May

12

Thailand Cost of Living

Filed Under Transport, Shopping, Costs | 

The Thailand cost of living ranges extensively from the ultra cheap to the ultra expensive. Although most people don’t associate Thailand with being expensive and generally it isn’t, Thailand can be as expensive as any other place in the world. If you are on holidays you could have a month in Thailand for 30,000 baht or 3 million baht or more so the price varies according to what you are looking for. However the Thailand cost of living for someone who is living here full time can be unbelievably low depending on where in Thailand you are. 

If you are in Bangkok the capital of Thailand the cost of living would be for someone on a tight budget, quite low if you got away from the busy Central Business District around Soi 1 to Soi 24 on Sukhumvit Road and some of the other busy tourist and business areas. In general though the cost of living in Bangkok is very low anywhere if you look around for the right apartment and either eat Thai food off the street vendors which I must say is always fresh, tastes great and is as cheap as a meal could ever be, or buy and cook your own food from the supermarket.

When looking at the Thailand cost of living from an apartment rental perspective you could get a studio apartment for rent in Bangkok for as low as about 3,000 baht per month but it would be old, run down, have no furniture and probably no hot water but for about 8,000 baht per month you could get something a little more comfortable. If you wanted to spend around 15,000 baht you could get something in Bangkok that had cable TV and maybe even a pool in the complex as well.

The Pattaya Thailand cost of living on the other hand is much cheaper than Bangkok. In Pattaya Thailand the cost of living is incredibly low to the point where for 3,000 baht per month you could get a partly furnished studio apartment with cable TV and a small balcony you could set up as an outdoor kitchen. Most places in Thailand don’t have a kitchen built in like most accommodation in the Western world does.

Cost of living in Thailand around places like Koh Samui or Phuket is also very low if you look around and get away from the busy tourist areas. Any of the busy tourist areas in Thailand attract higher prices so if you look outside those areas you will find cheaper accommodation , cheaper food and all other expenses much lower as well.

As for the Thailand cost of living in regards to buying food from the supermarket I’d say food costs are about half or less than in the US, UK or Australia. This is a broad generalization so let me give you an example. One kilo (2 pounds) of beef 200 baht, of chicken breast 75 baht, of pork 100 baht. These are good prices although you can get it even cheaper and also pay a lot more. The cost of living is very cheap indeed for some products like rice 5 kilo (11 pounds) 100 baht, 1 loaf of bread 25 baht, 1 liter milk 30 baht, some fruit like pineapple, mango, guava and some other common Thai grown fruit are extremely cheap and readily available in supermarkets or from street vendors. A meal off a street vendor would set you back about 20-30 baht for a chicken and rice dish or pork and vegetables for example. Very cheap and very edible even for fussy eaters.

Thailand cost of living for clothes is amazing and the quality is excellent. A t-shirt will cost you 150 baht off the street, a pair of shorts about 200 baht or more, a pair of jeans 500-1000 baht, business shirt off the street 200-300 baht, tailor made business shirt from an Indian tailor about 750 baht, business pants 500 baht, tailored business pants 1000 baht, pair of runners off the street 500 baht, genuine Adidas or Nike sports shoes about 3000 baht. So clothes in general are very cheap also.

When it comes to entertainment expenses the cost of living in Thailand is relatively cheap when compared to other countries for example a small bottle of Heinekin beer costs 60-100 baht in a bar or about 30 baht in a shop, a local Thai beer is even cheaper, a movie ticket costs 140 baht at most big cinemas, a gym membership for one year costs 4,000-8,000 or more, one ticket to a cabaret show with dinner costs about 1,000-2,000 baht. The Thailand cost of living when it comes to travel and transport is ultra cheap whether you travel by bus, taxi, boat or fly with one of Asia’s low cost airlines like Air Asia.

The Thailand cost of living is really low in general even in Bangkok, the Pattaya cost of living is even cheaper again and if you live up in the country areas of Thailand the cost of living is amazingly cheap, in fact you could live in country Thailand for a year with just a few thousand dollars from back home. If you are coming to Thailand and have been wondering about the cost of living there is nothing to worry about, it’s cheap as chips and a great place in the world to be.

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