Is Bangkok Expensive in 2018?
If you’re planning a 6-12 stay in Bangkok or are thinking about moving here indefinitely, you might be wondering how expensive is Bangkok in 2018?
Depending on who you ask, people will tell you that Bangkok is either cheap or expensive.
In this article I am going to break down why people tell you Bangkok is both cheap and expensive.
Bangkok is expensive in 2018
There’s no doubt that Bangkok is more expensive in 2018 than ever before, this should not come as a surprise.
Cities like Bangkok are growing all the time. Tourism is up, expat population is rising and people are investing in the city. Thailand is on the top of every travel, nomad and beach list and Bangkok is the hub to them all- things are only going to get more expensive as the years go by.
The biggest price jump I’ve noticed is for NEW apartment rentals.
If you were part of my Thailand Nomad Community you’d know that in Thailand, older condos are bigger in size and cheaper in price, than newly built condos that are MUCH smaller in size and greater in cost.
This is because Thais believe that the newer the conder, the more desirable the apartment, even if the room is smaller in size. The age of the condo has a bigger impact on price than size.
To give one example of how bonkers rentals have become, a brand new 1-bedroom at Rhythm Condo in Sukhumvit 36 (built in 2018) will cost you around $758 per month (25,000b) for a 25sq meter room.
A 52sq meter 1-bedroom at Plus 38 condo (built 2005) will cost you $606 (20,000b) per month.
Both of these condos are located on the same street, less than 20 meters apart!
The older condo gives you double the space, is built better (older condos have thicker walls) and is cheaper by $152 per month.
In the last few years, hundreds of new condo complexes have been made, and hundreds more are currently being built.
I think developers tell investors they can get such high rental yields as a marketing ploy to sell units, so landlords mark up their rooms at prices which are bonkers when you compare them to older rooms.
Bangkok taxis cost more than they did 5 years ago, the amount they charge per km went up in 2017 (they are still very cheap).
Entry to nightclubs and the cost of getting bottle service has risen. Each club varies but you’ll end up paying around $110~ for a 1-liter bottle with mixers and ice.
Hotel prices are higher than ever and a good meal at a restaurant is going to cost $30+ per person including alcohol.
Hookers charge more and give you less.
The only thing that seems to have stayed consistent is the price of street food.
In a nutshell: You now need more money to live in Bangkok and have a good time.
Bangkok is still fucking cheap
Yes prices are going up, but Bangkok is still cheap in 2018 for what you get.
Here’s what things will cost you in the most desirable location for single western expats aged between 20-40 (Thong Lor).
Related: learn how much it costs for a sex massage in Phuket and how much Pattaya freelancers cost.
A coffee can easily cost $3-6, add a lunch to that and you can spend $15-$25 with ease.
$1-2 for a beer on the street.
$5 for a beer at a nice bar.
$9-12 if you go to a speakeasy or fancy cocktail bar.
The Marriot Rooftop on Soi 57 will charge you $30 for a double Grey Goose.
$750+ for a 1-bedroom 55sq meter apartment with a good view.
A year membership at a good Bangkok gym is anywhere $1,250-$2,000 per year.
A one hour massage at a nice place with tip is $15-$30 depending on what you get.
These are prices for Thong Lor which many consider (and I agree) to the best location in Bangkok for people who are social and live a trendy and modern lifestyle.
If you wanted to live in Lad Prao or Udom Suk (a much cheaper district of Bangkok), you can shave 20-50% off the prices above, but so will your quality of life.
But these locations won’t have the best gyms, restaurants, cafes, clubs and you’ll also be settling for 3rd or 4th best choice of everything, and its a pain to travel to central Bangkok from these locations.
If you like hitting the gym then you can get steroids in Thailand cheaper than most places.
Bangkok is a second world-city
Bangkok is 50% first-world and 50% third-world.
3 of the top 10 restaurants in Asia are in Bangkok, and the #1 restaurant in Asia is in Bangkok.
There are 5* penthouses you can rent for $150 a night.
