What it really costs to buy on Koh Phangan — beyond the asking price
The price on the listing is rarely the final number. Here is the full cost of buying land or a villa on Koh Phangan — the Land Office fees, the professional checks, and the taxes that fall on the seller, not you.
Vladimir Buryi · Founder, Right Way Phangan
14 June 2026
The asking price is the headline. A handful of predictable costs sit on top of it — none of them a surprise if you plan for them. Here is the full picture for a typical purchase on Koh Phangan.
The Land Office fee
How the island records your purchase depends on how you hold it.
- Freehold transfer — the transfer fee is 2% of the appraised value, in practice often split between buyer and seller. Budget half to the full 2% of the price.
- Leasehold — a registered lease is recorded at the Land Office at about 1.1% of the lease value, which replaces the freehold transfer fee for the land itself.
Which route fits you is the first thing to settle — our guide on leasehold vs freehold walks through both.
The professional checks — the part that protects you
This is where due diligence lives, and it is the line item worth paying in full. Skipping it is how buyers end up with unbuildable land or a title that will not transfer cleanly.
- Legal due diligence — roughly 80,000–150,000 THB for a full title search, encumbrance check and contract work by a Thai lawyer.
- Boundary survey — about 15,000–30,000 THB to confirm the plot matches its title.
- Document translation — about 5,000–15,000 THB.
- Building inspection — about 30,000 THB when there is already a structure.
What each of these covers is laid out in our due diligence process.
What the seller pays, not you
Specific business tax, stamp duty and withholding tax on the sale sit on the seller's side of the table, not the buyer's. They affect the seller's net, not your entry cost.
Run your own numbers
The asking price plus the items above is your true entry cost. To model the other side of the equation — rental yield and payback — use the ROI calculator. For the exact mechanics of who pays what at the Land Office, see the closing-costs FAQ.
None of this is hidden if the questions get asked early. We put the full cost breakdown on every listing, before you ever book a viewing.
Key points
- Budget half to the full 2% of the price for the freehold transfer fee; about 1.1% to register a lease for leasehold.
- Legal due diligence runs roughly 80,000–150,000 THB — the one cost worth paying in full.
- Add a boundary survey (~15–30K THB), translation (~5–15K THB), and, for a built property, an inspection (~30K THB).
- Specific business tax, stamp duty and withholding tax fall on the seller, not the buyer.
General information, not legal or investment advice. Every plot and deal is fact-specific — independent due diligence is part of every transaction we handle.