Wondering how much it costs to live in Thailand? You’re not alone. As a site that provides information about the available real estate in Thailand to foreigners who are looking to move here, we get asked this question quite often. This post, which compares the average cost of living in Thailand with that of the USA, the UK, Russia, Australia, and South Africa can provide you with some relevant and easy to interpret information.
Is Thailand an Inexpensive or Cheap Place to Live?
In short, the answer to this is yes; at least it is is very inexpensive compared to the countries where most of Thailand’s expats come from. This is still a developing nation so chances are that if you are from a more developed country, your currency will take you far as well as the fact that you’re generally spending less per product. First, let’s take a look at how much it costs to rent an apartment in Thailand for a month:
How Much Does it Cost To Rent An Apartment in Thailand for a Month?
According to the chart below, the national average cost of renting an apartment in a downtown area in Thailand will cost you just over $435. You’ll spend about the same to live in a similar area in South Africa, but if you want to live in Russia, you’ll need to about double the amount. Multiply that rent by three if you want to live in the UK. If you want to live in Australia, try not to cry when you fork over nearly four times as much in rent for just one month.
Yes, you read that correctly: for the same cost of renting an apartment for one month in Australia, you could rent an apartment in Thailand for four months!
Rent often doesn’t include another major monthly expense though: don’t forget that utilities should be considered as well. Lucky for those in Thailand, utilities also very inexpensive compared to other countries. When you’re spending an extra $254 for basic utilities (electricity, heat, water, etc.) on top of the $1186 in rent that you’ll spend in the UK, you may catch yourself daydreaming of ripping up that bill and throwing the scraps into the fire you’re now starting to use to stay warm (and save money). In Thailand, all you need to add onto your already inexpensive rent is less than $70.
How Much Does it Cost to Travel Around Thailand?
We’ll answer this question by comparing the cost of transportation between Thailand and the five other countries. Moving about a major city via public transportation (busses, trains, etc.) is going to be much easier on your wallet than anywhere else, costing you an average of a mere 62 cents for a single ride. Russia happens to cost not too much more, with an average of only 67 cents. This is a stark difference between a one way ticket in the US, which is an average of $2 per ride. But that’s nothing compared to how much it costs to get around a city in the UK ($3.60), never mind Australia’s whopping average of $3.78!
How Much Do Restaurants Cost in Thailand?
This is definitely the most dramatic price comparison of all, however when reading these numbers one must take into account that the standards for cleanliness and quality ingredients at Thai restaurants is very different from that of other countries mentioned in this article. Nevertheless, it may be surprising to know that the average meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Thailand will cost you less than $2. Many find this price so affordable that they can eat out at a restaurant for every single meal of the day, every day.
No other country comes even remotely close to providing restaurant food as cheap as Thailand’s. It’s almost unnerving to see how much more it would cost to eat at a restaurant in the UK: you’ll have to fork over about $17. And that’s for an inexpensive place. A midrange meal for two in the UK costs an average of almost $80, where in Thailand it’s less than $20.
The cost of restaurant food actually varies greatly from country to country. Aside from Thailand, South Africa is the least expensive with an average of $7.50 (inexpensive restaurant). The USA and Russia are roughly in the same price range (between $10 and $12) and then Australia is right up there with UK in costing closer to $20 for a “cheap” meal at a restaurant. Let’s hope they all know how to cook!
How Much Does Food or Groceries in Thailand Cost?
While it’s inexpensive to buy groceries in Thailand, it’s barely more expensive to eat out that many don’t even bother. If you do want to cook, you will either save or spend significant amounts of money depending on what you cook, and this is true anywhere in the world, because not all countries can harvest the same produce. Local produce seems to cost similar amounts anywhere in the world, so if you’re planning on trying to save money when you move to Thailand, grab some local cookbooks first!
Hopefully you’ve found this insightful and helpful, especially if you are interested in moving to Thailand. If you are in fact interested in renting a condo or house in Thailand, you may want to take this research even further and check out our other blog which compares the cost of living between different cities in Thailand.
Source* Numbeo