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Cost of living: prices in Thailand

by Pierre To
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Cost of living: prices in Thailand

Wholesale prices, to get an idea of the cost of living in Thailand before a trip or an expatriation project.

Prices vary from region to region, please feel free to make corrections or updates using the comments below the article.

Cost of living at the grocery store

  • Medium bottle of water: 5 baht
  • Mineral water 1.5 l: 15 baht
  • Fruit juice 1.5 l: 70 baht
  • Bottle of milk 1 l: 55 baht
  • Water in 20 L bottles: 20 baht (the deposit for the first bottle is 100 baht)
  • Bag of ice in a supermarket: 5 to 10 baht
  • Coke, Pepsi, Fanta and other soft drinks: 20 baht (updated 2017)
  • Canned beer: 40-70 baht (updated 2017)
  • Large bottle of beer: depending on the brand from 25 to 90 baht
  • Half bottle of Sang Som rum: 140 baht
  • Pack of instant noodles: 6 to 20 baht
  • One medium sized packet of chips = 20 baht
  • One bottle of caffeinated drink (M150, Red bull...) = 10 baht
  • Small bag of biscuits = 5 baht
  • One canned Camembert = 200 baht
  • Mackintosh (very thin plastic rain cover) = 15 baht
  • 12 eggs = 50 baht (updated 2017)

Cost of tobacco and cigarettes

Cost of living in Thailand cigarettes

  • Rolling brown tobacco: from 5 baht
  • Rolling cigarette paper (without glue): 1 baht
  • Marlboro cigarette: 125 baht/pack (updated 2017)
  • Cigarette LM: 85 baht/pack (updated 2017)
  • Krong Thip: 96 baht
  • Cigarette Mild Seven: 95 baht

You can also buy cigarettes individually.

Cost of living miscellaneous

  • For each withdrawal from an ATM, you will have to pay a fee of 200 baht
  • Film show at MBK: 200 baht
  • Introductory diving session: 2000 baht
  • Cyber café: 15 to 30 baht/hour

Tipping in Thailand

This is not the norm in the country except in the chic places, massage parlours, trendy bars and karaoke bars.

Example of a tip you can leave if you are satisfied with the service:

  • In a restaurant: 10/20 baht
  • In the taxi: round up, they often pretend they have no change anyway.
  • At the hotel 10 to 20 baht for the baggage handler and chambermaid
  • After a massage: 50 baht
  • For a guide : 50 to 100 baht for a short visit.
  • For a woman at the karaoke who sat with you to chat and serve drinks: 100 to 200 baht

Cost of a Thai massage

  • 200 to 300 baht per hour for a foot or body massage
  • from 300 baths to more for an oil massage
  • Tipping : it is customary, if the massage was well done, to leave a tip of about 40/50 baht to the masseuse.

In tourist areas like Koh Samui, massages cost between 600 and 1000 baht.

See also : Thai Massage, Nuad Bo Rarn

Cost of living in the café

All the drinks below are between 50 and 80 baht minimum in the tourist areas, but better quality too.

  • Coffee, hot or iced chocolate: 20 to 60 baht
  • Juice in a blender: 25 to 60 baht
  • Green, lemon or other tea: 15 to 40 baht

Cost of living in the restaurant

Meals, drinks in :

  • A street restaurant: from 40 baht/per (updated 2018)
  • A small Thai restaurant: 90 baht/per
  • A foreign restaurant: 200 to 400 baht/per

In detail:

  • Bottle of water: 15 to 30 baht
  • Coke and other soft drinks: 10 to 20 baht
  • Bottle of beer: 35 to 60 baht
  • Can of beer: 30 baht
  • A noodle soup: 15 to 30 baht
  • Basic dish with rice or noodles: 25 to 50 baht
  • Thai speciality dish: 30 to 80 baht
  • Western dish: 80 to 400 baht
  • Thai pizza (mayonnaise instead of cheese): from 70 baht
  • Western pizza: from 140 baht
  • One Kebab: 60 baht
  • One plate of lasagne: 150 baht
  • A Mc Do: 90 baht
  • A plate of fries: 70 to 90 baht

In bars-restaurants-concert, karaoke, kaafé

  • A large bottle of beer: 140 to 190 baht (updated 2017)
  • Bucket of ice cubes: 20 baht
  • One song at karaoke: 5 to 10 baht
  • A necklace offered to the singer: 20 baht (often sold by 5, so 100 baht)
  • The glass offered to a companion: 30 to 100 baht
  • The dish (aperitif and others): 70 to 250 baht

Hotel, flat, guest-house, camping

The comfort and hygiene of low cost hotels is really random, I have paid 200 baht for a large modern room with a small lounge and TV in a small village.

  • Superior hotels: between 2,500 baths and 4,000 baths/room
  • Mid-range hotels: between 400 baths and 1,000 baths/room
  • Budget hotels: between 150 baths and 350 baths/room
  • Guest-house: between 150 baths and 600 baths
  • One camping place in the national parks: 60 baths/night (camping equipment rental: 300 baths/night)

The easiest way to find out the price of a hotel is to go directly to an online comparison site:

You can find the best hotel deals in Thailand with Booking.com

Renting of flats or houses by the month

The low prices shown are those found in most of the country, in tourist areas and some large cities it is much more expensive, such as in Bangkok.

