I’ve been living and traveling solo in Thailand for just over 6 months and I lived in Bangkok for the first 4 months. This article is my average cost of living in Bangkok for those 4 months.
I’m not here trying to advise anyone to do or spend the same amount of money as me. But you can take a look at what I am able to afford with ฿25,000 THB – ฿28,000 THB ($800 USD or $1,000 CAD) per month and get some ideas of the prices here.
If you have ฿50,000 THB or ฿100,000 THB to spend per month, you can certainly spend that much or more in Bangkok and you can expect to stay in a nicer apartment and to eating better food than me. It’s really up to you, your lifestyle and your budget.
Rent and utilities
My rent for my apartment, located in the Ladprao district at the northern part of Bangkok, was ฿7,000 THB per month. About 15 minutes’ walk to the Ladprao MRT Station (subway).
The apartment was a studio apartment (25-30m2). There is 24-hour security, no swimming pool, no gym, and a Thai restaurant on the ground floor.
I had a small fridge, a laptop, AC, hot shower, and no TV. Internet was included with the rent.
Electricity cost on average about ฿1,500 THB per month. The cost of Electricity was ฿6 THB per 1 kWh. That’s about 0.17 USD cents per kWh or 0.22 CAD cents per kWh which is surprisingly higher than what I normally paid in Canada. That’s because I am paying the apartment management and not the local electricity provider, so there is a middle man.
If I had my own condo or home, I could get the rate straight from the electricity provider at ฿3 THB per 1 kWh.
Some apartments or condos charge ฿6 to ฿14 THB per 1 kWh. Right now I’m in a new apartment in Chiang Mai and paying ฿9 THB per 1 kWh, and I think that’s too high. Moving forward, I will only look for places at around ฿6 THB per 1 kWh.
Water is ฿150 THB per month.
Phone is ฿500 THB per month.
Rent and utilities average total = ฿9,150 THB per month ($260 USD)
Transportation
I didn’t rent a car, scooter or bike during my stay in Bangkok. If you see the traffic in Bangkok and decide to ride on those roads, you are either crazy or very brave. Bangkok is rated as the The World’s Second Most Traffic-Congested Cities by forbes.com
I think the best health and life insurance in Bangkok is just to pay ฿30 – ฿200 THB to use a taxi or the public transportation system. This is why I only lived 15 minutes’ walk from one of the MRT Stations; you can pretty much go to any major attraction in Bangkok with the MRT or BTS. I highly recommend that you live near one of those stations in Bangkok or use a taxi and avoid driving yourself.
I avoid tuk-tuks in Bangkok as much as possible. So far I have only taken three or four tuk-tuk rides during my stay in Bangkok. Read Why I don’t like to ride a tuk-tuk in Bangkok.
MRT/BTS average total = ฿300 THB per month ($8.50 USD)
Taxi average total = ฿500 THB per month ($14 USD)
Going out/entertainment/massages/other
If you smoke or drink or both, it will cost you a little more. If you have a family, it’ll cost more. Right now, I’m traveling Thailand solo, and I don’t drink or smoke.
If you drink and smoke, just add another $200 USD – $300 USD per month to your expenses.
฿800 THB for massages. I get a foot massage about once per week at ฿200 THB per session, one hour per session.
฿250 THB haircut.
฿490 THB for Siam Ocean World (dual pricing). I went with a Thai friend and got the Thai price.
฿1,200 THB going out with friends a few times.
Going out/entertainment/massages ฿2,740 THB per month ($78 USD)
Visa
Thai visa fees and the Thai visa, in general, are constantly changing every few years based on the Thai immigration. Cost for my Visa include the two entry visas for Thailand, transportation, on arrival visas into Laos and hotels.
Without going into too many boring details, my monthly visa cost is about ฿1,800 THB per month ($50 USD).
Groceries and cost of food
I don’t have a kitchen in my apartment; there is a small balcony that I can use as a kitchen, but I think it’s cheaper and less time consuming just to buy the food than to have it prepare myself.
There is no tax on food (I think?), for example, if you buy a combo at KFC, and the cost says ฿90 THB for the combo. You only pay ฿90 THB. In Canada, we have to pay tax and if we go to a restaurant, we’re expected to pay a tip between 10-25%.
Here in Thailand, mostly no tax and no tips. Unless I go to some very touristy areas and people expect tips.
An average Thai dish is about ฿50-฿60 THB ($2 USD). The dish is about 1/3 the portion of what you usually get in a western food court. So if you’re still hungry after eating the first dish, you can always order a second or third.