Bangkok has Axe throwing bars, VR cafes, iMax cinemas, live music events, affiliate conferences, dine in the dark, trampoline centers, float tanks, cyro chambers and online grocery services that get you salmon from Alaska or wild bore from Italy.
Whatever you want – Bangkok has it (almost), and for a much cheaper price than its competitors Singapore and Hong Kong.
If you say Bangkok is expensive you must be comparing the price of Bangkok to the price of Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia or Cambodia.
Good luck finding a single Asia’s Top 50 Restaurant from any of those countries.
Or dozens of apartments western style apartments.
Or a metro system that gets you anywhere across the city in 30 minutes (Bangkok has 3 and are building more).
Or a major international airport with hundreds of flights to choose from.
Or quality gyms and fancy craft beer bars.
Or western food that is easily accessible and high quality.
The reason Bangkok is getting expensive is that the city is providing more options. If you can ignore the pollution, dangerous roads and other things that make it 50% third-world, it very hard to think of a better city in the world that offers you this much value for money.
I know people will mention cities like Budapest, Prague or Lisbon which may be cheaper or roughly the same cost (and yes they are great cities), but they are too small and you’d never compare them against Syndey, London, New York.
Bangkok has well over 8 million people living there.
In 2018 you can almost make a good argument for comparing Bangkok to top world cities like London and New York in terms of what the city offers in pleasure experiences and activities.
Can you live in Bangkok for $1,000 per month in 2018?
So how much money do you need to live in Bangkok in 2018?
Even in 2018 you could easily live in Bangkok on $330 per month which one person did a few years ago, you can read about it here.
For that you’ll get a basic 20-25sq meter studio in an undesirable location yet a totally safe area of Bangkok, eat only street food and that’s $400 per month.
Thais live on around that, so there is no reason why you cannot do it. You really would not want to live on $400 for more than a few months as you’ll end up hating your life.
You’d have no hobbies and wouldn’t go out at night. You’d probably not feel good either mentally or physically eating street food that much. When I ate a high street food diet, I would crash a lot and take naps because my body just didn’t process the food that well.
For $1,000 per month in Bangkok you can get a 30sq meter studio in a non-central location and if you cooked at home or ate at really cheap restaurants you’d be okay. If you’re good with budgeting you could also throw in two good nights of partying.
If you averaged out my monthly spend in the last 12 months living in Bangkok it would be around $1,500 per month. I don’t have a budget – I spend as I wish but I have a minimalist point of view and never end up spending a lot.
What does $1,500 per month get me in Bangkok?
A 52 square meter 1-bedroom apartment in Thong Lor, what many consider the best area to live in for expats. Within a 1km distance, I am next to 5 western supermarkets, 3 shopping malls, 5 gyms, 4 clubs and dozens of cool bars and restaurants and 5min walk from the BTS.
I live in an older condo building so I got a great price and the location for my lifestyle could not be better. I pay $670 per month (22,000b). The condo has a rooftop pool and condo gym (condo gyms aren’t great in Bangkok, free weights go up to 20kg and no squat rack or barbells).
I have a one-year gym membership at one of the best gyms in Bangkok which costs $50 per month.
One massage a week at $15 with tip.
3-4 restaurant meals per week, and a very healthy fridge which is mostly full of Paleo Robbie.
I’ll do the whole movie experience with popcorn and good seats which is about $20 for two whenever there is a movie I’d like to watch.
I play soccer once a week which is $5.
I guess in travel fees I pay $20 per month, as I live so close to everything I usually walk or get a motorbike.
That’s what I get for $1,500. That does not include drinking or hookers.
I’m not really into clubbing or drinking right now as I want to focus on other areas of life, so that saves me between $300-$500 per month.
Bangkok is not a city where you can find healthy food easily, almost everything you eat outside is unhealthy and often laced with sugar, MSG, reused oil or pesticide infested produce. This includes western restaurants.
They do have the fancy gluten-free, 100% organic concept restaurants if that’s your thing, but the people who eat there trigger me so much that I cannot go inside without hitting someone.
