Nursing homes, assisted living, home care and hospital geriatric services in Koh Samui — with typical monthly costs and what Thailand's visa insurance rules do and don't cover. Figures are 2026 guide ranges in Thai baht (≈ THB 35–36 = USD 1).
Koh Samui's elder-care options lean heavily on home care and hospital-based services rather than dedicated nursing homes. Bangkok Hospital Samui and Thai International Hospital both provide geriatric and rehabilitation care with English-speaking doctors, and home-care agencies place caregivers into villas and condos across Chaweng, Bophut and Lamai. The island has no large residential nursing home of its own, so families needing a full assisted-living or dementia-care setting typically look to the mainland — Bangkok or Phuket — reachable by the direct Samui flight or the Surat Thani ferry-and-drive route. For area and rent context, use the BAANLYY Koh Samui hub.
Home-care and nursing agencies covering Chaweng, Bophut, Lamai and Maenam arrange live-in or visiting caregivers for villas and condos — bathing, medication reminders, mobility assistance, meal prep and companionship.
Bangkok Hospital Samui and Thai International Hospital both offer geriatric care and rehabilitation with English-speaking doctors, suited to post-stroke, post-surgery or general geriatric recovery, though neither runs a residential nursing home.
For a dedicated nursing home, assisted-living community or dementia-specific care with round-the-clock English-speaking staff, most Samui families look to the mainland — Bangkok or Phuket — reached by direct flight or the Surat Thani ferry-and-drive route.
Guide ranges in THB, 2026. Actual pricing depends heavily on room type, staff ratio and level of medical need:
| Service | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Home-care visit (few hours, non-medical) | THB 500–1,200 per visit |
| Live-in home carer, per month | THB 20,000–38,000 |
| Private hospital room, geriatric/rehab, per night | THB 3,500–9,000 |
| Off-island nursing home (Bangkok/Phuket), per month | THB 35,000–100,000+ |
Always get a written breakdown of what's included in a monthly fee — nursing, meals, physical therapy, medication and incontinence supplies are sometimes billed as extras.
Thailand's long-stay visas carry their own health-insurance minimums, but none of them are designed to fund custodial nursing care. Most embassies now require O-A visa applicants to show health insurance covering roughly USD 100,000 (about THB 3,000,000) inpatient treatment including COVID-19, though some in-Thailand extensions still accept the older THB 400,000 inpatient / THB 40,000 outpatient minimum — confirm current requirements with your embassy or the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) before applying. The LTR visa instead requires health insurance of at least USD 50,000, or proof of a USD 100,000 deposit as self-insurance. In every case, this insurance is built around hospital treatment for illness and accidents — residential nursing homes, assisted living and home care are almost always paid privately, so budget for them separately from your visa insurance.
Yes, though availability and type vary. Local options include Home care agencies, Hospital geriatric & rehabilitation care, When the island isn't enough. English-speaking staff and experience with foreign residents vary by facility, so visit in person, ask about staff-to-resident ratios and confirm exactly what medical support is on site before committing.
Costs depend heavily on the level of care. Home care visits or a live-in carer are the least expensive option (roughly THB 20,000–38,000 per month for live-in care), while residential nursing homes and assisted living typically run considerably more depending on room type and whether dementia or high-dependency nursing is required. Always get a written breakdown of what's included — nursing, meals, therapy, medication and laundry are sometimes billed separately.
Not usually. Visa-mandated health insurance (for example, the roughly USD 100,000 / THB 3,000,000 inpatient coverage many embassies now require for the O-A visa, or the USD 50,000 minimum for the LTR visa) is built around hospital treatment for illness and accidents, not custodial long-term nursing or assisted-living care, which is generally private-pay. If ongoing care is a real possibility, budget for it separately and ask any insurer directly whether a policy excludes pre-existing conditions or age-related chronic care.
Visit in person if you can, and ask about the nurse-to-resident ratio, whether a doctor is on call or visits regularly, how emergencies and hospital transfers are handled, what's included in the monthly fee versus billed as extras (medication, therapy, incontinence supplies, outings), and whether staff speak enough English to communicate clearly with the resident and family. Ask for and check references from current or past residents' families where possible.
Bangkok or Phuket, reachable by direct flight or the Surat Thani ferry-and-drive route, are the nearest options with dedicated nursing homes and assisted-living communities.
This guide is general information for relocation planning, not medical, legal or insurance advice. Facility availability, costs and visa insurance rules change — confirm current details directly with each facility, your insurer, the OIC or official sources.
Primary and official sources are cited above. Government rules, fees and procedures in Thailand change over time and vary by office; always confirm current requirements with the relevant authority before relying on them. BAANLYY never takes paid placement in editorial content.
Match a Koh Samui area to healthcare access, then line up housing for the rest of the family.
Hero photo by Yaroslav Shuraev on Pexels.