Bangkok on any budget
What hotels really cost in each neighborhood, and exactly what ฿50, ฿200, ฿500 or ฿1,000 gets you to eat — from street carts to Michelin stars.
Hotel prices by neighborhood
Typical nightly price for a double room (or a dorm bed for hostels), outside peak season. Pick a level to compare areas — cheapest at the top.
Hostel (per dorm bed) — A bed in a 4–12 person air-conditioned dorm, lockers, shared bathrooms. The good ones have privacy curtains, a rooftop or café, and a social crowd.
💡 Pay a little more for a female-only or pod-style dorm if you value sleep.
Budget room (per room) — A private double in a guesthouse or 2★ hotel: air-con, hot shower, Wi-Fi, often no window or a small one. Clean but basic.
💡 Check recent reviews for noise and mention of the air-con — it matters in April.
Mid-range (3★) (per room) — A comfortable modern room, usually with a pool or gym, breakfast available, near a BTS/MRT station. The sweet spot for most visitors.
💡 Walking distance to a station is worth more than a bigger room.
Upscale (4★) (per room) — Big rooms, a proper pool, good breakfast buffet, rooftop bar, attentive staff. Bangkok 4★ is excellent value against other world cities.
💡 Executive-floor upgrades often include free evening drinks — do the maths.
Luxury (5★) (per room) — International flagship hotels and riverside icons: suites, spas, several restaurants, river shuttle boats, flawless service.
💡 Luxury rates drop sharply in the low season (May–October).
Private rooms for ฿550–฿800 a night
Not keen on a dorm, but still watching the budget? A simple private room with air-con and your own bathroom costs only a little more than a good hostel bed in a few parts of town. Expect a small room, maybe no window, and no pool, but clean, quiet and yours. Read recent reviews for noise, cleanliness and how well the air-con works.
Guesthouses on the quieter Banglamphu lanes, a short walk from Khao San but out of earshot of it.
See rooms in Old Town →Older family-run hotels and new small guesthouses on the side streets off Yaowarat, near MRT Wat Mangkon.
See rooms in Chinatown →A local residential district north of the center. Plain, good-value hotels near the MRT, with very few tourists.
See rooms in Din Daeng →Small guesthouses and older hotels on the sois a block or two back from the main Sathorn road.
See rooms in Sathorn →Tip: sort the results by lowest price and filter for a private bathroom. Rooms at this price go quickly from November to February.
When you travel changes the price
Weekend nights (Friday and Saturday) are often 10–25% higher than weekdays at city hotels.
See all hotel prices as a table
| Neighborhood | Hostel | Budget room | Mid-range (3★) | Upscale (4★) | Luxury (5★) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town | ฿300–550 | ฿550–1,200 | ฿1,300–2,200 | ฿2,500–4,500 | ฿5,000–12,000 |
| Chinatown | ฿350–600 | ฿600–1,300 | ฿1,500–2,500 | ฿2,800–5,000 | ฿5,000–9,000 |
| Riverside | ฿400–700 | ฿900–1,500 | ฿1,800–3,000 | ฿3,500–6,500 | ฿7,000–25,000 |
| Siam | ฿450–750 | ฿1,000–1,600 | ฿2,000–3,200 | ฿3,500–6,000 | ฿6,500–15,000 |
| Silom & Sathorn | ฿400–700 | ฿650–1,500 | ฿1,700–2,800 | ฿3,000–5,500 | ฿6,000–14,000 |
| Sukhumvit | ฿400–700 | ฿900–1,500 | ฿1,700–2,800 | ฿3,000–5,500 | ฿6,000–15,000 |
| Thonglor & Ekkamai | ฿450–750 | ฿1,000–1,600 | ฿1,800–3,000 | ฿3,200–5,500 | ฿6,000–12,000 |
| Ari | ฿350–600 | ฿700–1,200 | ฿1,200–2,200 | ฿2,500–4,000 | — |
What does ฿50, ฿200, ฿500 or ฿1,000 buy you?
Bangkok is one of the best cities in the world to eat cheaply — and one of the most exciting to splurge in. Here's what one person can expect at each price.