For that reason, I cook most of my own food, which probably saves me $100-$400 per month. If you don’t like to cook and will eat out often, that’s going to cost you $300-$900 extra in costs depending on what you consider good and healthy food to be.
If you want to live the playboy lifestyle dining out, partying a few times per week, dating pretty girls that’s at least costing $2,500 per month if you do it right living in a nice room in a nice location.
You could live a playboy lifestyle with a $1,200 on a strict budget, but it would only be a cheap imitation and involve you pre drinking at home, almost never getting bottle service and lying to girls about why your room is so small and crappy. Been there done that.
With a $3,000 per month budget in Bangkok, you could live like someone who was given $10,000 per month in London, Singapore or Hong Kong.
Can you budget?
I’ve always been good with budgeting because I came here with $9,000 and had to make that last.
I’ve been here long enough to have found my go to bars and restaurants for good value food, where to get 50% off movie tickets, happy hour beers and more.
This dish below contains home-made egg noodles, crab meat, duck breast, pork belly and shrimp dumplings with pork broth soup (out of the picture) for $3 served inside a restaurant.
Whether you’re a noodle person or not, for the quantity of meat and produce (homemade noodles) $3 is fucking cheap. Bangkok is full of amazing value if you know where to look and are open to trying places and are open to seeing the odd cockroach or bug inside.
If you’re not good at budgeting and plan to move to Bangkok and live off $1,000 or thereabouts, chances are you’ll end up spending a lot more than that, even more so if you have vices like women and sex.
I’ve seen friends who told me they were going to budget on $1,200 spend as much as $3,000-$4,000 per month and have no idea where it went (it went on girls and booze). I’m certain in the comments below people will tell you their stories of overspending without knowing it.
Bangkok is the master of parting a fool with his money.
So is Bangkok cheap or expensive in 2018?
I think Bangkok is a great value city and best suited for people who plan to spend $1,500 or more per month.
Yes things are getting more expensive but the options the city provides you are well worth the cost. If you’re not into clubbing, eating at good restaurants and are fine to commute to most places, you can live outside Central Bangkok for $1,500 and your money will go real far.
If you enjoyed this article consider reading my guide on meeting girls in Phuket and where to find hookers in Phuket.
If you plan to have a lot of fun and have a low tolerance for commuting – you’ll need to spend more to get the lifestyle you achieve.
Do you think Bangkok is expensive in 2018?
I agree with Harvie. It is not about how much you spend; it is about return on investment. Few cities can match BKK on a dollar per quality of life ratio for single men trying to live it up. Whether or not that is sustainable for everyone is a question beyond the scope of this discussion.
As for shit getting more expensive, all I have to say is: “If you get better every day so will the world.” – BigNig
Rent is beginning to seem sort of expensive to me. I haven’t lived in Bangkok since 2015, but I follow listings on Facebook. I see a lot of blatant overcharges, but also a lot I find decent, but still fairly expensive. One thing to keep in mind of course is that they’re furnished. You could find better deals unfurnished if you plan on staying a long time.
The thing with Bangkok now is, you’re going to have some trouble explaining why staying at Thong Lor Soi 10 is “just great location” to an outsider. To anyone from outside Thailand, it is still just a polluted, noisy, filthy third world street. To a Bangkok vet it is “location, location, location”.
I maintain the real benefit of Thailand is the lack of a parasite middle class employed in the public sector in large number. This keeps taxes low, which keeps salaries low, which keeps basic amineties cheap.
Nicely put, I did not think too much about your last paragraph but I do agree that has something do with the low costs.
Cheers mate
Every article you write, is brilliant mate.
Keep up the good work.
I go to Phuket regularly
Why dont you write a blog from Singapore? I know why. If the entire city evolves to a sterile expensive nightmare of steel and cleared sidewalks, the attraction is gone. For tourists visiting or as a destination for expats to settle down.
However. There is a middle way. Keeping the local (oriental) flavour and provide experiences to affluent conscious people. A little bit like New York does.
