Bangkok is one of Asia's most affordable major cities for expats and long-stay travellers. The cost of living spans an enormous range — you can get by on under 20,000 THB a month in a basic room eating street food, or spend 100,000 THB+ in a serviced apartment with restaurant meals and weekend brunches. The city's excellent public transport (BTS, MRT) cuts commuting costs significantly, and the density of street food vendors keeps food bills low no matter your budget.
Monthly Budget Tiers
Shared house or studio in the suburbs, street food and local restaurants, BTS/MRT commuting, local SIM data. Comfortable but no frills.
One-bedroom condo near a BTS station, mix of local and Western restaurants, occasional taxi, gym membership, streaming services.
Modern two-bedroom condo in Sukhumvit or Silom, regular dining out, car or Grab daily, international health insurance, full gym and pool.
What restaurants in Bangkok charge
Price bands published by 141 listed eating-and-drinking venues in Bangkok, collected 2026-08-02.
- Under ฿200
- 33%
- ฿200–400
- 48%
- ฿400 and above
- 18%
This is what venues with an online listing publish, not a survey of what visitors spend. Street food and market stalls are largely absent from the sample, so real day-to-day eating costs run lower than these bands suggest.
What the baht is worth
Bank of Thailand daily weighted-average interbank rate for 2026-08-11. Your bank or an airport counter will give you noticeably less.
| Currency | Baht per unit | ฿1,000 buys |
|---|---|---|
| USD | 33.05 | 30 |
| EUR | 38.13 | 26 |
| GBP | 44.63 | 22 |
| AUD | 23.31 | 43 |
| CAD | 23.70 | 42 |
Source: Bank of Thailand. Interbank mid-rate — a retail exchange will be a few percent worse.
Detailed Cost Breakdown
Monthly estimates in Thai Baht (฿). Ranges reflect variation by location and lifestyle.
| Category | Budget | Mid-range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent (1-bed) | ฿6,000–10,000 | ฿18,000–30,000 | ฿50,000–100,000+ |
| Food | ฿4,000–6,000 | ฿10,000–18,000 | ฿30,000–60,000 |
| Transport | ฿1,500–2,500 | ฿3,000–5,000 | ฿8,000–15,000 |
| Utilities | ฿800–1,500 | ฿2,000–3,500 | ฿5,000–8,000 |
| Internet | ฿400–600 | ฿600–900 | ฿900–1,500 |
| Entertainment | ฿1,000–2,000 | ฿4,000–8,000 | ฿15,000–40,000 |
| Healthcare | ฿500–1,000 | ฿2,000–4,000 | ฿8,000–20,000 |
| Gym | ฿300–500 | ฿1,200–2,000 | ฿3,000–6,000 |
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ThailandKnowledge Editorial Team
Factual claims on this page are sourced and dated. Where something could not be verified, we say so rather than guessing.
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