- ฿50 ≈ $2
A quick street snack
Street carts, 7-Eleven
- Grilled pork skewers (moo ping) with sticky rice
- A bag of cut fruit — mango, pineapple or watermelon
- 7-Eleven ham-and-cheese toastie and a bottle of water
- ฿100 ≈ $3
A proper street-food meal
Street stalls, shophouse canteens
- Pad kaphrao (holy basil stir-fry) with a fried egg, on rice
- A bowl of noodle soup and a Thai iced tea
- Two or three bowls of boat noodles
- ฿200 ≈ $6
A feast for one, the local way
Food courts, night markets, popular shophouses
- Two street dishes, fresh fruit and a drink
- A mall food court meal with dessert
- Pad thai and mango sticky rice at a night market
- ฿500 ≈ $15
A sit-down Thai dinner
Air-conditioned Thai restaurants, Chinatown crawl
- Curry, stir-fry, rice and a beer at a mid-range Thai restaurant
- A full evening grazing down Yaowarat Road
- Specialty coffee and brunch at a hip café
- ฿1,000 ≈ $30
A night out
Modern Thai restaurants, rooftop bars
- Dinner with wine at a well-reviewed modern restaurant
- Two cocktails at a rooftop bar with the view
- Seafood dinner for one at a riverside restaurant
- ฿2,500 ≈ $76
Special-occasion dining
Chef-led restaurants, hotel dining
- A multi-course dinner at a celebrated chef-led Thai restaurant
- A five-star hotel brunch buffet with free-flow drinks
- Dinner cruise with buffet on the Chao Phraya
- ฿6,000+ ≈ $182
Bucket-list tasting menu
Michelin-starred restaurants
- A tasting menu at one of Bangkok’s Michelin-starred restaurants (drinks extra)
- Wine pairing alone can match the food bill
Local tip: Restaurants with menus in English and air-con often add a 10% service charge and 7% VAT on top of menu prices — look for "++" next to the price. Street food and food courts never do.
How much to budget for food per day
Street food three times a day, water and the odd 7-Eleven snack.
Street-food lunches, a sit-down dinner, coffee and a beer.
Café breakfast, restaurant meals, a drink or two most nights.
Hotel breakfast, upscale restaurants, cocktails at sunset.
Bangkok price list
Everyday things and what they cost right now.
| Item | Price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Street-food dish (pad thai, kaphrao, noodles) | ฿50–100 | $2–3 |
| Mango sticky rice | ฿100–150 | $3–5 |
| Fresh coconut | ฿50–80 | $2–2 |
| Thai iced tea / coffee from a stall | ฿30–60 | $1–2 |
| Café latte | ฿80–150 | $2–5 |
| Bottle of water (7-Eleven) | ฿7–15 | $1–1 |
| Beer at 7-Eleven (large Chang/Leo) | ฿55–75 | $2–2 |
| Beer at a bar | ฿100–200 | $3–6 |
| Cocktail at a rooftop bar (+ service charge & VAT) | ฿400–650 | $12–20 |
| Main course, mid-range Thai restaurant | ฿150–350 | $5–11 |
| Thai massage, 1 hour | ฿300–500 | $9–15 |
| BTS / MRT ride | ฿17–65 | $1–2 |
| Short Grab ride across a neighborhood | ฿80–150 | $2–5 |
Frequently asked questions
How much is a hotel in Bangkok per night?
A comfortable 3-star hotel near a train station is typically ฿1,300–฿3,200 a night depending on the area. Hostels start around ฿300 a bed, and 5-star hotels from about ฿5,000. Expect 20–40% more from November to February.
How much does food cost per day in Bangkok?
Eating street food you can live well on about ฿350 a day. A mix of street food and sit-down restaurants is about ฿800, and eating mostly in restaurants with drinks is around ฿1,500 or more.
What can you eat for 100 baht in Bangkok?
A full street-food meal: pad kaphrao with a fried egg on rice, a bowl of noodle soup with an iced tea, or two to three bowls of boat noodles.
Can you get a private hotel room in Bangkok for under ฿800?
Yes. Simple private rooms with air-con and a private bathroom go for about ฿550–฿800 a night in parts of the Old Town, Chinatown, Din Daeng and Sathorn. Expect a small room, but a big step up in privacy from a hostel dorm.
Which Bangkok area has the cheapest hotels?
Old Town (around Khao San) and Ari have the lowest prices at most levels. Siam and the Riverside are the most expensive.