living cost in Bagkok

Hi,  I lived in Bangkok for over a year.  We rented a room at nonsi residence, which is close to Silom.  Good location for the city.  It has a small gym and pool which are free.  http://www.nonsiresidence.com

We had a big 2 double bed apartment which cost about 26000 baht a month.  Gas/electric was about 4000 a month as my gf liked have the air conditioning on all the time!  Our maid cost 3000 baht a month and she came twice a day.  It shouldn't be hard to find one wherever you decide to live.

Taxis are cheap, (usually cheaper than tuk tuks) and ALWAYS ask for the meter.  It used to start on 35 baht, (think it's increased slightly) but a 20 minute taxi ride would cost about 200 baht.  About £3.  (This was about 2 years ago)

Buses are REALLY cheap but we never used them.  Think they start at about 7 baht or something.  The skytrain and subway are very efficient and cheap too.

You can spend as little or as much as you want on food.  A plate of fice and chicken from a stall on the street costs about 35 baht.  There are supermarkets where locally produced food is obviously cheaper than imported foods.  We probably spent about 3500 baht a month on food between us.

Restuarants are relatively cheap too.  We would eat out once or twice a week.

It's brilliant!  You will love it.  I want to go back now!!

Where are you moving from and what will you be doing there??

Have fun!

oakwood is also a nice place to live.  Furnished apartments, pool, restaurant etc...  oakwood.com

itsvery nice of you to write me. now i am in rush to leave the office. will write later.
i ll be moving from Dhaka to Bkk but its not sure yet, we will know it end of August after my husband new job interview. but as iknow offered salary i wanna know if this offer worth to move there and i can have good life. i m kind of chosy,used to have big space for living, nice furniture, good food,sport activity. i wish 2500$ per month would be enough there so i can save the rest. ciao for now.

If your children are school age you better concern yourself with school cost unless company will be picking up tab.

Also what about health care.

Apartments vary in price depending on area you live.  If you move out from city center prices fall for the same quality place but transportation cost will go up.  I live alone and have never priced 3 bedroom apartments but I pay 10,000 baht per month for 40 sq meter studio within walking distance of sky train station.  It has free pool and fitness room. On top of that add 1200-2500 baht for electric (depends on time of year), 1600 baht for satellite TV and less than 200 baht for water.  If you need internet that will set you back 500-1000 baht depending on speed.  Don't have 3 bdrm but 2 bdrm (80 sq meters) in my building rent for 22,000 to 24,000 baht a month.

Judging from your comment food might be expensive for you.  I eat out most evenings at places that serve western style food and on average spend around 220-240 baht for just food not including any drinks.  Most places I would describe as providing pub quality food.  Really good food will double that cost and more at some places.  For breakfast and lunch I usually eat at apartment or grab Thai/Chinese food which runs 30-100 baht depending on where and what I eat.

I do not consider myself a big spender but I go through $2000 USD every month without any problems.  That includes rent, utilities, food and entertainment.  It does not include cost of health insurance.

hi.. i can see life there not really cheap as some ppl say. i heard from my friends here apt rent is 70000-125000 Bht, thats the rent they were paying 3-4 years ago, i m really suprised by high rate for rent. i hope the company hiring us rents good apt as i m used to big space and best location. however,my concern is good food, i do not eat on street anywhere ,  and yes,i eat western food too ( we are french). transport is important too i may use it quite often.
i haved  been to Bangkok last and this year as tourist, but in few days living in 5 star hotel going to fancy places money gone fast, thought when living there might be different for expenditures.
well... what to say, good life costly everywhere,including Bkk.
thanks for valuable info. keep well
Nat

Hi rebel1 i just curious, what make's you move to Bangkok.? are you working with a company or are you doing your own business.?

funny question.husband getting new job and duty station in Bangkok. this is only reason to be there.

I've stayed at a nice guesthouse at Khao-Sarn Rd.
I got fish spa & thai massage So cool!!
free WiFi and breakfast
Safety & Service Mind
I really love them.
price only ฿390!
(moderated: no free ads)

thanks. but i m not for temporary living... plus have kids.

adamthompson98 wrote:

oakwood is also a nice place to live.  Furnished apartments, pool, restaurant etc...  oakwood.com

Hi adam is the noni res close to  Khao-Sarn Rd.
How far to walk there etc ?

