Best islands for remote working in Thailand

Imagine waking up to clear blue seas, pearl white sands, and spending your days basking in sunshine and sipping coconut juice – all without compromising your career and bringing you a steady flow of income. Whilst job opportunities stopped most from relocating to these topical islands in the past, the rise of flexible and remote working opportunities are fast changing things. Now, with a laptop and internet connection, you can make a decent living from any of these gorgeous islands. This Pacific Prime Thailand brings you the Kingdom’s very best. 

1. Koh Phangan

Koh Phangan is world famous for its monthly full moon parties, but this Thai island has so much more to offer than just nightlife. In fact, it was the only Thai (and only Asian) destination to feature in this year’s ranking of ‘Best Tropical Islands for Remote Work’, which ranked 50 tropical islands against the following factors: population, average temperature, WiFi speed, cost of accommodation, average daily budget, ease of travel to the island from the US, and things to see and do. 

After Curacao, Koh Phangan came in second place on the list with a score of 255. Its friendly and welcoming locals will soon make you feel at home, and you don’t need to be minting money to live the king-sized life. Average daily budgets start from just USD $17 a day. Yes, you read that right! You’ll also have plenty to see and do both in and around the waters, including swimming with whale sharks at Hin Bai (Sail Rock) for a truly amazing experience. 

2. Phuket 

If you want to live the island life, without sacrificing the big city feel, then Phuket is the island for you. As Thailand’s largest island, Phuket has an international airport with flights to all major Thai cities and even destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. But you’ll still get sandy beaches, each with a unique charm. Work from any of Phuket’s beaches or use one of its many coworking spaces, and benefit from the island’s fast internet speed. 

From the bustling beach resort of Patong and smaller, laid back towns located on its western side like Bangtao, Surin, Kamala and Karon to remote islands accessible from the main island such as Koh Phi Phi, there’ll be no shortage of places for you to explore. The only downside? The cost of living in Phuket tends to be on the higher side when compared to other locations in Thailand. But depending on where you’re coming from, you might still get a better bang for your bucks. 

3. Koh Samui

Another relatively big island on this list, Koh Samui is Thailand’s second largest island. It also has its own airport – though you should note that only the boutique airline Bangkok Airways flies to Koh Samui and flights are often more expensive than low cost Thai carriers. Just like Koh Pha Ngan and Phuket, Koh Samui also has its fair share of alluring beaches and gets millions of tourists each year (second only to Phuket!). 

Koh Samui has many workspaces that allow you to rent a desk by the month. It also has an exclusive vibe as it caters to the upmarket crowd. But be prepared to fork out more than you would in other Thai destinations, especially when it comes to accommodation as there aren’t as many options. A few downsides are that the island isn’t the most walkable and doesn’t provide access to world-class hospitals. 

Pro tip: Want a cheaper way to travel to Koh Samui? Consider flying on a low cost carrier to Surat Thani, and then taking a ferry from the mainland to Koh Samui. 

Secure health insurance as a remote worker in Thailand

 While Thailand is known for its relatively low cost of living, healthcare (and certainly world-class, private healthcare) doesn’t come cheap. As you’re not formally employed as a remote worker and won’t have access to an employer-sponsored health insurance plan, it’s a smart bet to secure your own policy to have a safety net. In the event the unfortunate happens, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’re covered. 

Get in touch with the team at Pacific Prime Thailand to kick start your insurance journey today!

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Suphanida Thakral

Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime Thailand

Suphanida is a Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime, an award-winning global health insurance and employee benefits specialist.

With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.

Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.

Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.

Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.

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