Cost of living in Bangkok
A five-year remote-work visa, private healthcare at a quarter of Western prices, and food costs that barely register.
Build your own budget
Monthly spending by category: Housing $700, Food $355, Transport $46, Utilities $107, Healthcare $16, Lifestyle $108, Other $51.
1-bed, city centre Median advertised rent for this unit type Estimated $700
Salary and tax in Bangkok
| Gross salary (USD/yr) | Income tax | Social contributions | Take-home / month | Effective rate | Left after costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $4,816 | $267 | $2,910 | 12.7% | $1,527 |
| $75,000 | $14,117 | $267 | $5,051 | 19.2% | $3,668 |
| $120,000 | $27,617 | $267 | $7,676 | 23.2% | $6,293 |
| $200,000 | $53,974 | $267 | $12,147 | 27.1% | $10,763 |
- Foreign income remitted to Thailand became taxable for tax residents from 2024.
People who actually live in Bangkok
Our figures are a model. These are people filming their own receipts in Bangkok. Where the two disagree, the disagreement is the interesting part — and worth telling us about.
Videos are embedded from their creators, who keep the views and the revenue. Nothing loads from YouTube or TikTok until you press play. Make videos about Bangkok? Get listed.
Quality of life
A year of weather in Bangkok
Average monthly temperature in Bangkok: January 27 degrees, February 28.3 degrees, March 29.5 degrees, April 30.9 degrees, May 29.8 degrees, June 28.7 degrees, July 28 degrees, August 28.4 degrees, September 27.7 degrees, October 27.7 degrees, November 27 degrees, December 27.8 degrees. The shaded band is the average daily high and low.
Where these numbers come from
Share of this budget, weighted by money rather than by field count, that rests on a published source rather than our model.
- Measured0%
- Taken directly from a published source. No modelling in between.
- Derived33%
- Anchored to a measured source, then adjusted. The adjustment is stated.
- Estimated67%
- Modelled from regional relationships. Nobody measured this one.
Prices in Bangkok
| Item | USD | THB |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (monthly rent) | ||
| One-bedroom, city centre | $700 | THB 23,630 |
| One-bedroom, outside the centre | $420 | THB 14,178 |
| Three-bedroom, city centre | $1,500 | THB 50,635 |
| Three-bedroom, outside the centre | $900 | THB 30,381 |
| Buy price per m², city centre | $4,200 | THB 141,779 |
| Bills | ||
| Utilities, 85m² apartment | $90 | THB 3,038 |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps+ | $30 | THB 1,013 |
| Mobile plan | $18 | THB 608 |
| Food | ||
| Groceries, one adult per month | $266 | THB 8,979 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | $2.28 | THB 77 |
| Three-course dinner for two | $32 | THB 1,080 |
| Coffee | $2.28 | THB 77 |
| Beer in a bar | $2.73 | THB 92 |
| Transport | ||
| Monthly transit pass | $27 | THB 911 |
| Taxi, per km | $0.54 | THB 18 |
| Petrol, per litre | $1.15 | THB 39 |
| Health, family & lifestyle | ||
| Health insurance, per adult | $120 | THB 4,051 |
| Doctor visit, out of pocket | $30 | THB 1,013 |
| Full-time childcare, one child | $500 | THB 16,878 |
| International school, per year | $18,000 | THB 607,625 |
| Gym membership | $45 | THB 1,519 |
| Cinema ticket | $8.00 | THB 270 |
Prices are held in USD and converted at the August 2026 snapshot rate. Last reviewed 2026-08-01. Every figure carries its own provenance — see where these numbers come from.
Living and working here
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) gives five years of multi-entry access, 180 days per stay.
1 USD ≈ THB 33.76
Asia/Bangkok
tropical climate
Compare Bangkok with…
Getting set up in Bangkok
The things people end up arranging in the first month in Bangkok — usually in roughly this order. We have picked services that work before you have local residency, which is the constraint that catches most people out.
- AiraloesimData eSIM for the first weeks before you get a local number.
- SafetyWinginsuranceHealth and travel cover written for people living outside their home country.
- WisetransferMoving money between currencies without the bank spread.
- RevolutbankingA multi-currency account that works before you have local residency.
- Kiwi.comflightsOne-way and multi-city routing for a move rather than a return trip.
- Booking.comstaysSomewhere to land for the first month while you look at flats.
These are affiliate links: if you sign up, we may be paid a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what any of them costs, and it has no bearing on the numbers anywhere else on this page — those come from the model, not from anyone paying us.
Know what things really cost here?
No submissions yet. Yours would be the first.
We publish the median, not the mean — one mis-keyed rent should not move the number.
Frequently asked
How much money do you need per month to live in Bangkok?
A single adult renting a one-bedroom in the centre and living moderately needs roughly $1,383 a month, of which $700 is rent. A couple sharing that flat needs about $1,911, and a family of four in a three-bedroom outside the centre with childcare needs about $3,858.
Is Bangkok expensive?
On our index Bangkok scores 22 where New York is 100 — about 78% below New York for the same household. The average local net salary of $800 a month covers 0.6× that budget.
What salary do you need in Bangkok?
To cover the single-adult budget of $1,383 a month after tax, you need roughly $17,500 gross a year — before any saving. Add 30–40% on top if you want to save meaningfully.
How much is rent in Bangkok?
A one-bedroom in the centre averages $700 a month, $420 outside the centre. A three-bedroom runs $1,500 central and $900 further out.
Can you work remotely from Bangkok?
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) gives five years of multi-entry access, 180 days per stay.
Sources
- World Bank – ICP price level & PPP indicators— price levels, purchasing power normalisation
- OECD – Prices and purchasing power parities— price levels, household consumption
- Open-Meteo historical climate archive— climate
- exchangerate.host / ECB reference rates— currency conversion
Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Read the full methodology.