Cost of Living in Pattaya

The cost of living in Pattaya compares favorably with living in Bangkok.

Living in Bangkok

One can find decent apartments in Bangkok near the Skytrain and subway from 4000 to 8000 baht. The rooms are small, around 23 square meters with AC, Cable, a bed/closet /vanity and shower. Some have a small pool. Utilities vary according to use.

If one seldom uses the AC, rely on fans to cool off the room, taking two showers a day and watching TV for 3 hours one’s bill may be around 300 baht. Some unscrupulous apartment managers tack on additional surcharges which they pocket.

Shopping for goods like clothing and shoe is slightly lower than Pattaya due to the huge numbers of outlets like “CitiCentre” in Pratunam. The price of food and entertainment like cinemas is roughly equal.

BKK is a cosmopolitan city unlike Pattaya and has things that the resort lacks. Things like digital cinemas, symphony halls and decent Jazz and Blues clubs.

To get around town a Skytrain card of 30 rides can be had for 540 baht. Other cards with a smaller amount of rides can also be purchased.
http://www.bts.co.th/en/ticket.asp

A subway stored value card at 100 baht good for two years can be recharged at 100 baht increments is useful to avoid queuing.
http://www.mrta.co.th/eng/

If one doesn’t have to party every night at Nana plaza or Soi Cowboy one can live nicely for around 35,000-50,000 baht monthly.

Living in Pattaya

Most farangs seem to favor living near Beach road/Walking street/Soi LK Metro/Baucau.

Decent basic no-frills apartments can be had off of Soi Baucau for 3500-4000. A step up is the many bar/club/hotel shop houses on Soi LK Metro. They run from 6000 to 8000.

A growing expat community is in nearby Jomtien. Condos and hotel rooms run from 8000 to 15000 baht. Condos seem to be a better deal as they can be larger at 45 square meters. The facilities may include a pool and gym.

Again food costs are comparable.

Transportation is a bit cheaper as most everything, malls/cinemas/groceries/clubs/restaurants are concentrated in a relatively small area roughly bounded by North Pattaya road, Pattaya 2nd, Pattaya Klang and Pattaya Tai. 10 baht fare on a baht bus will take you to most places.

Some farangs with vehicles prefer to live around Sukhimvit.

Clothing/shoes are slightly more expensive due to inflated prices at some beach road vendors but if one buys at sales (which are constant) and patronizes outdoor markets the differences would be negligible.

Eating more Thai food, eating at food courts and avoiding the tourist traps is a good plan.

Doing one’s own laundry and sending out trousers and shirts to be laundered and iron at a bulk rate is a money saver.

Using the AC only for guests and perhaps unplugging the refrigerator using an ice chest filled with ice and drinks, using a microwave, going out to eat and using the TV for 4 hours can cut the utilities to less than 400 baht!

The pervasiveness of the club scene from North Pattaya to Jomtien and the resulting proximity to one’s living quarters mean more access and temptation to party nightly, leading to additional expense.

A resident would tend to forgo forays into Walking street since he’s not on holiday and is no longer as needy as most male tourist seems to be.

Reading used English books on the beach, exercising at a local gym, doing laps at the pool, reviving the lost art of conversation over breakfast with friends are low cost intellectually stimulating ways to pass the time.

Being a volunteer English teacher is also a good way and contributes to the community

I’d say 40,000-50,000 baht would be a good budget to work with as it’d allow more for bar-hopping.

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