Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratchaburi and Bangkok

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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index

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Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$950

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratchaburi and in Bangkok

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

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

Ratchaburi $950
Bangkok $1,125

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

Ratchaburi $1,553
Bangkok $1,837

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

Ratchaburi $2,157
Bangkok $2,549

Living in Ratchaburi costs roughly 16% less than in Bangkok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ฿113

$2.90 ฿98.1

15.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.38 ฿1,228

$35.48 ฿1,198

2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 ฿301

$7.37 ฿249

21.03%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿66.3

$2.73 ฿92.2

-28.21%

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

$0.68 ฿22.81

$0.67 ฿22.75

1.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.58

$0.32 ฿10.96

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ฿77.3

$2.63 ฿88.8

-12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿91.0

$4.54 ฿153

-40.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.9

$1.85 ฿62.3

-5.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.97

$1.48 ฿49.98

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.17

$1.41 ฿47.61

-2.84%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.8

$2.60 ฿87.9

-16.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.62 ฿528

$17.29 ฿584

-9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.64 ฿89.1

$3.55 ฿120

-25.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿350

$12.69 ฿428

-18.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿114

$3.70 ฿125

-9.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.93

$1.72 ฿58.2

-29.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

$2.74 ฿92.6

-31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ฿64.0

$1.96 ฿66.3

-3.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 ฿42.12

$1.67 ฿56.5

-25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.37

$1.51 ฿50.9

-30.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ฿42.33

$1.27 ฿42.88

-1.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.11

$0.50 ฿16.96

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿144

$4.80 ฿162

-11.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.14 ฿612

$14.88 ฿503

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.4

$1.84 ฿62.1

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿98.0

$3.22 ฿109

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.63

$1.02 ฿34.33

-13.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.37 ฿1,194

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿44.03

$1.05 ฿35.48

23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿36.71

$1.20 ฿40.66

-9.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ฿123

$6.10 ฿206

-40.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.43 ฿48.30

4.90%

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

$46.0K ฿1.6M

$30.8K ฿1.0M

49.53%

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

$27.3K ฿922.7K

$26.9K ฿907.8K

1.65%

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

$91.0 ฿3,072

$109 ฿3,668

-16.24%

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

$11.51 ฿389

$14.94 ฿504

-22.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.38 ฿655

$18.05 ฿610

7.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.43 ฿1,568

$56.3 ฿1,900

-17.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 ฿448

$18.45 ฿623

-28.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ฿260

$7.46 ฿252

3.35%

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

$623 ฿21.1K

$802 ฿27.1K

-22.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿480.9K

$17.0K ฿573.2K

-16.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 ฿1,742

$71.5 ฿2,416

-27.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 ฿972

$42.12 ฿1,422

-31.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 ฿3,152

$97.1 ฿3,279

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 ฿2,556

$107 ฿3,604

-29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ฿14.3K

$713 ฿24.1K

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$347 ฿11.7K

-13.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ฿39.6K

$2,219 ฿74.9K

-47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 ฿23.4K

$820 ฿27.7K

-15.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ฿66.2K

$5,948 ฿200.9K

-67.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 ฿48.5K

$3,151 ฿106.4K

-54.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ฿20.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.25

13.52%

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

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ratchaburi

$301 31.6%

Bangkok

$347 30.9% 15.5% $46

Groceries & Markets

Ratchaburi

$246 25.9%

Bangkok

$271 24.1% 10.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratchaburi

$122 12.8%

Bangkok

$142 12.6% 16.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Ratchaburi

$112 11.8%

Bangkok

$143 12.7% 27.3% $31

Eating Out

Ratchaburi

$98 10.3%

Bangkok

$104 9.3% 6.6% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5%

Bangkok

$71 6.3% 15.1% $9.3

Getting Around

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1.1%

Bangkok

$47 4.1% 354% $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 $424 in Ratchaburi and $713 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Ratchaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,208

5,666,264 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Ratchaburi Bangkok 77 km

From you

Ratchaburi
Bangkok

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

Ratchaburi vs Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,425 in Ratchaburi and $1,687 in Bangkok 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: $424 in Ratchaburi versus $713 in Bangkok. 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 $950 per month in Ratchaburi versus $1,125 in Bangkok – 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, Ratchaburi and Bangkok are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.