Cost of Living in Bangkok

I cannot ever imagine living in Thailand. Once my flight landed enroute,to another country. Being layed over at the Bangkok airport two hours was enough for me.

I made sure my flights didn't land in Thailand anymore over the years though during my travels abroad.

Whatever you see on a restaurant menu, add 17% service charge plus VAT. How they get away with such a mis-leading pricing system is beyond me. I used to eat out 2-3x each week. Now i will either cook or buy from very local restaurants. The foreign brands, tourist ones i will stay well away from. Absolute rip off prices then some have the cheek to add 17% whilst paying their workers 500thb a day.

Hi everyone. Me and my wife are thinking about to spend some time (probably 6 months) in Bangkok. I work remotely for a israeli company and i receive my money in dollars. My current salary is around 1600 dollars per month (around 52,000 baht). Is it enough to live in Bangkok including eating out (non expensive food), traveling to visit other countries (low cost trips), etc?

I want to know me and my wife and our 2 year kid. What will be the monthly expense of living . We don't need to bear rent ,utilities. If we cook food in home and send our child to normal school. What will be the monthly expense.

Dear Henrique,

If you cook yourself and did not eat out at all. I think 15,000 THB is a plenty room for really great ingredients.
If it was include transportations+bills(because you said your rent only 10,000 THB I guess it is not include water and electricity), you have budget only 500THB per day for food,transportation,bills. I don’t think it was enough.

You should not pay your rent above 30% of your income. It will be shortage cashflow later and you are going into debt. I think you should looking for a cheaper apartment and using park for running instead. I heard that in soi Rangnam(near Ratchathewi) there are dorms for first jobber around 6,000-8,000 BAHT per month. and it is very close to Victory Monument BTS station. In case you might want to find others job have a nicer pay and require you to travel to work.

About your plan to do your work at co-working space, I think you should not go it will cause you too much money to stay there. I don’t know others will be like me or not but I feel I should buy food to stay there every 2 hours, if I stay there all day, sometime it cost me almost 700 THB for only 6 hours.

You should stay and do your work at your dorm and brew your coffee yourself. You get a nicer coffee, cheaper price per cup and more private place. If you want some noisy surrounding just open youtube and search coffee playlist.

Please keep in mind stay at your home to save money because 25,000 THB included all basic needs is very tight in my opinion(eat regular cook food not instant noodle everyday).

Tips: you go to supermarket looking for clearance staple products e.g. eegs. It was discount 50% if you not mind not fresh eggs(I do so). I don’t know where you going to live just check where you live nearby but now, I see Tops market in silom complex and Tops central world regular have clearance eggs. You can get 10 eggs with half price. It can keep in refrigerator for 1-2 week after the expire label. Nice source of protein for a cheap price.

Do not for get your visa fee and ticket to flight back your home. Too many expense to think of. Please carefully list what you need for basic needs and calculate.

I hope my comment help you.

Best regards,
Y

Thailand economy has never been stable and since few if any tourists are visiting anymore there isn't an ecomomy.The Thailand government built its economy primarily around tourism Pattaya is just one example of that. The Thailand government cannot absorb the fallout of giving money and food to many millions of citizens because they admitted it more than once. Then there's the king of Thailand who personally moved to Berlin almost one year ago taking 45 billion usd with him. His entire family is with him in Berlin. The king doesn't have any desire for returning to Thailand and he won't. People on here talk about things that make zero sense at all. The Thailand government has mismanaged the economy but what else is new? They've always done that from day one. Don't take my word for it though but instead drive around Bangkok and look at the mansions government officials live in. They're annual salaries don't match their dwellings or vehicles they drive. I wonder where all of that money came from? If you're asking yourselves that question you are totally lost. Thailand doesn't have an economy anymore but don't take my word for it though. Just drive around Thailand and look at all of the empty streets full of closed businesses permanently and there's your answer.

Hello Amee you're welcome for the honest information. Highlighting guaranteed monthly salary are things most people overlook, not saying you do though. A good friend of mine was working in London and accepted a salary amount with a prominent employer in Bangkok several years ago.Her salary was supposed to be 115k baht monthly for a two year contract to be an IT tech.However when she arrived two weeks later the employer said 73k monthly is the maximum monthly salary offered by the company.Just remember if your future employer refuses to send you a copy of a guaranteed salary proposal not signed then run away don't walk away.It must be signed by a ceo of the company with the date signed plus notarized in Bangkok.Your full name and title must accompany the legal document as well.As a result she refused the employers offer of 73k baht. But she found a different IT position that paid 115k baht per month when looking in Bangkok.

I got out of Bangkok just in time before mandatory lockdown in 2020 and I'm glad I did.Although unfortunate for many people corona has shown how mismanaged Thai government is concerning the welfare of its citizens and the lack thereof intentionally.The majority of people in Thailand are good people but even they question decisions Thai government makes.I read some things on here about people living in Bangkok and I truly wish them well with their endeavors but this is just the beginning of the end for Thailands attraction to many worldwide.Things are bad right now and even though eastern Thailand has returned to somewhat normalsy the businesses in Eastern Thailand small and large cannot bail out the rest of thailands economic problems for years to come.It was hard for me to get my wife and children out of Thailand especially since we are from Bangkok. Leaving relatives behind was and is especially hard too.But our families encouraged us to leave before things got out of hand so we did.

