Rent
• 5,000 - 25,000 per month. The lower end would be a single apartment room with air-con and fridge. More expensive rents may include two room apartments and a shared swimming pool.
Utilities
• Approx. 2,000 per month for electricity and water, although this can vary greatly depending on how much you use air-con.
Phone calls
• Within Pattaya (038- ) they are very cheap, approx. 3 baht per call from an apartment block. Surcharges on overseas calls from apartments can be very high - anything up to 150 baht per minute.
• International calls can, however, be much cheaper (7 baht a minute to many countries) if you use international phone cards available from 7-11 stores or dial 007 or 009 instead of 001-countrycode-phone number
• Mobile phones are cheap to buy and calls from mobiles are as cheap as 3 baht per minute domestic and 9 baht per minute international.
• Stamps to Europe are around 24 baht per letter. Within Thailand post is very cheap – approx. 10 baht. A one page fax to the U.K. is around 40-50 baht but you may face a surcharge from the place offering this service.
Food
• Many apartments do not have cooking facilities; although many do have restaurants attached or are surrounded by numerous food stalls and restaurants. The following prices are a guide only and prices can vary greatly depending on the environment you are eating in.
• Food stalls: A meal such as rice with spicy chicken or pork should cost between 30 and 60 baht per portion. Fried rice dishes are approximately the same price as are noodle dishes. Food stall food is on the whole tasty and safe, although it can get repetitive if you are not too adventurous. Better to eat with a friend and order more dishes for variety
• Apartment restaurants: These tend to be slightly more expensive but they will deliver to your room. Standard rice dishes usually range from 50 - 80 baht per portion. The range of dishes offered is usually quite varied although obviously this varies from place to place. In addition, food from a food stall is often tastier than the fare offered in these places.
• Restaurants: Pattaya has a huge variety of restaurants ranging from those that are relatively cheap up to those that are expensive even by European standards. However, on the whole, in Pattaya you can expect to pay between 100 and 300 baht per portion in a relatively nice restaurant. Frequently a huge range of dishes are on offer ranging from meat and seafood options, to those for vegetarians. When eating in a Thai restaurant people rarely just order one dish for themselves, instead ordering several to share between friends - an average bill for four (without drinks) would be between 500 and 800 baht.
• European food: If you have a craving for European food there are numerous options and all the fast food outlets are represented. Approx. prices are 60 baht for a Big Mac., 450 for a large pizza at Pizza Hut. European or ‘English’ restaurants tend to be more expensive than their Thai counterparts with prices around 200 - 300 baht for fish and chips, or bangers and mash style meals.
Drinks
• Drinking water - six ¾ liter bottles of locally produced drinking water should cost no more than 60 baht (often a lot less). However, for more sophisticated brands you can pay up to 20 baht / liter (locally produced) None of Pattaya’s tap water is said to be safe to drink, it has a strong chemical taste and is not generally recommended.
• Soft Drinks - from 13 / 15 baht for a can, up to 50 baht a glass or more in an expensive bar or restaurant.
• Beer - ranges from 35 to 65 baht for a large bottle in supermarkets (depending on brand). Food stalls will often offer beer with a small mark up. In a restaurant or bar expect to pay from 90-180 for a large bottle and in more up-market places anything from 120 baht for a small bottle of beer upwards.
• Spirits - Local whisky sells for around 75-100 baht for a small bottle in shops and in a standard bar or restaurant it will be around 150 - 180 per bottle. Overseas brands are much more expensive, ranging from 600 baht for a big bottle upwards. Most Thai bars and restaurants do not have a wide range of spirits - where they do, expect to pay around 100 baht for a glass.
• Wine – Is generally quite expensive 350 baht and up and is not usually available in restaurants other than those which are up-market. Restaurant prices for wine reflect this. However, you can sometimes take your own with you, if you pay corkage fee.
Transport within Pattaya:-
• Buses - these are very cheap, with air-con 30 baht anywhere in the city.
• Taxis Meter - flag fall is 35 baht and then 2 baht every 250 meters or so.
• Song Taew: sort of mini-bus. Just stop one and get on it. Fee varies from 5 baht up to 20 baht.
• Motorbike taxis - these abound and are usually the same price as taxis or cheaper depending on your bargaining skills. However, they are very dangerous and not recommended.
