# Cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand

> A five-year remote-work visa, private healthcare at a quarter of Western prices, and food costs that barely register.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/bangkok
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 33% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** THB
- **Region:** Southeast Asia
- **Cost index:** 22 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,383 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,911 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $3,858 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $700 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $59 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $30 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $18 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $266 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $14 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $32 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $27 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $16 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $27 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $19 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $16 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $45 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $8.00 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $55 | estimated | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $51 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$1,383** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Thailand:

- Income tax: $21,617
- Employee social contributions: $267
- Take-home: $78,117/year ($6,510/month)
- Effective rate: 21.9%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $5,126/month

Average local net salary: $800/month, which covers 0.6x the one-adult budget.

- Foreign income remitted to Thailand became taxable for tax residents from 2024.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 64 |
| Healthcare | 74 |
| Air quality | 42 |
| Public transport | 72 |
| Walkability | 66 |
| English proficiency | 34 |
| Family friendliness | 66 |
| Nightlife | 92 |
| Median broadband | 230 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 29°C; summer highs 35°C; winter lows 21°C; 2600 sunshine hours and 1500 mm of rain a year. Climate type: tropical.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 27, 28.3, 29.5, 30.9, 29.8, 28.7, 28, 28.4, 27.7, 27.7, 27, 27.8.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 8, 47, 49, 71, 203, 195, 265, 204, 305, 219, 97, 17.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: yes
- The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) gives five years of multi-entry access, 180 days per stay.
- Coast: 90 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: Asia/Bangkok
- Metro population: 11.0 million

## Creator videos about Bangkok

- [How Much I Spend In A Month Living in Bangkok As An Expat](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dFBgEOXSeU) — JoeyP
- [My Monthly Budget Living in Bangkok (realistic cost of living)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXqCm9Cko6c) — Di’s Money Diaries
- [A Local Thai’s Cost of Living in Bangkok: Monthly Breakdown & Expenses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3fsd1hhGog) — Ying in Thailand

## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 33% derived, 67% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/bangkok
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/bangkok
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities