Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $950 a month against $1,125 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
Learn more

Bangkok Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
Learn more

Ratchaburi Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Ratchaburi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangkok and in Ratchaburi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,125 in Bangkok versus $950 in Ratchaburi.

Bangkok $1,125
Ratchaburi $950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,837 in Bangkok versus $1,553 in Ratchaburi.

Bangkok $1,837
Ratchaburi $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,549 in Bangkok versus $2,157 in Ratchaburi.

Bangkok $2,549
Ratchaburi $2,157

Living in Bangkok is roughly 18% more expensive than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 17% lower, Ratchaburi 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ฿98.1

$3.35 ฿113

-13.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.48 ฿1,198

$36.38 ฿1,228

-2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ฿249

$8.92 ฿301

-17.38%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿92.2

$1.96 ฿66.3

39.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ฿22.75

$0.68 ฿22.81

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.96

$0.31 ฿10.58

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿88.8

$2.29 ฿77.3

14.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ฿153

$2.69 ฿91.0

68.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿62.3

$1.74 ฿58.9

6.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.98

$1.48 ฿49.97

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.61

$1.37 ฿46.17

2.92%

Eggs

$2.60 ฿87.9

$2.18 ฿73.8

19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

$15.62 ฿528

10.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ฿120

$2.64 ฿89.1

34.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ฿428

$10.35 ฿350

22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ฿125

$3.36 ฿114

10.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿58.2

$1.21 ฿40.93

42.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.6

$1.87 ฿63.1

46.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 ฿66.3

$1.89 ฿64.0

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.25 ฿42.12

33.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.05 ฿35.37

43.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.88

$1.25 ฿42.33

1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.96

$0.45 ฿15.11

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ฿162

$4.25 ฿144

12.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.88 ฿503

$18.14 ฿612

-17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.1

$1.76 ฿59.4

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ฿109

$2.90 ฿98.0

11.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.88 ฿29.63

15.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.48

$1.30 ฿44.03

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.66

$1.09 ฿36.71

10.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿206

$3.65 ฿123

67.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿48.30

$1.50 ฿50.7

-4.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$46.0K ฿1.6M

-33.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.9K ฿907.8K

$27.3K ฿922.7K

-1.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$109 ฿3,668

$91.0 ฿3,072

19.39%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.94 ฿504

$11.51 ฿389

29.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.05 ฿610

$19.38 ฿655

-6.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ฿1,900

$46.43 ฿1,568

21.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 ฿623

$13.26 ฿448

39.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿252

$7.71 ฿260

-3.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$802 ฿27.1K

$623 ฿21.1K

28.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ฿573.2K

$14.2K ฿480.9K

19.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ฿2,416

$51.6 ฿1,742

38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.12 ฿1,422

$28.77 ฿972

46.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 ฿3,279

$93.3 ฿3,152

4.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,604

$75.7 ฿2,556

41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 ฿24.1K

$424 ฿14.3K

68.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ฿11.7K

$301 ฿10.1K

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 ฿74.9K

$1,173 ฿39.6K

89.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 ฿27.7K

$694 ฿23.4K

18.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,948 ฿200.9K

$1,959 ฿66.2K

203.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,151 ฿106.4K

$1,435 ฿48.5K

119.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.96

-11.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$347 30.9%

Ratchaburi

$301 31.6% 13.4% $46

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$271 24.1%

Ratchaburi

$246 25.9% 9.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.8% 21.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$142 12.6%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.8% 13.9% $20

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.3%

Ratchaburi

$98 10.3% 6.2% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.3%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 13.1% $9.3

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.1%

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1.1% 78% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $713 in Bangkok and $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Bangkok vs $36 in Ratchaburi. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $246, with Ratchaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

38,208

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bangkok Ratchaburi 77 km

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bangkok vs Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,125 in Bangkok and $950 in Ratchaburi, so Ratchaburi is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,687 in Bangkok and $1,425 in Ratchaburi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $713 in Bangkok versus $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Bangkok. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,125 per month in Bangkok versus $950 in Ratchaburi – Ratchaburi is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ratchaburi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bangkok and Ratchaburi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.