Writing this article to share my experience finding apartments (or condos as Thai calls it) in Bangkok when I first moved to Thailand. Scroll down for English.
TLDR: just check out these two websites: (1) https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/ (2) https://www.ddproperty.com/en/
其實可以更聳動像是曼谷找房神器、攻略之類的，但寫了都覺得好笑，默默刪除直接下了個簡單明瞭的標題。純粹前一陣子搬家看了一陣子的房子，想說來分享一下好了，記得我當初剛決定搬來曼谷時實在是毫無頭緒，我人生就來曼谷玩過一次而已，而且也都好幾年前的事情了，基本上忘得差不多，只記得購物中心很高級，下午雨下很大，夜市很強大，塞車很嚴重，計程車亂開價的很貴(後來發現有Uber可用、現在Uber被Grab買了)，除此之外對於哪邊適合居住我實在毫無頭緒啊。
如果你懶得看，我建議直接這兩個網站看看，就會比較了解曼國的房子跟行情大概在哪種區間了：(1) https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/ (2) https://www.ddproperty.com/en/
第一個問題基本上就是該住在哪個區域？
上班的地點佔很大的因素，我預定要三十分鐘內通勤，大概就地鐵站三到五站的目標，尤其曼谷在疫情前那BTS真的塞到無法無天，我有時等了三班才硬擠上去，所以哪些站特別擠也蠻重要的。
基本上我會建議剛來的第一、兩個月可以先住Airbnb來看看你想住的區域，甚至先去住幾晚你有興趣的公寓，以及試著通勤幾次，你就會比較有概念。我剛來時公司把我安置在Thong Lo，我就對這區比較有概念，也知道在這區域生活的話通勤將會是怎樣，對要租在哪裡會比較有概念。
整體而言曼谷可以從Siam-Nana BTS站之間分成上下左右：
右方：日本區, Sukhumvit區，包含Asok, Thong Lo, Ekkamai, 更遠一點點的On Nut (這區我寫最多，因為我就住在這裡，所以比較多可以分享，其他區我真的不熟，就不寫些沒把握的描述了)
- 通常日本人都住在Asok到Ekkamai區間，應該算是曼谷最貴的區域之一，生活機能很方便，有購物中心(Terminal 21, EmQuartier), 超市 (Villa Market, Gourmet Market, 日本超市UFM Fuji, 唐吉軻德 Donki Mall, Tesco Lotus, Big C...), 跟數不盡的文青咖啡店、餐廳
- On Nut是我知道也蠻多外國人住，尤其是家庭，因為泰國兩房以上的公寓都十份貴，On Nut是相同的價錢但是面積大很多，離市中心稍遠了一點，但是有Tesco等生活機能也算很好，算是在租金與面積間達到平衡的一站
左下方：河邊、Sathorn區包含Sala Daeng, Chong Nonsi, 河邊的Saphan Taksin
- 這邊就我所知似乎是比較多歐洲人，尤其蠻多大使館都在這附近，雖然我不知道住在大使館附近可以怎樣啦，不過可能就Expat區自己發展起來這樣，這區我非常不熟，偶爾跟同事聚餐會來，我自己走路時是覺得住宅跟辦公大樓居多，但有些巷弄也是有知名的夜生活店跟洗澡店，像是Sala Daeng那邊的巷弄。價格基本上也差不多兩萬左右。
左下方：河邊、Sathorn區包含Sala Daeng, Chong Nonsi, 河邊的Saphan Taksin
- 這邊就我所知似乎是比較多歐洲人，尤其蠻多大使館都在這附近，雖然我不知道住在大使館附近可以怎樣啦，不過可能就Expat區自己發展起來這樣，這區我非常不熟，偶爾跟同事聚餐會來，我自己走路時是覺得住宅跟辦公大樓居多，但有些巷弄也是有知名的夜生活店跟洗澡店，像是Sala Daeng那邊的巷弄。價格基本上也差不多兩萬左右。
左側上方：Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai: Victory Monument, Ari 然後往舊機場 DMK 延伸
- 這邊我完全很少來，偶而會去Ari有名的文青咖啡店逛逛，但基本上我覺得是本地泰國人居多，租金可能會稍稍便宜一點(尤其Ari再過去)
- Ari站附近有蠻多新的文青咖啡店的，有得名的Factory Coffee也是在這區域(Phaya Thai)
第二個問題基本上就是價格了
租金區間：
- 一房一廳一衛來說，離Siam-Nana站大概3-5站內的，像是Asok至Ekkamai地鐵站附近(走路5-10分鐘內)的大概新一點的都在兩萬泰銖左右，面積大28-35平方公尺左右(大概台灣十坪？)，非常小，我第一個住的地方大概30平方公尺左右，就要兩萬多，但是離地鐵站無敵近，其實空間小我是還好，因為我自己衣服東西也不多，而且房間光線超好，我非常喜歡，但是自從公司讓我們在家工作，狹小的空間越來越像監獄，於是就決定稍微住遠一點但空間大點的地方。高級點的大概就三萬到五萬間(通常會大一點)，或是用大理石感覺更金碧輝煌一點。
五站以上像是On Nut大概就落在一萬五左右，面積會比較大。 - 兩房以上的話基本上一定四、或大多都五萬起跳，不會比租兩間一房便宜，我個人猜測可能主要精華地段Condo/Apartment都是以一房或Studio居多好增加販售間數，二房以上比較少所以物以稀為貴。
其他費用：
- 電費、水費、網路費、電視第三台費：通常都是房客負擔，水費非常便宜，每個月大概就50-100泰銖左右，電費看你開冷氣的程度，一房的公寓每個月大概會在800-1500左右
- 管理費、仲介費：都是屋主負擔
- 押金：通常是兩個月，所以簽約當天要付三個月的錢給房東。期滿時退押金，但聽說有些人有過房東不退押金或是扣錢等不好的經驗。
第三個問題大概就就是租屋類型
- Condo: 基本上外國人來工作，沒有小孩，百分之九十九都是租Condo就是我們俗稱的公寓 Apartment，這應該也是唯一外國人可以購買的類型，聽說其他類型似乎有鬆綁一點，但我不清楚。主要都是1B1B 一房一廳一衛浴，或是Studio套房。基本上泰國近幾年蓋的都是公設非常豪華，泳池健身房基本上是標配，但是我自己在前一個地方住的時候，除了看房子的那天後就一次沒看過泳池了。