Noni website looks good maybe i might stay there as i am only going to be in bk for 30 days .Thanks for your help really appreciated

                         Cheers

Thanks for the Nonsi Residence recommendation. It's now one of my top choices to consider living at in BKK. I will be traveling around Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore for the next 2 months and need a place to call  home base

LezlyJP did you read my post titled  No Nonsi 

Straydog wrote:

If your children are school age you better concern yourself with school cost unless company will be picking up tab.

Also what about health care.

Apartments vary in price depending on area you live.  If you move out from city center prices fall for the same quality place but transportation cost will go up.  I live alone and have never priced 3 bedroom apartments but I pay 10,000 baht per month for 40 sq meter studio within walking distance of sky train station.  It has free pool and fitness room. On top of that add 1200-2500 baht for electric (depends on time of year), 1600 baht for satellite TV and less than 200 baht for water.  If you need internet that will set you back 500-1000 baht depending on speed.  Don't have 3 bdrm but 2 bdrm (80 sq meters) in my building rent for 22,000 to 24,000 baht a month.

Judging from your comment food might be expensive for you.  I eat out most evenings at places that serve western style food and on average spend around 220-240 baht for just food not including any drinks.  Most places I would describe as providing pub quality food.  Really good food will double that cost and more at some places.  For breakfast and lunch I usually eat at apartment or grab Thai/Chinese food which runs 30-100 baht depending on where and what I eat.

I do not consider myself a big spender but I go through $2000 USD every month without any problems.  That includes rent, utilities, food and entertainment.  It does not include cost of health insurance.

Hello Buddy : ) ...i guess we live in the same spending bracket of around USD 2000 a month all included : )
its pretty hard to find a nice decent place in BKK or Pattaya for less then 20 to 22 thousand baht ( well, a little less in Pattaya about 17,000 ) so that's somewhere between USD 600/700 leaving you with about USD 50/60 per day to spend on food and entertainment, cause where i rent usually utilities are included.
although in other parts of the country you could get a nice 2 bedroom house in a compound for 10,000 baht a month : ) not that far out, also in Pattaya ; )

sunum wrote:

I've stayed at a nice guesthouse at Khao-Sarn Rd.
I got fish spa & thai massage So cool!!
free WiFi and breakfast
Safety & Service Mind
I really love them.
price only ฿390!
(moderated: no free ads)

....this is your first post...?!?!...
do you own the guesthouse ?

Kao Sarn road is overpriced and over packed with cheap charlies wanna be's

I will be back home soon in bangkok. Do not hesitate to contact me if informations requested because price depending on area you want to live.Let say about 15.000 bahts per month for 50 sq meter studio within walking distance of sky train station, around 2500 bahts for electric, 2000 bahts for satellite TV and 250 baths for water. Good luck !

rebel1 wrote:

hello. I may move to live in Bangkok with family ( 2 children) from september but i have no idea what is living cost in Bkk.
I would like to know how much i will spend a month in eating, transport,small entairtaiment, sport activity.
Also what is rent for big 3 bedroom apt in nice area, furnished or non furnished, electricity,gas, satelite TV channels fees and etc.
Also how much to hire housemaid( english speaking).

thanks in advance

If you have kids and a family, it is best to live in the city center close to a hospital, shopping malls and close to Public Transportation. A lot of families live in Sathorn Area which is the upperclass area. Rent there goes for around 20-40K Baht and electricity is around 4-5K depending on the usage of your airconditioning. Water is so cheap, you will probably be around a 100 baht or $3 a month incl. shower, dishes, laundry etc. Maids go for around 300 baht a time or 10K a month full-time and drivers go for around 15-20K Baht.

Another area which is very nice and suited for kids is the Phra Khanong area. More quite, urban and suited for kids and close to the skytrain. You should avoid areas like Silom, Asoke, most of Sukhumvit since these areas are crowded, traffic-congested and loud.

One thing to keep in mind with kids is transportation. If you are not living right next to the underground or sky train, you need to take a taxi all the time which can be annoying, esp. in the morning when kids go to school. I suggest to rent or buy a car here.

As for schools, depending on the age of your kids, you should look into international schools in Sukhumvit area or the International School Thailand.


Cheers,

Yes if you have a family i think you have 2 choices, either pay more and live more central, but your close to hospitals and malls.

Or, if you crave a little more nature, get a people carrier and live on the outskirts of Bangkok. Both have plus and minus points, but for kids i find a nice house and garden can be found for just 15000 baht, and you get 3 bedrooms and privacy, condos get a bit cramped and expensive.