I live on the island of Koh Samui however I have also lived on Koh Phangan for over 3 years both islands are regarded as the most expensive in Thailand indeed a Thai friend commented to me the other day by saying Koh Samui is no longer Thailand it is International due to the amount of foreigners living there and I have to agree.
Although I now live on Samui I much prefare Phangan however as there is very little policing on the island over the last few years I found the noise in the early hours to be extreme Karaoke bars were sprouting up every where and the sound of wailing Thais was very disturbing. I depend on my UK pension as I am retired however the value of the pound has decreased by some 25% over the past 2 years which means my life style is not what it used to be however I still have a better life living here than if I was back in the UK. My wife is also from the UK and as we are both retired I have to produce evidence to show a pension of 65,000 thai baht per month in order to obtain my retirement visa which lasts a year
Without going into every detail both myself and wife enjoy a comfortable life over here on 30,000 thai baht per month this does not take into consideration renting a property as we own our house outright if you are happy living in reasonable property you need to add another 12,000 thai baht or if you are looking for a good quality western style property with swimming pool around 30/35,000 per month.