Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Tak

For one person, living is cheaper in Tak: $938 a month against $1,112 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
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Bangkok Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Tak
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Tak Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Tak

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangkok and in Tak

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 Tak actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Bangkok versus $938 in Tak.

Bangkok $1,112
Tak $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Bangkok versus $1,488 in Tak.

Bangkok $1,788
Tak $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,464 in Bangkok versus $2,039 in Tak.

Bangkok $2,464
Tak $2,039

Living in Bangkok is roughly 19% more expensive than in Tak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 18% lower, Tak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿98.7

$3.38 ฿113

-12.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.13 ฿1,174

$21.54 ฿720

63.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 ฿245

$7.23 ฿242

1.38%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$1.74 ฿58.1

56.90%

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

$0.62 ฿20.78

$0.60 ฿20.07

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.17

$0.33 ฿10.93

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ฿87.9

$1.91 ฿63.8

37.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.08 ฿103

41.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ฿61.8

$1.57 ฿52.6

17.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$1.34 ฿44.76

12.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.72

$1.33 ฿44.41

0.75%

Eggs

$2.62 ฿87.4

$2.16 ฿72.3

21.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 ฿572

$16.40 ฿548

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.90 ฿96.8

26.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 ฿429

$11.41 ฿381

12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.91 ฿97.4

28.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.03 ฿34.47

68.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.2

$2.26 ฿75.6

23.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.9

$2.21 ฿73.9

-14.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ฿58.4

$1.49 ฿49.69

17.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.68

$1.06 ฿35.59

40.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ฿41.51

$1.15 ฿38.47

7.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.22

$0.53 ฿17.70

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.73 ฿158

$4.47 ฿149

5.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ฿505

$16.78 ฿561

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.0

$1.62 ฿54.3

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿106

$2.99 ฿100

6.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 ฿37.19

$0.81 ฿27.11

37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.46 ฿1,152

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.47

$1.35 ฿45.00

-21.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.60

$1.18 ฿39.33

-2.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 ฿194

$5.56 ฿186

4.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.14

$1.51 ฿50.4

-6.62%

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

$31.7K ฿1.1M

$26.3K ฿877.5K

20.89%

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

$26.6K ฿887.8K

$26.0K ฿870.1K

2.04%

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

$108 ฿3,612

$85.9 ฿2,869

25.89%

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

$15.14 ฿506

$12.38 ฿414

22.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.15 ฿607

$20.05 ฿670

-9.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 ฿1,857

$41.87 ฿1,399

32.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.54 ฿620

$14.06 ฿470

31.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 ฿261

$5.92 ฿198

32.09%

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

$569 ฿19.0K

$595 ฿19.9K

-4.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ฿557.0K

$11.2K ฿373.1K

49.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 ฿2,371

$43.91 ฿1,467

61.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 ฿1,424

$30.26 ฿1,011

40.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ฿3,361

$80.4 ฿2,686

25.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ฿3,560

$79.2 ฿2,647

34.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 ฿22.5K

$416 ฿13.9K

61.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ฿11.1K

$314 ฿10.5K

6.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 ฿66.2K

$1,208 ฿40.4K

63.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ฿24.5K

$692 ฿23.1K

5.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,236 ฿208.4K

$2,060 ฿68.8K

202.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,096 ฿103.5K

$1,359 ฿45.4K

127.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tak: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$333 30%

Tak

$314 33.5% 5.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$272 24.5%

Tak

$247 26.4% 9.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$144 13%

Tak

$105 11.2% 27.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$141 12.7%

Tak

$118 12.6% 16.3% $23

Eating Out

Bangkok

$104 9.4%

Tak

$89 9.5% 14.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$71 6.4%

Tak

$54 5.7% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Bangkok

$46 4.1%

Tak

$10 * 1.1% 77.1% $35

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 $673 in Bangkok and $416 in Tak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Bangkok vs $22.00 in Tak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $247 per month, with Tak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇹🇭 Tak

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

Same time as Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

19,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok Tak 380 km

From you

Bangkok
Tak

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 Tak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Tak differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,112 vs $938 including rent). Tak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,669 in Bangkok and $1,407 in Tak 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: $673 in Bangkok versus $416 in Tak. 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 $1,112 per month in Bangkok versus $938 in Tak – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Tak versus $1,112 in Bangkok, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tak but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. The gap between the two cities makes Tak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Tak are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.