Cost of living in Bangkok

“how much do I need to live in Bangkok” seems to be the most common question that gets asked across the Thai forums. Some people say they can get by on 20,000b ($600) per month where I know of people that spend 300,000b ($8,400) per month to cover their Bangkok lifestyle.

As with any city, the higher your monthly spend, the more luxurious lifestyle you’ll be able to afford. Everyone leads different lifestyles depending on their budget, so I thought I’d list average prices on the various different things you will/might need while living in Bangkok. Hopefully this will give you a good guide on what your lifestyle would cost if you wanted to live in Bangkok.

All rates are in baht, at the time of writing 100b equals: $3/₤1.40

• Fast food

A sandwich will cost around 100b, a Mc Donalds/KFC value meal is also around 100b

• Thai Food

A meal from a street vendor will cost no more than 100b, check out my list of Thai foods for under $1

A couple of dishes with a soft drink in a nice clean Thai restaurant will cost around 250b

• British Food

British pubs offer all the British classics from fish and chips, sausages and mash to home made pies. A meal like these with a soft drink will cost 250b Sunday roast with a drink will set you back 350

• International Food

You can see from my Bangkok restaurant reviews that most dishes are prices at around 150b to 250b

• High Quality Restaurant

A 3 course dinner at a high end restaurant including a mediocre bottle of wine for 2 will come in at around 5,000b+

Most of the 5 star hotels offer a daily buffet dinner for around 2,000b

• Wine

Wine is more expensive in Thailand than home, a decent bottle of French red will start at $30

• Ice-cream

A life in Bangkok (or any hot country year round) is a no no without an ice-cream budget Most ince-creams for 7-11 store cost between 10b to 25b, 1 scope of ice-cream from the Oriental shop costs 55b, a tub of Ben and jerry’s or Hagan Diaz costs around 400b

• Grocery Shopping

Locally produced products are half the price in the UK, while imported foods such as meat (from US and AUS) and cheese are 30-50% more expensive than at home.

• Apartment

You could probably find an unfurnished room on the city outskirts for 4,000b per month with cold water.

A room in the city center with shower and a balcony can be had for 10,000 per month.

A 1 bedroom apartment with facilities such as a pool and gym are around 20,000 to 30,000b per month, an extra bedroom would cost an additional 5,000 to 10,000b per month

Serviced apartments in the city center vary between 45,000 to 110,000 for 1/2 bedrooms.

A 4 bedroom luxury house with private pool and maids room start from 130,000 to 180,000 per month.

• Electric

My electric bill comes in at around 3,500B per month, most of this is due to having air-con on all night and most of the day.

• Water

My water bill never exceeds 1,000b per month.

• Internet

Fast speed internet packages are available from 1,000b for a 1mb to 2,200b for a 4mb connection.

• Buying your own car

A basic run around car starts at 200,000b, a nice clean modern Toyota starts at around 500,000 – Most Toyota/Honda family cars start at 1millionb when buying brand new. Other car producers are subject to import tax, which can easily make them twice or triple the cost in the UK.

• Buying a motorbike

A quality 2^nd hand motorbike will set you back 20,000, a brand new one start at 30,000

• Taxi

Taxi’s start the meter at 35b which will get you a minute or so. Most taxi’s across town are very reasonably priced at 50b to 70b

You can also rent the driver and his car for a full day for around 1,000b to 1,500b – perfect for a weekend trip outside the city.

• Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-Tuk’s are more expensive than a meter taxi, and to be honest, once you have done it a couple of times you’ll prefer the air-con meter taxi’s!

• Bus

Buses along the city routes cost between 5b to 13b

• BTS (skytrain)

Skytrain tickets start at 15b to a maximum of 60b (I think)

• Airlines

The budget airlines such as Air Asia and Nok Air offer many national routes from 500b each way, plus taxes.

• Haircut

A mans haircut from any street-side shop costs around 60b, ladies 100b

A mans haircut in a salon within a 5 star hotel is around 700b

• Cinema Ticket

A cinema ticket ranges from 60b to 100b for a standard seat, some cinemas offer premium seats at an extra 200b or so.

• Clubbing

All clubs are free to get in, so you just pay for your drinks. A bottle of whiskey and mixers to share with friends is around 1,500b, a bottle of beer is between 100b to 150b

• Pub

A pint down the “local” during happy hour is 70b, bottled imported beers are around 100b

• Naughty

A beer in the naughty establishments will cost around 150b

Bar fine: 500 to 800b

Short time: 1,000 to 2,000b

Long time: 3,000 to 4,000

• Coffee Shop

A medium cappuccino from Starbucks and most other coffee shops costs 70b, a coffee in a plastic bag from the street vendor 10b

• Temples

Temples are free to enter, although a 20b to 100b donation is always appreciated.

• National Parks & Palaces

National parks and palaces cost between 300 to 500b to enter.

• Muay Thai (Thai boxing)

Depending on the seats, between 500b to 1,800b

• Shopping

Most big shopping centers in Bangkok offer big brand items which cost the same as the UK.

• Markets

Clothes from the market are cheap, you can pick up a pair of jeans for 350b, a t-shirt for 100b and a pair of shoes for 300b. Copy DVD’s are 100b.

• Massage

A massage from a street-side shop costs between 200 to 300b for an hour, a little more if using oil. A massage in a top spa will cost at least twice as much.

• Golf

A round of golf can be had for 1,000 to 2,000b including caddy and tips or you could try Virtual Golf starting at 1,500B

• Concert tickets

Most concert tickets range from 500b to 3,500 depending on the events and seat location.

• Electrical

A basic computer (P4, 80g hard drive, 512RAM) with a 17” flat screen monitor start from 14,000. 4GB Ipod Nano start from 6,000

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Hope the list helps!