Is Pattaya Expensive? What It Really Costs to Live Here

People ask me all the time whether Pattaya is expensive. My honest answer is no. It's more expensive than a lot of Thailand, but compared with almost anywhere else in the world that's worth living in, it isn't expensive at all.

How much does a single person need per month in Pattaya?

Take a single man living in a one-bed condo. Here's roughly what it looks like:

• Rent: around ฿18,000 a month for a one-bed condo.
• Food: a meal costs a couple of hundred baht, or about ฿300 with a drink. Eat out every meal and that's around ฿1,000 a day, so about ฿30,000 a month. Cook some of your own meals and it drops a lot.
• Getting around: a few thousand baht a month to rent a motorbike. Buy one and getting around becomes very cheap.

That comes to roughly ฿50,000 to ฿55,000 a month, eating out every day. To work out your own figure, by area, home and how you like to live, try my Pattaya cost of living calculator.

How much does it cost for a family?

For families, the big cost is schooling. Thai schools are relatively cheap, but most foreign families send their children to an international school, and that pushes monthly costs up a lot. Budget around ฿30,000 a month per child, and that's at the lower end. I've written more about schools and family life in Is Pattaya Good for Families?

What's more expensive than people expect?

Going out. Entertainment and drinking aren't as cheap as people think. You can do it cheaply, but depending on your appetite, it can get expensive.

Visas and admin. Visas, paperwork and the other admin you have to do here can add up.

Health insurance. I always recommend getting it, and it can be expensive. Here's more on healthcare and insurance in Pattaya.

What's cheap in Pattaya?

Getting around is cheap, and eating out is cheap (here's where I eat). And if you enjoy simple things like going to the beach or walking, it costs next to nothing. That's true anywhere, but here it's more enjoyable.

How do you live well in Pattaya without overspending?

Manage your finances and keep an eye on your expenses. And take care in relationships: choosing the wrong partner can end up costing you a lot of money.

If you're working out your budget and want to see what your rent would get you in each area, read the best area to live in Pattaya, or East Coast Real Estate can show you what's available.