As a tourist spot Bangkok is becoming less attractive for sure with the removal of many night markets for malls. You may be right that Bangkok will turn into Singapore in 50 years, but then I’m sure another city will take over the old Bangkok (I’m thinking HCM).
Bangkok is a 2nd world city (with some 1st world bubbles) in a 3rd world country, so of course it’s cheap. The fact that you’re in a 3rd world country still smacks you in the face. Like when you look out the window of the Airport Link and see a shack-house. Or when the police pull you over and ask for a bribe.
That’s the biggest difference between Bangkok and the Hong Kong and Singapore type cities.
You really took my Mailmunch pop up and the exact same text for your sign up didn’t you (not mad), just a little said you’ve not given me a do-follow back link yet :).
Very informative
I’ll personally never be back to Bangkok. Prices are Tokyo tier now for a third world city unless you look hard for deals which are all in shitty locations (deep in the sois surrounded by poor people) so you need to spend a ton more to cab it everywhere.
It might still be a good deal for someone making London / NY tier salaries from home who wants to live in the most developed SEA city and doesn’t care about the cost but for anyone who is just making 2-3k a month I don’t see the appeal dealing with all the visa bullshit and extortionate rents.
Might as well stay in Taiwan or Tokyo where you can actually walk a ton and the subway system is top notch so prime locations aren’t as much of a concern.
And lets not even talk about hooker prices. Hookers are older, more hardened and with barfines you pay as much or more as in safe first world saunas like FKK clubs in Germany. Non hooker girls with above average looks now also think they can hold out for Mr. Perfect just like in the west and incomes like mine don’t cut it anymore (I make about 3k a month) for being brand marked as a race traitor.
In short Bangkok is played out, a waste of time and locals will become increasingly discontent as well while foreigners pay crazy rents and hotel prices (Red Planet Asoke doubled their cost in the last four years) and most of them will live worse and worse.
Bangkok is Tokyo prices for what? Taxis, rental, food and entertainment are 5x cheaper in Bangkok than Tokyo. High rental contracts can easily be avoided with a little bit of research and I think $2-3k range is perfect for Bangkok.
Taiwan is great if you want a laid back more peaceful way of life, but if you want to be social and do things, date lots of girls, Bangkok is much better than Taipei for that.
I appreciate your comment but I don’t think Bangkok is played out at all, it’s by far one of the best cities value for money, and I don’t agree with your comparisons asides from the FKK clubs in Germany, which are arguably the best places in the world to pay for sex.
You’d be surprised that it’s not hard to find a shoebox apartment in Tokyo for $600 a month. A nicer one in a great area can be found for $1000 a month. In Osaka $500 is perfectly doable as well. You obviously can’t just show up there and rent without working there or a spousal visa but it shows you just how bad Bangkok is value wise these days for housing.
You’re in immaculate surroundings, can walk everywhere (even Thong Lo sois with high so restaurants don’t have sidewalks) and it’s just less stressful to get from place A to B.
Japanese women also have more reasonable expectations than the thais looking to gold dig in Thong Lo. Next thing you know you become Alexander Cazes (the guy behind the darknet market AlphaBay who got suicided in thai prison) because you want to play ball with the only thais you consider to be even remotely on your level.
A Japanese shoebox is actually a shoebox, a Bangkok shoebox is typically twice the size of one in Toyko. Tokyo is a great city and I could see myself living there when I’m 35+, but as an all rounder when it comes to nightlife/sex/food/cost of living/travel from my own experience I find it very hard to say they are similar in price. I last visited Tokyo in 2016 and Osaka in 2017, both cities got really expensive when you wanted to splurge out on a nice massage or restaurant compared to Bangkok. If you want to keep it very simple, then yes both cities are cheap (Japanese street food is cheap and tasty), but value for money neither beat Bangkok.
Japan has nothing third world and the side walks are great, so are buildings and everything else, but that’s also why it’s quite expensive. I only spent about 3 weeks in Japan on two trips but I found it hard to mingle with locals compared to Thailand, maybe I was not there long enough but I felt they keep away from us.
