A Wallet's Paradise?: What it REALLY Costs to Live in Thailand

When I was gearing up to move to Thailand one year ago, I generally heard one underlying theme from people who had traveled here: "Everything is so cheap!"  I did not, however, have any input from someone who had actually lived in Thailand long-term.  So, how much did it really cost me to live in Thailand for one year?  Read on to find out!

Reading time: 6 minutes

This post will be broken into 6 sections:

1: Travel: Abroad

2. Travel: Within Thailand

3: Accommodation

4: Food

5: Necessities: Health, Clothes, Phone Plan

6: Luxuries: Fun Shopping, Treat Food, Massages

At the end, I will reveal my grand total cost for 1 year living in Thailand.

Prices are in USD.

Note: this is my experience, living in the medium-sized city of Nong Khai in northeastern Thailand.  Places like Bangkok and tourist destinations would be more expensive, and rural places would be cheaper.

Travel: Abroad

Flight: Travel from other countries to Thailand is one of the more expensive aspects of moving here.  Flying from the US to Thailand can cost between $400 and $1000 USD, one way.  I lucked out and got my flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok for $367.

Visas: I needed a 60-day tourist visa, which I applied for before leaving the US.  This cost $40.

Before the two months was up, I had to go to Laos to obtain my work visa.  The cost of the visa run, including the Lao visa, accommodation in Laos, and the Thai work visa was $200.  I later also needed a work permit, which cost $50, and a work visa extension, which was another $63.

One way flight: $367

Visas: $353

Travel: Within Thailand

Travel within Thailand is very affordable, in general.  Longer/cross-country journeys are by planes, trains, and buses; closer province travel is by buses or vans; within-city is by tuktuks.  I've used all of these methods for different occasions.

Flights: Flying within Thailand is quite inexpensive for how quickly it gets you to your destination.  A flight all the way across the country (no more than 2 hours in duration) could be anywhere between $40 and $100.  A flight between Bangkok and my local airport (45 min) costs $45.

Trains: Trains are great cross-country options, as well.  They take much longer than a flight but enable a more leisurely travel experience.  Depending on destination and class, they usually cost between $25 and $65.  A nice sleeper train from Bangkok to my city (11 hrs) costs $30.

Buses/Vans: Buses and vans tend to be great budget options.  Some long-distance buses are very nice, with soft reclining seats, AC, blankets, and food served.  Some are... not so nice.  It's kind of the luck of the draw.  Short distance buses and vans can be as cheap as $1-$5, while long distance buses usually fall in the in the range of $20-$30.  An overnight bus from Bangkok to my city (10 hrs) costs $25.

Tuktuks: These are fantastic for short-distance transport.  Base fares are usually $1-$2, and the most I've ever paid for one (which took me quite far) was about $8.

Accommodation

Apartment: I live in a studio apartment by myself, which includes a queen bed, a bathroom with a western toilet, hot water shower, and sink, a closet, a desk/chair, a small enclosed outdoor room, and AC.  It is in a fantastic location, only about 1 km away from the main city and the river, and right down the street from the school where I worked.  I don't have a kitchen, but I cook in my rice cooker and get street food for most meals.

Rent: $115 /month

Utilities: $23 - $125, depending on how often AC used.  Average cost: $47 /month

Total accommodation cost for 1 year: $1,900

Food

My typical day of eating costs about $3.  This includes basically what you see in the photos above:

-Grilled sticky rice patty for breakfast: $0.30

-Vegetarian restaurant veggie/tofu dishes for lunch: $1

-Fish skewers + steamed veggies for dinner: $1

Not pictured: some kind of snack like grilled bananas, or a caffeinated drink.

If I go to a restaurant for a special outing with friends, I typically never spend more than $5 for my hearty portion of the meal there.  Yes, the food here is that cheap.

Note: before I was eating healthily and had my rice cooker, I was spending much more each day on food - probably more in the $6 ballpark.  Still, cheap!

