What a realistic rental yield on Koh Phangan looks like
Median villa ADR, three occupancy scenarios, and the full cost stack — what our Airbnb dataset says actual net yields look like, and how to check any ROI claim you are shown.
13 June 2026
If you have browsed property listings on Koh Phangan, you have probably seen the promises: 25% returns on rental, 30% on resale. Here is what our own data says — and how to check any number you are shown.
Where our numbers come from
We continuously track Airbnb listings across Koh Phangan — over a thousand active rentals across 20+ districts — and publish the medians on our Insights page. No projections, no brochure math: live asking rates, review counts, and ratings.
The honest math
The median nightly rate (ADR) for a villa on Koh Phangan is about ฿6,200 (149 villas in the sample). Annual gross revenue depends on occupancy, which no platform reports publicly — so we model three scenarios:
| Scenario | Occupancy | Gross revenue / year | |---|---|---| | Conservative | 40% | ≈ ฿900k | | Base | 55% | ≈ ฿1.24M | | Strong | 70% | ≈ ฿1.58M |
That is gross. Before it becomes *your* return, subtract:
- Operating costs — cleaning, utilities, pool and garden care, repairs: typically 20–30% of revenue
- Management — 20–30% of revenue if you are not on the island yourself
- Platform fees — ~3–16% depending on channel
- Capex reserve — 3–5% of revenue for furniture and equipment renewal
- Land lease payments — if the structure sits on leased land (common and often sensible on Phangan)
Run the numbers and a well-located, well-run villa typically nets a single-digit to low-teens yield on all-in cost. That is a genuinely good result — Phangan rates compare favourably with most resort markets. But it is not 25%.
What actually moves the number
- District. Median ADR ranges from under ฿2,000 to ฿7,000 across the island. Premium pockets earn their premium — but they also cost more to buy into.
- Sample size matters. Some districts have only a handful of comparable listings; a median of seven properties is a hint, not a fact. We publish our sample sizes — ask anyone else for theirs.
- Build quality and photos move occupancy more than most buyers expect.
How to check any ROI claim
Ask three questions: What ADR does the model assume, and against which comparables? What occupancy — and is it sourced or guessed? What is included in costs? If the answer is a confident percentage with no model behind it, that percentage is marketing.
Our ROI calculator runs this exact math — scenarios, costs, leasehold payments included — on any property you are considering. The assumptions are on sliders, not behind a curtain.
Key points
- Median villa ADR on Koh Phangan is about ฿6,200/night (149-villa sample)
- Realistic net yields land in single digits to low teens — not 25%
- Any ROI claim without ADR, occupancy and cost assumptions is marketing
General information, not legal or investment advice. Every plot and deal is fact-specific — independent due diligence is part of every transaction we handle.