Dear Anonymous,

I think 60,000 is enough for cover rent, monthly expenses, utilities, travel, entertainment etc. for 4 people in family if you are the only source income and you will live paycheck by paycheck(maybe in debt later on when bills pile up).I don’t think it is enough to save money and send back home.

I live in Thailand. My husband (me as a stay at home wife without a kid) earn more than that but barely save money because we live next to silom(CBD area)(20,000 baht per month only for a studio 30s qr.meter) for living near my husband workplace(walk for only 2 blocks).We spend avg. on food per day only 600 baht(2 person cooking healthy food and including eat-out occasionally).I have to cook almost every meal (except for lunch) clean and try everything to reduce cost of living e.g. change light bulb to led and hanging clothes instead of using dryer.

If you are single. 60,000 baht is a great deal. You can hire someone to clean your room once a week or use laundry service. But for 2 people I am not sure about saving but you will have a moderate life for sure.if you are a family of 4 want to have a big place and try to spend less on rent which mean you live far from city and must have a car which is a lot of expense on transportation(you can live far but near BTS line as well this might be a good strategy).I think you must have a real plan on spending money, meal prep is a must.

Oh,I saw expats near Sukhumwit (mostly Japanese) their company pay for their tuition fee for the kids. Don’t forget to ask about that. I guess you are from India, eating vegetarian food is an option for reduce avg. spending on food.If you work near Sukhumwit you can live near Thonglor as well. A condominium with a deep entrance may help reduce the rent. Or place near the BTS line but more far from Sukhumwit 32 is more cheaper.

Hi Amee you're welcome 60,000 baht each month net would be an excellent salary with your qualifications. However agree upon a written salary emailed to you instead of a verbal offer. If it's verbal chances are the amount would be closer to 26,000 baht each month.It's against the law to offer a person a written salary amount and then change the amount when they arrive. Once again though most everything is shut off in Bangkok and throughout Thailand. I know because I live in Bangkok.

AMEE I hate to burst your bubble but the unemployment rate is 73.2% just in Bangkok and higher unemployment outside of Bangkok. Schools have been shutdown since March 2020.The Thailand government has decided to keep the entire country locked down until April 2022 depending upon evaluations.There's no HR needed no work. I live in Bangkok where I'm from.

Thailand can kiss their tourist industry bye bye forever.Tourists remember the hell the Thailand government put them through getting visas way before covid19 ever happened.Ok time to enjoy your scalding soup with rice, bye losers.

The Thailand government is grasping at straws without any solutions to revamping tourism,because there's none anymore. For the longest time the Thailand government was so abrasive towards foreigners contributing to the economy like British Australians U S citizens etc.Basically the Thailand government changed regulations so often no foreigners could cope with it anymore.Thailand government was kicking foreigners out even if they owned homes or thriving businesses in Thailand being forced to leave the Thailand government kept homes and businesses owned by foreigners.
Few if any tourists will return for obvious reasons.

Did not read some items correctly .... the mobile 160Baht was True plan per month. Rent a room 1500baht per week in my area one bedroom. Monthly net salary for most Thais in my locality 300-500 baht per day. I am retired so don't work in Thailand.

What is the Thailand tax system for expat working there? How many percent of our salary monthly

I have a bachelor degree and would like to find a job in Bangkok that has a decent pay but I don't have any connection there.
I'm from Malaysia and have a good command in English, Chinese and Malay, is it possible to get a job there and live moderately?

Can someone advise me or is it possible to get some connections for me to become an expat/foreigner working there?

Regarding transportation. There are some factors to consider:

Private motor car. Cost of using the toll highways can be quite costly. This can range from THB25-100 per trip depending on location and distance

For the train transportation, again a further distance would cost more. THB40, is definitely not the average per trip in Central Bangkok

My observations on the cost of living here after staying here 5 years.

Rent - 10-20KTHB/month for a small studio/1 bedroom near a train station, if you want a large western style apartment downtown you are looking at 30K+.

Transport - Taxis are still cheap with the starting fee 35 baht. The BTS/MRT lines are expanding and reach a lot of areas in the city now, so if you can deal with a long commute you can save money by travelling further down the lines to the cheaper areas. This all depends on where you work, generally I recommend closer to your work the better, BKK rush hours are to be avoided if possible.

Food - The good thing about BKK is you can eat for 150 Baht a day or 15000 Baht a day if you want. Thai street food & food courts get you a decent meal and are affordable. There a lot of Western food options now but you may pay a premium for it.

Entertainment - This depends on you, if you are happy to stay home and watch Netflix, cook your own food etc you can save money. Alcohol is not that cheap, especially if you like imported beer/wine.

Travel - Travel within Thailand and SEA in general is affordable with many low cost airlines, but I f you want to fly home to your own country once a year this could take a whole chunk out of your savings.

