How to find a Place to Live in Bangkok - Simple Guide
When looking into how to live in Bangkok, there is a lot to consider from your location to your budget. We broke it down for you in a simple to read article.
Moving to Thailand can be tough. You might not know the best area to live in or struggle to find a condo that fits your budget and preferences. Communicating with local landlords can be tricky if they don't speak English, and understanding the rental rules and deposits can be confusing. Setting up internet, finding furniture, and ensuring the area is safe are all extra headaches.
When choosing to live in Bangkok, there are many sub-districts that you could live in. From On Nut, Nana, Asok, Bang Chak, and several others. Bangkok is a big city.
The excitement of settling down in the city to start exploring may seem tempting, but you should actually wait a while before choosing a condo or house to live in.
A big mistake many first-time movers make is settling on the first “good deal” they find.
Even though the place you found might have seemed too good to be true, you could find after you sign the one-year lease, that there was a better condo for a cheaper price somewhere else.
Remember, there are several great deals out there, so don’t rush it.
Unlike Chiang Mai, finding leases for less than 6 months is not common. In Bangkok, you are going to run into 1 year and 6 month leases most times.
But when looking for a good place to settle, it doesn’t take only one week to search online. It takes days of actually experiencing the area.
That's why we suggest staying at least one month in an Airbnb. Seeing how Airbnb is customizable in stay dates, you will have ultimate flexibility when it comes to exploring the city.
Another tip we have is not to book a hotel for a long time when traveling. It almost always makes going out harder, as it’s more difficult to cancel, and restricts your ability to go out far. We suggest at most, book for a few days, and then rely on Airbnb.
There are three things to consider when looking for a condo: Location, Accessibility, Price
Location
Can you easily get a taxi from your home, are you near any main roads? How long does it take you to walk to the BTS?
Depending on what you are living in Thailand for, whether long-term tourism, school, business, or retirement, you need to be very aware of your surroundings. You don’t want to live in an area that is an hour from the BTS or main road if you need to go out often.
Sure, you can always book a grab, but the cost of a grab will add up, as it's almost triple the price of a normal cab or a ride on the train.
Taking the grab every day, which costs around 120 BAHT per ride, you'll be spending 3600 BAHT at the end of the month. Sure, it's nothing compared to the cost of an Uber, but if you want to save money, and gain experience, try to be at max 35 minutes walking distance from your house to the road or the BTS.
Accessibility
Depending on your age and body ability, you need to take into consideration the type of home you live in. Whether you're heading into retirement, or you deal with a bodily ailment, getting a condo with no elevator, or a house with too many stairs can put a strain on your body.
For those who are in need of handicap assistance, you should look if the place can accommodate the size of your equipment, has alternatives for wheels, and its appliances like sinks and countertops are accessible to you.
Price
Yes, things are cheap in Bangkok. Shockingly cheap. But you still should always make rent be 25% or less of your monthly income. It may feel great to get a 3 bedroom high-quality condo, but if it takes up a large portion of your salary, it might make things too tight in cases of emergency.
Going back to finding cheap places, some deals just might be too good to be true. Like a beautiful condo with large windows and amazing city views, and over 30 sq. meters for just 3000 BAHT. Sure, maybe it is a rare gem, but if the price feels imbalanced, you should do your research about the complex. First, by visiting it in person, and next, by researching if the neighborhood is being maintained.
Often times, running down neighborhoods that aren't maintained well may have great prices. You may save an extra dollar, but over time you don't want to live in a detioriating street.
After considering these elements, and spending some time in the city, you will be able to make a more ground decision about where you want to live.
This though takes a lot of time and research, and so if finding the top location isn't for you, you can always delegate it to the BaanSmile team.
Moving to Thailand can be tough. You might not know the best area to live in or struggle to find a condo that fits your budget and preferences. Communicating with local landlords can be tricky if they don't speak English, and understanding the rental rules and deposits can be confusing. Setting up internet, finding furniture, and ensuring the area is safe are all extra headaches.