Cost of living in Pattaya
All of Thailand can be considered good value and the cost of living in Pattaya is no exception. It’s neither the most expensive nor cheapest of the popular expat locations, certainly cheaper than Phuket in most respects but more expensive than Chiang Mai.
Pattaya is increasingly popular with foreigners and also gets lots of weekenders from Bangkok, which makes property relatively expensive. But it is possible to live comfortably on a modest budget, where even 17,000 baht a month ($500) is enough to survive on if you’re not extravagant. Many expats get by very nicely on a monthly allowance of 50,000 baht a month, some manage to blow 200,000 baht, it really depends on the lifestyle you want.
Food, transport, entertainment, utiliities and healthcare are all very reasonable in Pattaya, along with the rest of Thailand. Since property is booming and under big demand on the Eastern Seaboard you will find that rents are closer to Bangkok rates than the rest of the country. Pattaya is, of course, a popular tourist destination - especially package deals - and this means plenty of flush free-spenders visitors. This tends to push prices up, but if you’re smart enough to avoid these tourist traps you can reign in your spending. Others prefer their pork knuckle every evening and a complete western lifestyle in Pattaya comes with a similar price tag.
Household expenses in Pattaya
Accommodation
This depends entirely on where you want to stay, in what sort of building, the size of the condo (or house) and how much furnishing it has. There are some world class places with fantastic seaviews renting for up to 100,000 baht a month, while some individuals get by in a 45m2 studios tucked away in the Thai suburbs for under 10,000 baht.
Typically, a medium-small condo of about 60 m2 (bedroom and modest living area/kitchenette) rents for about 25,000 baht with basic furnishings. For a roomier two bedroom place, expect to pay up to 40,000, while a large penthouse of 120m2 goes for about 60,000 baht a month. Prices do vary quite a bit from central Pattaya to Jomtien and beyond. Na Klua is considered more exclusive and expensive. Utilities should be no more than 1500 baht a month, depending on how much you use the air conditioning.
Food and drink
This can be one of the best value parts of living in Pattaya. But, again, it depends on where you eat, your preferences for Western food every night and how much time you spend in the pub. A Thai meal at a locals restaurant could cost less than 100 baht for main dish and drink, or even 40 baht for a plate of fried rice for lunch. But most in Pattaya are here to enjoy themselves and a daily budget (eating at least two meals in a restaurant) could be about 500 baht, including a couple of evening drinks. On the other hand a nice meal at a touristy restaurant might set you back 1000 baht, when you’ve had your fill.
Tescos and other supermarkets stock plenty of imported items, even western favourites made locally like bacon and cheese, and a typical grocery bill per month might be 3000 baht per person for household groceries, and limited food items.
Cost of living, miscellaneous items
- Can of coke 13 Baht
- Iced coffee/iced tea: 10 baht (off the street); 70 baht (Starbucks!)
- Bottle water: 6-10 baht
- Bottle of milk: 10 baht
- Movie ticket: 80-140 baht
- Beer: 35-65 baht big bottle (in supermarkets) bars: 85-130, average, 120 and up in pricier places.
- Whisky: 60-80 baht for a small bottle of local drinkable whiskey
- Haircut: 60-120 baht and up depending on how posh the establishment is.
Local beers aren’t bad at all and cheap when purchased from supermarkets (30 baht for a quart of Chang beer), while locally distilled whisky brands like Johnny Walker cost 750 baht for a litre of Red Label. Step into a touristy bar and the prices shoot up, in fact they’re not much cheaper here than in Bangkok, where a G&T will cost about 150 baht, and a pint of imported Guinness 250 baht! The trick is to find expat hangouts that have reasonable prices. Hang out in the local Thai bars and you can get drunk on Mekhong local whiskey for less than 200 baht!
Other living expenses in Pattaya
Phone: this is very reasonable in Thailand, and the easiest option is a mobile phone. Get a proper contract for better rates, but a simple prepaid card costs 5 baht per call usually. Almost all condos come with phones installed, and the management like to profiteer out of supplying this service, but calls are still cheap.
Internet: not particularly good value in Thailand due to oversubcribed broadband. ADSL is widely available in Pattaya, but the speeds fluctuate by day, week and month. Packages of 1mb sell for as little as 600 baht per month (unlimited) but you’re better off taking a premium package, because speeds are never even half of what is promised.
Cable TV: is offered by UBC at a cost of approximately 1500 baht a month and includes about 25 channels including BBC news, CNN, ESPN, Star sports, several football feeds, the History Channel, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and at least four movie channels, among others. There are more comprehensive packages.
Transportation: taxis are very cheap in Thailand, and baht buses cruise the main routes of Pattaya for 20 baht a journey, but most of those living here buy a motorbike or car. Honda Dreams rent for 200 baht a day and cost 40,000 baht new (for a decent model). Bigger bikes are all second hand and vary from 50,000 to 200,000 depending on age and whether they have proper registration papers (many get by without them, since it considerably inflates the cost of the bike, from import duties). It’s possible to own a car, though traffic is a pain. Prices of of locally manufactured Japanese models, however, are very reasonable.
Girls: this is one aspect of Pattaya that can quickly burn a hole in your wallet, but for many it’s part of their enjoyment. You’ll need to pay a ‘bar fine’ of up to 500 baht to take a girl out of the beer bars, but they’ll generally agree to a much more reasonable fee than most other places foreigners go to in Thailand, accepting as little as 1000 baht for an evening. All the same, by the time you have finished buying drinks, tipping them and so on, it can become a 2500 baht a day habit.
Get an accurate idea of costs from those living here, as posted on our forum.