房子找久了，建商跟建案大概就那幾家，有名的建商：Ananda, Sansiri, AP Thialand, Land and House, Noble；建案：Noble, Ashton, The Line, The Address, Ideo, The Room, XX Haus系列, Rhythm...基本上他們會用同一個名字系列來蓋在不同區，聽說是產品線區分啦，但我自己覺得是大同小異，像是Ashton就有Ashton Silon, Ashton Asoke, Ashton Morph 38...或是The Room Sukhumvit 21, The Room Sukhumvit 40, The Room Sathorn...等等，所以不要看到第一個字就以為同一個地方，要看全名。這些通常算是高級類的標準版，其他還有更高級版的像是 ESSE Asok, ESSE Sukhumvit租一房都三四萬起跳 - Townhouse: 另一種是Townhouse也大概像我們說的透天厝，我身邊的人大都沒家庭所以不認識住這種類型的人，不太熟，沒更多可以寫，不過新的Townhouse建案都蠻遠的了，在地鐵附近或市中心都是Old Money的老房子了
那該從何找起呢？
- 網站：(1) https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/ (2) https://www.ddproperty.com/en/ (3) Facebook Market Place 或是 Group (Condo Exchange Center, Bangkok Take Over My Lease...等等)，基本上我會用這個網站來看公寓屋況以鎖定自己有興趣的Condo，要不然曼谷的公寓大樓實在太多了，全部看完會沒完沒了
- 仲介：泰國仲介費是屋主負責，所以你可以直接大方的找仲介問說你對這區或是這個公寓有興趣，請他們提供他們有的房源給你看，同事有介紹我一個仲介，所以我當時就直接找他，他直接開車帶我去看，算是蠻方便了，後來熟了後，你可能路上或看到自己有興趣的地點，就可以自己上網找，或是再問仲介有沒有房源可以讓你去看。我還蠻喜歡這個仲介了，英文算很好，而且會幫忙處理一些事情，當初網路什麼的都是他幫我找人來用，我只要出現就好了，網路的人英文不好，他還電話幫我跟對方溝通，只是朋友介紹、而且他總是在推銷某個特定公寓，我所有同事都被他帶去那裡看過lol，最近一次就沒有用他了，但對比我現在對應的仲介，問他事情都直接叫我去問管理公司，我時不時會懷念原本的仲介。
- 自己走路：我是有在網路上看到如果你對哪個公寓有興趣可以直接跟管理處說你想看，他們就會帶你去看，我是從來沒有嘗試過啦，頂多就是路上看到哪個公寓不錯或記下名字回去搜尋這樣。
大概先寫到這裡，有問題歡迎提問，我再看我既有知識是否可以補充；基本上曼谷物價跟台北差不多，但住房真的比較便宜，同樣的錢可以住到很新的房子，台北就永遠是老舊沒電梯公寓，這點是我最喜歡曼谷的，有時眺望房外的夜景，不禁都覺得自己是成功人士了，但還無法退休。
English starts here, right here.
This is to share my experience finding apartments in Bangkok. Before moving to Bangkok, I’ve only been here once on a trip a few years ago. I only remember (1) Traffic (2) Nice shopping malls (3) Taxi drivers trying to rip you off (4) Night market was fun (this is coming from me, me, a Taiwanese, so it holds some weight). Compared to someone who has never been to Bangkok before, I might have some headstart, but I still had no idea what to expect, let alone where to start.
As a millennial, the first thing you do when you have questions is to google. I found a few sites (1) https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/ (2) https://www.ddproperty.com/en/ that were really useful for me to have a basic understanding of what houses/apartments look like in Bangkok, and what’s the overall price range. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, I’d recommend you to use these two sites and also join some Facebook Groups, such as Condo Exchange and Bangkok Take over my lease..., or just Facebook Marketplace, all good for doing basic research.
The first question is usually: so where the f should I live?
I only have lived in the Sukhumvit area (along the Sukhumvit BTS line, Asok - Ekkamai), so can only give more useful information about this area.
