Cost of Living in Pattaya Beach Thailand Housing

Cost of living here in Pattaya Beach Thailand, is pretty low, if I had to guess I would say it is about 40 to 60 percent of what the cost of living is in California. The biggest discount here is rent, followed closely by food. If a person had to they could get by on 25,000 Baht a month. There are many Thai persons living on less than 10,000 a month, so 25 grand is very doable. Depending on a persons comfort zone I think 40,000 to 60,000Baht is more in line with most westerners lifestyles. Below I will try to summarize cost of basic needs based on my research and personal experience. No two people are going to have the same needs, so this is just going to be a guide at best.

* All amounts are for a full month. All amounts are in Thai Baht. To convert to Dollar to convert to Pound *

Housing

      Housing is usually our biggest expense. Here in Pattaya Beach if you want, you can spend just about as much for housing as you would in most developed nations. However if you have done your homework I believe you will get much more for your money here than in the developed countries. I have seen large estates and luxury condos rent for upwards of 5,000 dollars US per month. Then there are studio rentals to be had for as low as 50 dollars US per month. Everyone is going to have different needs with varying incomes, I will cover as much info here as I can.

Studios

Very basic studios can be had for 1,500 to 5,000, these studios are from 25 to 30 meter square with a very small bathroom and no kitchen but almost all have a small balcony that you can do cooking and laundry on. The higher end 4,000 plus will usually include free Internet, hot water, and air conditioning. Don't expect much at the 1,500 Baht range these are going to be bare bones without air conditioning, hot water shower, flush toilet or even tiled flooring. Some of the lowest cost apartments use shared bathrooms.

Low end Very Basic

1,500 to 5,000 Bahts

With the Medium priced studios you are probably going to get a larger living space. Also a small kitchen space is sometimes provided with sink, small stove, and sometimes a microwave. almost always you will be provided with an ice box, a TV, free WIFI, air conditioning, hot water shower and flush type toilet.

Medium

5,000 to 12,000 Bahts

Here another a step up, you can expect more living space than the other two. The higher end units may be located on a high floor many times with an ocean view. Fixtures are going to be more upscale along with nicer furniture and a large screen flat TV. Security is almost aways provided along with a key card entry system. These places also maintain nicer landscaping, a pool and an exercise room.   These types of places are not so much larger as they provide more quality through out.

Luxury living spaces

12,000 to 25,000 Bahts

Electricity is usually paid to the land lord and almost always they will charge more than the utility company charges, a good average is from 6 to 12 Baht per unit (KWH). Some landlords are able to provide the lower rent payers with air conditioning by charging higher rates for electricity, makes good sense to me.

Water is charged by the cubic meter and 25 Baht is an average cost, most people use 3 to 6 meters for each person, so a bill of 100 to 200 Baht per person is common.

Houses

These are of the row type configuration where from two to 10 houses are connected together. Most common are two bedroom but there are a few one bedroom houses out there too. Furniture is commonly supplied and so too are a refrigerator and stove, sometimes even some dishes will be left behind. Each landlord is different as to what they supply to you. Utilities are commonly charged direct to you, so you can save about a thousand Baht during the hotter months over what you would pay a landlord and their premium. Most of these are located in a village with security, but not all security services are equal. I suggest doing a night drive by to see what goes on at night some places can be very noisy.

Very small very basic house

5,000 to 9,000 Bahts

Some things to consider at the lower end studios

 

  • Within this price range you will probably not be in the touristy areas.
  • More likely you will not have any type of view of anything nice. But you will almost always have a small utility balcony for drying cloths and washing dishes.
  • You may have air-conditioning but remember you will usually pay higher than average electric rates. You should always ask what the rates are going to be. See electric cost below.
  • Generally you will not have a kitchen but you may have a refrigerator. (street food is very cheap)
  • WIFI may not be free but may be offered for a fee. You need to check or you may be in for a suprise.
  • The neighbors in these places tend to be more noisy even at late hours. You may want to come back and have a look in the later hours to see for yourself.
  • Alcohol consumption within the common areas can also be a problem. Again come back later and have a look.

 

Starting out at 25,000 Baht is going to get you a medium sized good quality home. Climbing from there they just get better and bigger. At the 100,000 range your going to get top quality and lots of living space

Luxury homes

25,000 to 100,000 Baht plus

This would be the type house that has no common walls with your neighbors. It is common to find these in a village with the row houses. Most are three bedroom but there are some two bedroom ones out there as well. This type of house is going to allow more living space inside and out.  You can expect a little better quality fixtures and hardware along with better flooring and cabinetry. The village is going to be a little better maintained also with street sweeping and common land scape better attended to.

Medium small free standing house

9,000 to 25,000 Bahts

Small houses can actually be found for 5,000 depending on how hard you look and luck. I know of a British couple that landed a beautiful two bedroom house in one of the upper class villages of Pattaya. The only catch is they have to vacate two weeks a during December as that is when the owners come to Thailand and stay there. This type of an arrangement isn't just a one off as many owners live abroad and it is nice to have someone keep an eye on things. Deals like this aren't easy to find but they are out there.

Small two bedroom row houses start off at 5,000 very basic and sometimes without hot water or Air-con and sometimes you may have to put up with allot of noisy neighbors. Price goes up in the better managed villages. On average a three bedroom house in a well kept village will run 15,000 to 40,000 depending on size and quality. Then there the luxury houses in the best villages wit no expense spared on quality these will generally start of at 60,000 and go up from there.

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