For an average western style food with a western size portion. The average price is about ฿200-฿300 THB or about $8 -$12 CAD or about $8-$10 USD, and that will get you a very good meal and maybe a fruit shake.
| Day #1 – Cost of Living in Bangkok | |
|---|---|
| ฿220 THB ($6.20 USD) | Pineapple fried rice |
| ฿79 THB ($2.25 USD) | Tuna on rice |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Durian sticky rice for dessert, similar to the mango on sticky rice. |
| ฿60 THB ($2 USD) | Smoothie |
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Ice coffee – I don’t drink coffee on a daily bases, I just sleep 8 – 9 hours per day but this coffee is so good. |
| ฿439 THB ($12.50 USD) | Total for day #1 |
| Day #2 | |
|---|---|
| ฿80 THB ($2.20 USD) | Beef noodle soup |
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Seafood fried rice |
| ฿80 THB ($2.20 USD) | Isaan style sausages |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿317 THB ($9 USD) | Grocery |
| ฿557 THB ($15.90 USD) | Total for day #2 |
| Day #3 | |
|---|---|
| ฿100 THB ($2.85 USD) | Boat noodles |
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Curry chicken on rice |
| ฿75 THB ($2.10 USD) | Ice cream |
| ฿106 THB ($3 USD) | Donuts |
| ฿1,073 THB ($30 USD) | Toiletries – mattress cover (had to buy my own because it’s not a service apartment or a hotel) – borrow pillows and blankets from my brother.  |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿1,434 THB ($40 USD) | Total for day #3 |
| Day #4 | |
|---|---|
| ฿260 THB ($7.40 USD) | Sea food  |
| ฿123 THB ($3.50 USD) | Donuts |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | A bowl of noodles |
| ฿341 THB ($9.70 USD) | Grocery |
| ฿25 THB ($0.70 USD) | Drink |
| ฿809 THB ($23 USD) | Total for day #4 |
| Day #5 | |
|---|---|
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Spicy and sour  |
| ฿100 THB ($2.80 USD) | Spicy vegeterian on rice, two stick of grill pork and a drink. |
| ฿150 THB ($4.20 USD) | Total for day #5 |
| Day #6 | |
|---|---|
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Steam chicken on rice (Khao Mun Gai) |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | Isan mushroom soup with fermented fish |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) ฿50 THB | A bowl of noodles and ice coffee – I think this taste better than Starbucks ice coffee |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿250 THB ($7.10 USD) | Total for day #6 |
| Day #7 | |
|---|---|
| ฿55 THB ($1.50 USD) ฿35 THB | A bowl of noodles + Sugarcane drink |
| ฿324 THB ($9.20 USD) | Grocery  |
| ฿58 THB ($1.65 USD) | Ham and cheese sandwich  |
| ฿70 THB ($2 USD) | Thai candy – miniature crispy pancakes (Khanom Buang) |
| ฿115 THB ($3.20 USD) | Chicken spring rolls |
| ฿87 THB ($2.50 USD) | Drinks |
| ฿744 THB ($21 USD) | Total for day #7 |
| Day #8 | |
|---|---|
| ฿49 THB ($1.40 USD) | Mango sticky rice dessert  |
| ฿49 THB ($1.40 USD) | Tuna on rice |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | Noodles |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿49 THB ($1.40 USD) | Pork and rice |
| ฿35 THB ($1 USD) | Juice |
| ฿272 THB ($7.70 USD) | Total for day #8 |
| Day #9 | |
|---|---|
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) ฿40 THB ($1.10 USD) | Noodles + deep fried spring rolls |
| Free | Dinner with some of the locals.  |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿35 THB ($1 USD) | Juice |
| ฿165 THB ($4.70 USD) | Total for day #9 |
| Day #10 | |
|---|---|
| ฿240 THB ($6.85 USD) | Japenses tuna bento |
| ฿160 THB ($4.50 USD) | Japenese BBQ meat on a stick |
| ฿40 THB ($1.10 USD) | Thai candy – miniature crispy pancakes (Khanom Buang) |
| ฿99 THB ($2.80 USD) | Sushi (50% off during the evening) |
| ฿35 THB ($1 USD) | Juice |
| ฿574 THB ($16.4 USD) | Total for day #10 |
| Day #11 | |
|---|---|
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | Fried seafood noodles |
| ฿22 THB ($0.60 USD) | Thai ice tea |
| ฿45 THB ($1.30 USD) | Matcha ice cream |
| ฿45 THB ฿49 THB ($1.40 USD) | Jack fruit and Tuna with rice. |
| ฿221 THB ($6.30 USD) | Total for day #11 |
| Day #12 | |
|---|---|
| ฿145 THB ($4.15 USD) | KFC combo |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | Noodles |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Drink |
| ฿30 THB ($0.85 USD) | Thai dessert |
| ฿265 THB ($7.50 USD) | Total for day #12 |
| Day #13 | |
|---|---|
| ฿99 THB ($2.80 USD) | Sushi |
| ฿39 THB ($1.10 USD) | Durain sticky rice dessert |
| ฿60 THB ($0.85 USD) | Isan mushroom soup with rice |
| ฿149 THB ($4.25 USD) | Banana ice cream |
| ฿347 THB ($9.90 USD) | Total for day #13 |
| Day #14 | |
|---|---|
| ฿60 THB ($0.85 USD) | Noodles |
| ฿35 THB ($1 USD) | Juice |
| ฿50 THB ($1.40 USD) | Deep fried spring rolls |
| ฿60 THB ($1.70 USD) | Egg, seafood with rice |
| ฿173.75 THB ($4.90 USD) | Durian |
| ฿378.75 THB ($10.80 USD) | Total for day #14 |
Continue to Part #2 – $800 USD per month living in Bangkok, Thailand
A very detailed post – excellent information. Love it!