Further a field:-
Travel to get away for the weekend or holidays is relatively cheap. Some sample fares.
• Plane - return to Phuket (South) or Chiang Mai (North) is around 5,000 baht Flying to Koh Samui is around 2,500+ one way. Air Asia and other budget airlines often offer cheaper flights – especially if you are able to fly at off-peak times.
• Bus - All very cheap, even for air-con. e.g. Ban Phe (port for Koh Samet, a popular island for weekend breaks) around 130 baht. Kanchanaburi – around 120 baht. Chiang Mai - around 600 baht for VIP bus!
• Train - slightly more expensive than the bus but you do have the option of a bunk bed for long overnight trips either North to Chiang Mai or South to Surat Thani and beyond.
Toiletries
A wide range of local and imported brands available. (All prices approx.)
• Soap – 70-120 baht for pack of 6.
• Shampoo - 45 baht regular bottle (local), 80+ (imported)
• Toothpaste - around 45 baht (regular Colgate)
• Toothbrushes - around 50 baht.
• Toilet paper – 40 baht up for six rolls.
• Deodorant - 150 baht (imported)
• Shaving foam - 200 baht (imported)
• Cosmetics - local brands are cheap (e.g. lipstick around 200-250 baht, imported brands can be very expensive)
Clothing
Again, a wide range of makes, local, imported and pirated are available with prices often relative to quality and/or brand name. As in Europe prices vary widely with where you buy!
Local goods.
• Work shirt - 200-250 baht.
• Work trousers - 350+ baht.
• Skirts - 200+baht.
• T-shirts - range from 100 baht upwards.
• Underwear – Men’s around 75+ baht. Women’s - from 150+ baht.
• Jeans - an average pair from a shop would start at around 600 baht. However, can be found cheaper in markets and street stalls.
• Shirts - 200+
• Shoes - from 350 baht for cheap imitation trainers to around 1000+ for more formal leather(ish) shoes.
• Beach wear - very cheap if you stay away from brand names.
• Suits - can be made to reasonable standard cheaply, from around 3000 baht depending on material.
Imported
Can appear very expensive when compared with local goods. E.g. Levis (not fake) from 2000 baht up. However, many imported clothes are probably less than in the U.K.
Electrical goods
• TV (21” or 25”) - from 4,500 – 7,000 (often available for rent from apartment blocks at 500 baht per month)
• Video players - around 3-4,000, but hard to find these days
• VCD/DVD players – from around 2,000 baht
• C.D. players - from around 3,500 for a very basic model (around 6,000 for something a bit better)
• Fan - from around 500 baht.
• Spotlights etc. are very reasonably priced.
• Videotape/DVD rentals are very cheap - 30 baht a night for new releases.
• C.D.’s are around 450 baht, copied cd’s/dvd’s/cd-roms around 100-15- baht
• Cable TV UBC is around 1,800 baht a month for the full package, with channels such as H.B.O., Cinemax, BBC World, Discovery and several sports channels with a large amount of English football. The local cable companies Sophon and BTV offer 60 channels from approx. 10 different countries for 350 baht per month.
Miscellaneous
• Bed linen - can be expensive, up to 2000+ for sheets. However, market areas do sell sheets at much cheaper prices or you can buy material and have some made at a very reasonable cost.
• Cinema - between 100 and 140 baht.
• Cigarettes - local brands around 45 baht, imported (e.g. Marlboro 50-75 baht)
• Haircut - average around 100 baht but can be much cheaper (barbers) or up to the 600-1,000 baht mark for a relatively smart salon.
• Medicine- almost all supplies you will ever need are locally available from chemists at much cheaper prices than in the U.K... Not all familiar brand names are available but you can easily find similar products. For those with asthma, inhalers are around 200 baht each and easily available.
• Boots now have several branches which stock a wide range of familiar products.
• Books - relatively expensive, from around 500-1,000 baht.
• Newspapers- 20-25 baht for The Nation and the Bangkok Post, 250 baht for weekly editions of U.K. papers.
• Laundry - varies but a rough guide would be around 500-1,000 baht per month for a laundry service.
In general, most people manage to live comfortably even on the starting salary. Initial expenses may be high as one finds out where cheaper goods are to be found and sets up an apartment, but as you get to know the city obviously you can find places and goods to suit your income.
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