ex-land), subject to site and spec.
Example B — 300 m² Premium Villa (Samui hillside)
Build: 300 × ฿40k = ฿12.0M
External works (hillside shoring, access, drainage) ~15% → ฿1.8M
Pool (larger/infinity edge) → ฿1.2M (planning allowance)
Professional fees ~10% of build → ฿1.2M
Contingency (hard costs) ~10% → ~฿1.5M
Indicative total: ~฿17.7M (ex-land), assuming road access and 3-phase power feasible.
Pool costs and external works are the big swing factors; hillside or coastal sites can add heavy structure, piling, or retaining requirements.
Island-by-Island Reality Check
Phuket
Broadest supplier ecosystem; easiest logistics. Hillside & coastal overlays constrain height/site coverage; expect stricter inspections in green/steep zones.
Typical spec bands align with ฿20k–40k+ guidance; luxury detailing pushes beyond ฿50k/m².
Koh Samui
Barge logistics, concrete scheduling, and hillside engineering add cost/time. Budget uplift vs Phuket in the same finish band; yields/exit often justify.
Market comps show strong buyer appetite in sea-view segments.
Koh Phangan
Smaller contractor base; materials and specialist trades often ferried in. “Western quality” builds commonly start ~฿18k/m² and scale with spec/terrain.
What Drives Your Price/m² Up or Down
Topography: slope angle, retaining walls, soil bearing, piling.
Envelope: roof system (membranes/insulation), window/door spec (salt-air resistant), glazing area.
MEP grade: inverter VRF, heat pumps, dehumidification, water treatment, solar + battery.
Finishes & joinery: imported stone/engineered timber, custom kitchens/wardrobes, acoustics.
Access & utilities: legal road, crane access, 3-phase PEA upgrades, PWA/well, septic vs treatment plant.
Compliance: hillside/coastal setbacks, EIA triggers (site/height), permit sequencing.
How to Compare Quotes Apples-to-Apples
Ask for a line-item BOQ (structure, arch, MEP, prelims, profit/attendance).
Clarify allowances (tile/stone per m², sanitaryware per bathroom, kitchen budget).
Confirm exclusions (retaining walls, external works, pool) and unit rates if later added.
Schedule & payment terms (mobilization, milestones, retention, defects liability).
QA/QC & handover (snagging checklist, as-builts, warranties, O&M manuals).
Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation—Phuket, Samui, Koh Phangan.
