Independent · primary-sourced · dated
What living in Thailand actually costs
Real numbers, not crowd-sourced guesses. Cost of living by city, hospital prices, expat insurance, banking fees, the foreign-income tax rules and every visa's financial requirement — each figure carries the date we verified it and its source.
The money layer
Every cost of living in Thailand, in one place
Eight money clusters, each built on dated tables and real quotes — the questions AI answers badly and forums answer inconsistently.
Cost of Living
Line-item monthly budgets by city — rent, utilities, food and transport — for nomads, couples and retirees.
Open clusterHospital & Healthcare Prices
Dated procedure prices across Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital, Samitivej and government hospitals, with USA-savings rows.
Open clusterExpat Health Insurance
Independent comparisons — honest price and coverage, DTV and O-A visa rules, and the cheapest inpatient-only tiers.
Open clusterBanking & Money
Opening an account, the cheapest way to move money in and out, live fee tables and the 2026 workarounds.
Open clusterThai Tax for Foreigners
The 180-day rule, the remittance rules, who must file — kept current with a dated status tracker.
Open clusterVisa Financial Requirements
DTV funds and seasoning, retirement 800k/65k, LTR, marriage and Elite — the money side in full.
Open clusterInternational School Fees
Our own fee table across dozens of schools, plus the capital levies and buses nobody quotes upfront.
Open clusterRetirement Money
Realistic monthly budgets by town, the healthcare age-premium curve, and the runway math.
Open clusterFree tools
Run your own numbers
Latest
Recently verified guides
Bangkok Rent Prices by Area 2026: Sukhumvit to Silom
A central Bangkok one-bedroom condo runs ฿15,000–45,000 a month (~$450–1,360) in 2026, and which end of that range you land on depends almost...
7 min read
Bangkok vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living Compared Line by Line
Chiang Mai runs roughly 10–20% cheaper than Bangkok for a comparable single-person life in 2026, and rent is almost the entire reason. A comfortable...
7 min read
Cost of Living in Bangkok 2026: Real Monthly Budgets by Neighborhood
A single expat lives comfortably in Bangkok on about ฿45,000 to ฿70,000 a month (~$1,360–2,120) in 2026. Rent drives the number more than anything...
5 min read
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai 2026: Real Monthly Budgets
A single expat lives comfortably in Chiang Mai on about ฿45,000 to ฿65,000 a month (~$1,360–1,970) in 2026, which puts the city roughly 10–20% below...
7 min read
Cost of Living in Chiang Rai & Isaan 2026: Thailand's Cheapest Regions
A modest single life in Chiang Rai, Udon Thani or Khon Kaen starts around ฿20,000 a month (~$610) in 2026, and a genuinely comfortable one lands at...
7 min read
Cost of Living in Hua Hin 2026: Real Budgets for a Quieter Beach Life
A single expat lives comfortably in Hua Hin on about ฿28,000 to ฿50,000 a month (~$850–1,500) in 2026, roughly 20-30% less than the same lifestyle in...
7 min readWhy trust the numbers
Dated, sourced, and re-verified — not crowd-sourced
Numbeo and Expatistan lean on line-items a single user typed in. We build budgets from lived numbers, quote hospital prices from published rate cards with the date we captured them, and track the tax and visa rules that change by the quarter.
Every page shows when it was last verified and links its sources. When a rule is unsettled, we say so instead of guessing.
Dated figures
Every price carries its verification date
Primary sources
Hospital rate cards, bank fee schedules, the Revenue Department
Status trackers
Tax & DTV rules re-checked every review cycle
Independent
We compare insurers we don't sell