Other - Health insurance, visas, setup costs. If you are moving here for work and the company takes of all this then it will be much easier and cheaper.

Overall

50,000/Month - This is a decent salary to survive, have a bit of fun and save a bit
75,000/Month - You will be more comfortable and live a better lifestyle
100,000/month - What you should be aiming for if you want to stay here long term, save money and be able to afford flights/travel home etc.

The company that I’ve got offered will pay me 50000B a month. Is it possible to save 30000B up every month? I don’t really need any fancy.

#arda with that money your whole family can live there very nice wealthy western style life :)

Not many happy smiling faces anymore.
The only reason you will get a smile from a Thai it's because they are thinking about how much money they can get from you.
Bangkok's air is full of toxic fumes.
You gave been warned.

Racism holds back economy as society ages:

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1412495/racism-holds-back-economy-as-society-ages

The above link is for an article from the 'Bangkok Post' newspaper, written by SANITSUDA EKACHAI.

I live in Bangkok for over a year now and here is my summary costs in average:
- Rental: 15k 32sqm condo living in city center at 4-star condo. Great value and quality for money.
- Transportation: 2k BTS train station is 5 minutes away from where I live. I occasionally take taxis if I'm too lazy and it's hot. I also take motorbike taxis.
- Food: 6k including both local and western food. I also go have Middle Eastern, Mexican and Japanese every weekend so I'm enjoying my dishes.
- Grocery: 3k 7-11 & Family Marts are very affordable and I shop at imported markets once every month.
- Bills: Electricity ~1.5k - Water ~60 & Internet ~650
- Entertainment: Limitless. Depends what you do :)

Overall. You can live by with ~30-35k per month.

Who'd want to live in Thailand anyway not me because one brief visit was enough for me.

Minimum salary for foreigners is not true that is 1,114,995 most of foreign companies are BOI hence they have no minimum salary as the foreign workers are considered "consultants" and as such have no minimum salary

To Anonymous April 20 The figures quoted are from the Thai government website.

Can anyone provide any articles on this minimum annually salary?

# Roger Ian Tonge As of January 1,2019 the Thailand government changed its requirements for foreigners to live in Thailand.The current requirements are as follows.1,114,995 BAHT per year = $35,000 USD.Many retired foreigners are leaving Thailand because they cannot meet the requirements.The raise in requirements are due to alot of investments by the Chinese government throughout Thailand.

# MISHU 70,000 BAHT will get you a very comfortable life in Bangkok. Unfortunately the minimum requirements to live in Bangkok is 800,000 BAHT per month.Although 70,000 BAHT is a good salary especially since the locals normally make $650 USD per month.The government will verify the minimum of 800,000 BAHT per month for anyone no matter what country you come from.They have a prestage area where they verify the minimum funds per month required.If you don't have enough per month they'll send you on the plane out of Bangkok.The Thai government is very strict and the monthly amounts are likely to change soon to be higher.Hope my accurate information helps.

#Mishu 70,000 BAHT per year is nothing.Basically that's $2,195 USD per year.Honestly it'd take at least $1,800 USD minimum per month to live in Bangkok.Does the employer hate you?LOL That doesn't even meet the Thai government requirements of minimum 800,000 BAHT per month income to stay there.

Hey. I just got an offer from Bangkok and it's 75k B. I am with my family. How much I can save there. I am vegetarian guy

I am living in BKK now for over a month. And here are my observations,

1. 25000 is enough for a single person if you don't live a very Western life, because Western goods ajd services are expensive.

2. If you wat at high end places every second, you need at least 70k to make some saving

3. You can have a studio apartment in city center at 15k

If you want to move to BKK and you're salary is less than 50k, you got to live little strictly to make Saving but if you can think twice before doing shopping, then you can have a comfortable life

Lived in Thailand for 12 years. The prices mostly reflected in the comments are if you want to live like a rich farang. There are many, many nice places to live that cost at most 30k baht month.

Hi Jacob
Will you get more offer from a company? such as the cost of accomodation , transportation , foods
However , if you did not get more so for somebody is enough but somebody is not enough up to the life of person. If you like go to bar every night or go out to another city every weekend, I guess it is not enough.

A salary offered to you up to 40,000 baht a month in Thailand is just to get by.
What does it exactly mean?
1.You won't be able to save money.
2.You can't afford trips in Thailand.
3.You can't pay hospital bills with the basic medical insurance that Thai employers might offer.
4.You can't afford a plane ticket to fly back home.
5 The 'fun' you can afford on 'some' weekends is eating fast food and paying for taxi.
Don't compare Thai people's income with yours.That is a trap employers use to lure foreign employees.A western person can't live like an office worker in Thailand who makes 15,000 baht a month.Thai people don't have your expenses like visa fees,traveling to the west,hospital bills like yours,eating western food,expensive local trips,and FYI most Thais don't have savings.
You will hear some foreigners swearing that they can save a few thousand baht a month with a salary of 40,000 baht/ month.
But what is the point in living in Thailand when they live like a beach bum?