What would it cost you to live in Pattaya?
Pick how you'd live and get a monthly budget in baht, pounds, dollars, euros, Australian dollars or roubles. The figures are mine, from 20 years of living here and from what our agencies see in rents every week.
By Shane Ruddle2026 figures · free, no sign-upYour monthly budget
£1,460
฿65,000 a month
- Rent£400
- Food and drink£670
- Getting around£70
- Electricity, water, phone and internet£80
- Healthcare£90
- Going out, gym and sport£150
"That's about what I'd tell a friend they need to live comfortably here, going out once a week."
A guide, not a quote. Approximate exchange rates from August 2026.
Ask Shane
Looking for a place to rent?
Real numbers, not a national average.
Rents come from what East Coast Real Estate and Alan Bolton Property Consultants actually let in each area. Our historical average for a one-bed condo is just over ฿18,000 a month.
Food, transport, bills and healthcare are what I'd tell a friend to budget, from 20 years of living here and running restaurants, bars and a car rental company. School fees are monthly averages of the yearly fees.
Everything is a monthly figure for 2026. It doesn't include one-off costs like deposits, flights, a car purchase or visa fees. For those, read my guide to moving to Pattaya.
Pattaya cost of living: short answers
How much do you need a month to live in Pattaya?
As of 2026, a single person can live comfortably on about ฿50,000 to ฿60,000 a month, and a couple on ฿70,000 to ฿80,000, going out once a week rather than every night.
Read moreHow much is rent in Pattaya?
Budget around ฿18,000 to ฿20,000 a month for a one-bed condo of 30 to 45 square metres. That's the historical average across East Coast Real Estate and Alan Bolton Property Consultants.
Read moreHow much does food cost in Pattaya?
A meal out costs a couple of hundred baht, or about ฿300 with a drink. Eating out every meal comes to about ฿30,000 a month for one person, and much less if you cook some of your own.
Read moreWhat does it cost to raise a family in Pattaya?
The big cost is school. Budget about ฿30,000 a month per child at the lower end of the international schools, and up to ฿100,000 at the top.
Read moreIs Pattaya expensive?
No. It's more expensive than a lot of Thailand, and cheaper than Phuket, but compared with almost anywhere else in the world that's worth living in, it isn't expensive at all.
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