Osaka is much closer to Bangkok prices but the city isn’t that big and only has 2 million people. Would agree with your comment about women in Japan, first world countries are usually better to find a wife as their values will match closer to yours.
These are just my opinions. I plan on living in Japan for a few months this year, so hopefully I’ll have more info soon enough :).
In your opinion Is Rca area a good place to live in Bangkok?
It depends on what type of lifestyle you want in Bangkok? I have friends who live there and love it, me personally I would not live there because it’s too far from the things I do on a daily basis. So for me that location is not right, but for you, I don’t know without more info on what your lifestyle in Bangkok will be like, what you like, dislike etc.
Let me do some alternative thinking here.
The above are extreme examples of people obsessed with living close to everything every day, i could live like that in Manila (very similar judging from this article) and spend similar amounts, say $3000 a month in total. I could afford but i just cant live a life where all my money is going to cover my daily needs. By staying outside the city i dont get bored of it, i can go there when i want to and spend a lot of money, money i save by not living there 24-7. I have maybe $200 a month in car expenses and fuel, $300 total rent per month for a residential unit and a couple of commercial units, maybe $300 in electric and water, the total is STILL less than the profit from the commercial units so now my $3,000 a month is more than 3,000, and thats after the regular expenses are paid. I think now you can see how i can use some money to go on trips to Manila, Angeles, Hong Kong, wherever, for some serious fun that would be like a boring routine if i lived smack in the middle of a big city. In addition i would not have the extra income, i would be as relatively poor as some of you guys are, not a tempting scenario.
And the local girls, great, i know places nearby to meet pretty teens-twenteens for 10-15 dollars, in local bars $30 is the absolute maximum for a barfine. Not that i do it so often but i can if i want to and dont ask where i live. in addition theres no worn out semi-old HIV-risk hookers with high milage in all body orifices and more makeup than an average clown, for 5 times the price.
Of course this wouldnt work out so well if you need everything put into your hands and have an obsessive need to be constantly close to all attractions, its expensive to be helpless. I understand some people have special needs but at least be aware that you can have twice the fun for half the price just a couple of miles outside the city core and still have plenty money left for a trip to have some more fun.
People like convenience and time so they pay for it, that’s why people say location, location, location. To me location is the most important thing because I value my time. I am not a fan of traveling long distances to get things I want, well not in my 30s, that might change as I get older. I’m happy to pay extra in rent if it means I only have to walk to the gym instead of catching the BTS. I’m happy to be right next to a Villa market so I don’t have to get a taxi or bike.
I know others who don’t have an issue with traveling a few BTS stops or however long it takes, for me with the Bangkok heat and traffic, I want to spend as little time in that mess as possible.
You’re right, like I said if you live further out you can get much better value IF you don’t mind the lack of inconvenience, for people who love the oldness and charm of Bangkok, then it’s a no-brainer to live on the outskirts.
@Harvie – What is your opinion on the SiLom area of Bangkok? Condo prices there are 15-20% cheaper l Thong Lor or Ekkamai. Also there is a lot of street food and high end restaurants around there. Also Patpong nightlife area, night market, and Soi Thaniya (japanese soi with good restaurants) is in that area. It’s also near Bangkok downtown central district with all the high rises. BTS Si Lom stop is there and most everything within walking distance but still cheaper than Thong Lor and still considered a hip area by most people.
I’ve not lived there but it’s mostly for Japanese expats. If you make friends you’ll find most of them live on Sukhumvit or thereabouts, where Silom is mostly people who work with a business (it’s the CBD area), older mature working crowd usually.
Nice post, I’m pretty much on the same budget and 1500$ work pretty well in the city.
I’ve been in Bangkok for 2 years and the best thing is still the large range of options you have. You can eat in the street for 40THB or in fancy 5 Stars or Rooftop for 2000++
Same goes for activities, condos…
Things is you need to be good with a budget and refrain yourself from temptations otherwise you can easily double your expenses.