Overall, I’d recommend you to use Airbnb for the first 1-2 months to live in the area you are interested in or even the exact condo that you want to move into, so that you will know what daily life/hustle/traffic/commute will be like. There are tons of Airbnb properties in Bangkok, mostly the result of Chinese and Russian investments and managed by some property management company, and you’ll get to pay little to live in most of the new apartments.
In general, if we set Siam - Nana BTS stations as the center of Bangkok, then we can split the surrounding place into 2-3 areas
Right/Eastside: From Asok to Ekkamai, and to On Nut. Also known as Sukhumvit area or Japanese area as a lot of Japanese live here, most ex-pats I know also live in this areas.
- This is one of the most expensive areas of Bangkok. There are shopping malls (Terminal 21, EmQuatier), tons of supermarkets (Villa Market, Tesco Lotus, Big C, Gourmet Market, UFM Fuji, Donki Mall...), and hipster/instagramic cafes and restaurants
- On Nut is a bit further down, but I also many English teachers and people who have kids choose to live here, definitely bigger bang for the bucks. You might pay similar or 5000 Thai Baht less than the main Sukhumvit area, while getting more space. I didn’t choose here because it’d be a longer commute than I wanted, as morning BTS ride before covid was just too much for me
Lower Left/Southwest Side: Reiver side, Sathorn, including Sala Daeng, Chong Nonsi...BTS station
- I’m not familiar with this area, only been here for dinner or a night out with colleagues. As there is a popular bar (and soapie lol) street near Sala Daeng. My impression walking here is that there’s more mix of commercial buildings and residential areas. Still some good restaurants and cafes, but not as crowded as Sukhumvit part as I think most tourists usually visit and stay in that area as well
- I think, I think, many Europeans also choose to stay here, I guess maybe it’s more residential and many foreign embassies are also located here
Upper Left/Northwest Side: Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai: Victory Monument, Ari and all the way to DMK, the old airport, and home base for most low-cost airlines
- I’m also not too familiar with this area, only been here for some hipster cafe visits. Overall, I think more local Thais are living here and Ari has a good cafe scene going on here as well. The rent is a bit cheaper here as well, especially once you go beyond Ari
Next, I’ll talk about rent and some fees:
- 1 bedroom (1b1b): most ex-pats I know, including me, live in either studio or 1b1b. A typical 1B1B in a nice/new condo, close to BTS (5-10 min walk) will cost around 18-25K Thai Baht per month (USD600-800). Older ones or the ones further from BTS will be around 15-20K I think. Usually, when it’s farther from BTS, the Condo will provide Tuktuk/Shuttle to take you to/from the nearest BTS.