Necessities

Healthcare: While I have lived in Thailand, I've had my fair share of medical escapades.  I paid out of pocket for everything - seven hospital visits, innumerable medicines, prescriptions and OTC pharmaceuticals alike.  I did have accident insurance, which reimbursed me for some of the expenses.  However, the initial costs were so affordable, especially compared to emergency room costs in the US.  My hospital visits here cost between $26 and $90, including doctor/ER fees, lab tests, and prescription meds.  I also frequented the pharmacies in town when I had less serious issues, like colds, bug bites, and tummy troubles.  Over-the-counter medications were so inexpensive, usually ringing up at no more than a few dollars for multiple meds.

Clothes: Clothing is also very affordable here, for the most part.  At local markets, there are vendors with racks of new pants and shirts for $3, sometimes even $1.50.  There is a caveat, however: clothes are very cheap if you fit into the typical one size sold, which would probably equate to a small or medium in the US.  For anyone larger than this, clothes are more expensive and difficult to find.  Fortunately for me, I do fit the one size, so I enjoyed the inexpensive deals.  Clothes at department stores and malls are more pricey; I bought a work skirt for $10, for instance, and I remember thinking it was so expensive compared to what I was used to!  Translating into dollars instantly made me feel silly for that thought, though.

Phone Plan: I have a Thai SIM card, meaning I do not use my US phone number or phone plan here.  I pay monthly for 7.5 GB data, which is way more than I ever use because I'm usually connected to the Wifi at my apartment or school.  7.5 GB/month is $12.37.  This means that for one year, my phone plan total was less than $150.  This amount of data on my US phone plan would cost 6 times this amount.

Luxuries

Fun shopping: There are abundant opportunities to do inexpensive, fun shopping here.  Traditional Thai purses (hanging in left photo) and wallets are $1.30 and $0.30, respectively.  Knockoff designer things - shirts, bags, shoes - are usually no more than $10.  Sunglasses are $1.50-$3.  Watches are $5.  I had to actively stop myself from running wild and buying more than I had space for!

Treat foods: Although my typical food costs are quite low, treats like boba, coffee shop drinks/desserts, and Western food can quickly up the food expenses.  Boba and coffee shop drinks are usually $1-$3; coffee shop desserts can be up to $5; and Western foods like pizza, fast food, fish and chips, etc. can be $3-$6 per person.  Enjoyed in moderation, these treats are still quite inexpensive.

Massages: Thailand has completely spoiled me regarding massage prices.  A 90-minute full body oil massage at my favorite place is $17.  A 90-minute Thai massage (body work - OUCH) is $13.  The Saturday market by the river has special deals, in which a 45-minute foot massage or a 30-minute back/shoulder massage is $3.  Ergo, including tip, a divine hour and 15 minute riverside foot, back, and shoulder massage experience cost me $8.  You best believe this was a weekly fixture in my life.

MY GRAND TOTAL

Now, what we've all been waiting for - the entirety of what I spent in my year in Thailand.  Note: I'm about to do some major domestic travel.  These costs do not reflect that, but instead reflect what it cost to mostly stay put for a year.

TRAVEL ABROAD (FLIGHT + VISAS): $720
APARTMENT: $1,900
MISC (TRAVEL WITHIN THAILAND, FOOD, HEALTH, CLOTHES, PHONE PLAN, LUXURIES): $3,780

ONE YEAR TOTAL: $6,400

MONTHLY TOTAL: $530

So, there you have it.  This is what it really cost to live in Thailand for one year!  As an English teacher for two semesters (8 months), I made enough that I ended up coming out ahead by $3,500 (woo hoo!).  So, I'm off to go enjoy my earnings with some new adventures in new places.

I hope this was interesting to read!  Thailand is a wonderful place to live, especially if you are on a budget.  The amount you can earn if you work here is substantially less than somewhere like the US, but so is the cost of living, so it is definitely worth it if you are up for the adventure of living somewhere new.  If you have questions about anything I did not mention, please feel free to comment or reach out and I will be happy to share my experience.

Stay tuned for more posts in Thailand before I head off to my next destination!

💰