How to compare Koh Samui condos for sale: a checklist

Comparing condos in Koh Samui is easy to get wrong. Two listings at a similar price can describe quite different things: one counts the balcony in the size and the other does not, one sells freehold and the other leasehold, one includes furniture and the other does not. Before you put listings side by side in a spreadsheet, bring them to a common basis.

This checklist works for any project on the island, new or resale. At the end we fill it in for The Astra Samui, because as Varsovia Estate we are the sales agent for The Astra Samui and have its data to hand. Questions about that project in particular are collected in the Astra Samui: questions before buying.

Size: what the listing includes

Size is the first figure you compare and the first one that can mislead. In Thai listings the area may include the balcony, and the way it is measured differs between projects. Listings rarely say which version they give.

Ask the seller three things:

1. Does the stated area include the balcony, and how big is the balcony itself?
2. Is it the area on the unit title deed, or a figure from sales material?
3. Does the floor plan show room dimensions you can use to work out the interior?

In the tropics a balcony is real living space, but it costs less to build and it does not replace a room. If one listing counts it and another does not, compare the price per m² of the interior. The unit title deed states an area, and the building’s charges are usually calculated from it, so that figure matters for as long as you own the apartment.

Price per m² and what changes it

Price per m² lets you compare apartments of different sizes. Here is an example with two made-up listings:

At first glance A is cheaper. Take out the balcony and it costs more for every metre of interior, and it is leasehold as well. The calculation takes a few minutes and often reverses the order of the listings.

What else moves the price per m² within the same building:

• View and position. A unit looking onto the pool or with direct pool access usually costs more than one facing the garden.
• Ownership. Foreign freehold is usually priced above leasehold in the same project.
• Furniture. A price with furniture and a price without are two different numbers.
• Sales stage. Launch prices and promotions differ from prices later in the sale.

If you compare in pounds, euros or dollars, remember that the price is set in baht and the exchange rate moves between your first and last payment.

Floor numbering in Thailand

Thai plans label the ground floor “1st floor”. A unit the seller describes as “2nd floor” is on the 1st floor in British numbering. Listings copy the numbering from the developer’s plans or convert it, and they rarely say which.

Before you compare floors, settle one thing: is the ground floor in the listing the ground floor, or “1st floor”? Then ask about what the floor really changes: the view, light, noise from the pool, privacy from the garden side and access if the building has no lift or only one. Buildings on Koh Samui are low, so the difference between the ground floor and the top floor is usually a few storeys, but it can make a big difference to the view and to privacy.

Foreign quota and ownership type

As a foreigner you can own a condo unit freehold only within the foreign quota, which the law sets at up to 49% of the total unit area in a condominium. The other route is leasehold. The detail is in our guides to the foreign quota in Thai condominiums and freehold vs leasehold.

For comparing listings, two questions follow. Is this particular unit available to a foreigner on freehold, or only on leasehold? And if it is leasehold, for how many years, and what does the contract say about renewal? A leasehold listing can look like a bargain only because you are comparing it with freehold.

Fixed charges based on m²

In a condominium you pay a common area fee and usually a one-off contribution to a sinking fund. Both are calculated per m², so a bigger unit, or a size that includes the balcony, means higher charges every month.

Ask about each listing:

• the common area fee per m² per month, and how many months are paid in advance
• the sinking fund, and whether it is a one-off payment
• what the fee covers: security, cleaning of common areas, the pool, the garden
• who sets the building’s budget, and how often it changes

Compare rates per m², not one monthly amount, because that depends on the size of the unit. Our guide to the cost of living in Koh Samui covers the bills that come on top.

Distances in listings: how to check them

“Five minutes from the beach” can mean on foot or by scooter, in a straight line or across the main road. Check every distance that matters to you:

1. Ask where the figure comes from, and whether it is a straight line or by road.
2. Put the address into a map and look at the walking route to the beach: do you have to cross a busy road?
3. Drive to the airport and the hospital at the time of day you will usually travel.
4. Look at what lies between the building and the beach. An empty plot today can be a building site tomorrow.

At The Astra Samui the developer gives the distances, and we describe them that way: “according to the developer”. Bophut Beach is about 300 m away.

Handover date and payment plan

With a new project the price is half the comparison. The other half is when you pay and when you get the keys. Two listings at the same price differ if one asks for most of the money up front and the other at handover.

For each listing, note:

• the reservation fee, and until when it is refundable
• the payment schedule, and what triggers each instalment
• the planned handover date, and what happens if it slips
• the payment currency, and who pays the transfer charges
• the costs at title transfer, and who pays them

The general rules for buying before completion are in buying an off-plan condo in Thailand.

What the price includes

“Fully furnished” means something different in every listing. In one it is a kitchen, a bed and air-conditioning, in another a full set with bed linen, crockery and a television. Ask for the list in writing and compare it item by item: kitchen units, appliances, bed and mattress, wardrobes, air-conditioning in each room, water heater and balcony furniture.

If one listing lacks something, add its cost to the price before you compare the price per m². We describe what comes with The Astra Samui on the furnishing page.

A comparison sheet

Copy this sheet into your notes or a spreadsheet and fill it in for each listing. A blank field is a question for the seller.

Example: The Astra Samui

Here is the sheet filled in for The Astra Samui, a low-rise, resort-style condominium in Bophut.

• Price: from THB 3,700,000 (about €98,000, NBP average rate of 23 October 2026). Indicative prices per m² from the launch price grid range from THB 139,000 (leasehold) through THB 150,000 (foreign freehold) to THB 162,000 (units with direct pool access). These are indicative, before launch promotions. Final prices are on the official price list.
• Size: about 26–73 m². Studio 26 m², 1 bedroom 34–35 m², 1 bedroom plus 40–48 m², 2 bedroom 62–73 m². Ask whether the area includes the balcony for the specific unit you are looking at.
• Ownership: freehold; foreign buyers purchase freehold within the foreign quota; leasehold is also available. Leasehold: a registered 30-year lease. Renewal is not guaranteed.
• Floors: 4 storeys plus a basement level. We use British numbering: ground, 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor; ceiling height: 2.6 m.
• Residences look onto the lagoon pool or the tropical gardens. The project also has a limited number of ground-floor residences with direct pool access from a private balcony.
• Common area fee: THB 50 per m² per month (12 months paid in advance). Sinking fund: THB 500 per m², one-off.
• Transfer fee: 2%, split equally (1% paid by the buyer).
• Reservation fee: THB 100,000 (studio, 1 bedroom or 1 bedroom plus) or THB 150,000 (2 bedrooms), fully refundable until 20 November 2026, 17:00. Payments: 30% by 20 December 2026, 30% when the roof structure is complete (planned for February 2028), 40% at handover (planned for December 2028). The developer does not offer financing.
• For foreign freehold, funds must come from abroad in a foreign currency (not Thai baht). The buyer pays any transfer charges.
• handover planned for December 2028. That is a target, not a guarantee.
• In every residence: air-conditioning, mattress with pillows and a water heater at the shower.
• Parking is free of charge.
• Developer: a Thai company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), based in Chiang Mai.

You can check where each unit sits in relation to the pool and garden on the site plan, and where it sits on its floor in the 3D model. All available Koh Samui condos for sale at the project are listed with size and price, and the full price list is on the prices page. If you already have a few listings from other projects and want to set them against ours, book a call. We will go through the sheet with you, including the points where another project comes out ahead.