Rental in provincial cities and villages

  • Garage style flat (hong teou) with kitchenette (empty room dedicated to the kitchen for the first prices) bathroom (room with Turkish toilet and tap, bowl for the shower for the first prices): from 1500 to 4 000 baths
  • Small clean flat with TV (cable), air/con, from 3000 baht, there are many very comfortable ones from 4000/5000 baht
  • City house: from 3000 baths for a Thai style house, from 5000 for a house more adapted to western comfort
  • Country house: from 1500 baths for a very simple house and from 2500 baths for a simple house with a garden, from 4000 baths for a house equipped in the western style (washbasin, shower, kitchenette, air conditioning).

Accommodation in Bangkok

  • Flat without extra, without air conditioning, in a building: around 3,500 to 6,500 baht per month.
  • Small furnished and equipped flat: between 5,000 and 10,000 baht per month

To get an idea of the price of accommodation in Bangkok see this site: thaiapartment.com

Water bill in Thailand

  • From 40 to 300 baths.

The cost of water has always been very low, it was even free when you didn't exceed a certain level, but it was non-drinking water, as water treatment is changing in many areas, the prices are increasing.

Cost of electricity in Thailand

  • 300/400 baths per month for a small consumption without air conditioning.
  • Over 1000 baht with air conditioning.

(electricity scams are common and easy to organise for Thai people with the guy who comes to read the meter, be careful not to pay for your neighbours)

Telephone and Internet

  • Fixed: 109 Baths/month + communication
  • ADSL internet subscription: from 590 baht
  • Unlimited 3G Internet, 5 GB: 980 baht
  • Mobile phone: from 1000 baht
  • Prepaid SIM card: 300 baths
  • Refills cost 50, 100, 150, 300, or 500 baht
  • National call: 3 baht/minute
  • International call: 7 baht/minute

Post

  • To send a postcard for example, the price is 20 - 25 baht
  • To send a parcel or document urgently with EMS (3/5 days to Europe): 1100 baht for the first kilo then 250 baht for each subsequent kilo.

Education costs

  • Thai course: 120 hours + 1 year student visa = 17 000 to 25 000 baths (the visa extension to be done every three months costs 1900 baths)
  • French school: 250 000 baths/year per child
  • International schools: between €2,000 and €20,000 per year

Transport

If you want to know the price of a flight to Thailand, a bus, train or boat trip, you will find links that will also allow you to book online on our article :
Transport in Thailand, getting around in the land of smiles

Average price of transport in Thailand :

  • Songtaew (pickup taxi): 10 to 30 Baht for shared use, over 50 Baht for private use
  • Motorbike taxi: between 20 and 100 Bahts (journey in a medium-sized city, more in Bangkok)
  • Touk touk: an average trip costs 40 baht to 100 baht
  • Taxi: 35 baht for the first two kilometres and 4.5 baht for each subsequent kilometre (an additional 1.3 baht/minute is charged if there is a wait or traffic jam)
  • Average travel in Bangkok: less than 100 baht
  • Bangkok Airport to Khao San Road: 300 - 400 baht
  • Private taxi: from 150 baht

Underground railway

A ticket costs between 16 and 41 baht depending on the distance of the route

Skytrain

  • The price of a ticket is 10 to 40 baht depending on the distance of the route

City bus

  • Ordinary buses (not air-conditioned) cost around 10 baht
  • Air-conditioned buses cost around 24 baht flat rate
  • Minibuses cost around 20 baht flat rate

Coach

  • The fare is between 1 and 2 baht per kilometre travelled. Ex: Bangkok trip Chiang Mai in first class: 750 baht

Train

  • Bangkok - Chiang Mai: 1300 baht in first class; 550 to 850 baht in second class
  • Bangkok - Surathani: 1200 baht in first class; 500-800 baht in second class
  • Thailand Rail Pass: 3000 baht/adult; 1500 baht/child

Rent a motorbike

  • From 150 baht per day for a scooter
  • Approximately 600 baht for a Honda CB 400 type motorbike

A full tank of petrol for a scooter

  • From 120 to 200 baht

Buying a motorbike

  • From 3 000 baths (old used motorbike)
  • Between 15,000 and 25,000 baht, you can find very good second-hand motorbikes that you can resell without too much loss if you have to return.
  • Motorbike insurance + vignette: 400 baht/year
  • Technical inspection: 100 baht/year

Rent a car

From 1000 baht per day

Buying a car

  • From 70,000 baht (used)
  • Insurance: 18,000 baht/year
  • Vignette: 1513 baht/year

See also :

Cost of living in photos: in a Thai market

Ads

Cost of living in photos: fruit and vegetables in a Thai market

Thailand: the guide to prepare your trip

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