Condos in Kamala and Surin

Almost the same metre, very different choice

Per square metre the two bays price alike, 155,396 THB in Surin and 156,140 in Kamala in our Surin vs Kamala comparison. In volume they do not: Kamala has 699 released condominium units to Surin’s 108, more than six times as many.

Surin’s apartments are bigger, 60 square metres at the median to Kamala’s 47, so its median ticket is higher at the same rate. A buyer who wants a specific Surin address waits for the right unit; a buyer who wants a good apartment on this stretch of coast has more to compare in Kamala.

One-bedroom prices in the two bays

For a one-bedroom the order flips. Our Kamala investment guide puts the Kamala one-bedroom median at 7,074,432 THB for 46 square metres, while our guide to the best areas to buy counts 35 priced Surin one-bedrooms at a median of 5,430,000. The cheaper first apartment, on these lists, is in the smaller bay.

How close each building is to the sand

Distance to the beach varies more than the price. In Kamala, Platinum Bay is a few minutes on foot from the water and The Title Coralina about 400 metres away, while Citygate is about a quarter of an hour’s walk and The Element sits among the green hills behind the bay. In Surin, Rhea stands at Surin Beach, The Petit Tycoon is about ten minutes on foot and Surin Sands about 800 metres away.

For a holiday let, those minutes matter more than the finishes; for a home, the walk to the village shops and restaurants may matter more.

Finished buildings in both bays

Completed projects here number 5, a higher share than in most west-coast collections. In Kamala they include Citygate and Twinpalms Residences on the MontAzure estate; in Surin, Surin Sands and Mida Grande Resort. In a finished building you see the apartment and its outlook, and you can read the owners’ accounts first.

Some finished schemes carry no price on our list. Their units can still be bought from owners, and we can tell you what is currently offered.

Branded residences at the top of the list

The dearest entries are branded. The InterContinental residences top the list at 253,731 THB a square metre, against about 155,000 for Kamala’s unbranded schemes in the Kamala investment guide, and the MGallery residences stand on the same MontAzure estate. In a branded building the operator’s rules on owner use and letting come with the unit.

Schools, beaches and the drive

For families, the gap is schooling: our Bang Tao vs Kamala comparison finds no international school near Kamala, and Surin has none either, so the school run heads north towards Bang Tao and Cherng Talay. Day to day, Kamala’s village covers shops and restaurants within a walk, while Surin’s is a handful of beachfront restaurants, with Kamala ten minutes away by car and Cherng Talay twenty.

Resale in a small bay and in a larger one

Scarcity works in a seller’s favour in Surin and against a buyer’s choice, the Surin vs Kamala comparison observes, while in Kamala the depth of stock means your unit competes with hundreds of others when you sell. Neither is better; they suit different holding periods.

If you might have to sell within a few years, Kamala’s deeper market and more ordinary units serve you better; with a long hold in mind, or a particular Surin address, you can afford to wait for the unit that suits.

Letting and the title

Small luxury buildings can exhaust their foreign allowance quickly: only 49 percent of the floor area may be held by foreigners, so get the figure that remains in writing before you reserve. For nightly letting, a stay shorter than 30 days needs a licensed building, and the Kamala vs Surin guide warns that co-owner rules in either bay may still ban short stays in a licensed one.