- 2 Bedroom and up: normally it’s at least 40K Thai Baht, and most commonly 50K and up (USD1500 and up). Therefore, it’s not that much cheaper or even more expensive to rent 2 bedrooms than to rent two 1 bedroom units. I think it’s probably that most units in the condos are either studio or 1 bedroom with only some 2 or 3 bedroom units, thus the price is higher.
- Other fees: The tenant pays for electricity/water/internet/cable while the owner covers hoa, tax, and broker fees
- Deposit: it’s usually a 2-month deposit, some of my colleagues have 1 month, but most units I saw all ask for 2 months. The day you sign the contract, you’ll have to pay a total of 3 months' rent, the 2-month deposit plus the first month's rent. I do hear some people had a bad experience with owners not returning their deposit or deducting a huge chunk.
Housing Type:
- Condos or apartment buildings: Thai usually call apartment building condos. This is the most common type in Bangkok for ex-pats unless you have kids or pets that you need to have a bigger space. Most new condos don’t allow pets, only older ones or townhouses will allow pets. Most new condos have great facilities, pool and gym are pretty much standard.
Once you start searching, you will start to notice that most condos are built by the same developers like Ananda, Sansiri, AP Thailand, Land and House, Noble, and have similar name series like Noble, Ashton, The Line, The Address, Ideo, The Room, XX Haus, Rhythm...They say the name is to differentiate the product line/price range, but I think they are all pretty much the same, for example, for Ashton you have Ashton Silon, Ashton Asoke, Ashton Morph 38...or for The Room, there are The Room Sukhumvit 21, The Room Sukhumvit 40, The Room Sathorn...Just be careful to check the full name of the Condo line, because the location of The Room Sathorn is very different from The Room Sukhumvit 40, the building age and facilities can also be very different. - Townhouse: I don’t know anyone who lives in this type of house as the new ones are usually really far away and the ones in the city center are usually really old or not for rent. I did see some for rent, but the price is usually 60K Thai baht or up I think and a bit out of the way. If you have friends and don’t mind the walking and commute, a townhouse might be a good option to share the rent and enjoy the space.
Where can I find those condos?
- Online: as I mentioned before, these 2 websites and Facebook group/marketplace are your best bet: (1) https://www.hipflat.co.th/en/ (2) https://www.ddproperty.com/en/ ((3) Facebook Market Place, Group (Condo Exchange Center, Bangkok Take Over My Lease..) Usually I’ll use the websites to lock down the specific condos that I’m interested in. Otherwise, there are like a million condos in Bangkok and more new ones coming up, it’s really easy to get lost in the endless condo search
- Broker: In Thailand, since the owner covers the broker fee, I think it’s usually 1 month's rent, you can just reach out to broker posting online and ask them to show you the unit. Or ask them about the other condos that you are interested in, they can let you know if they have units to show you or not. When I first got here, I use a broker that my colleague recommended. I like her a lot as she speaks English well and was able to help me communicate if I have some questions about some stuff. She helped me contact to make a reservation for the internet subscription and installation stuff. It‘s not rocket science, but it‘s always good to have to do one thing less. I didn’t use her for the current condo as my friend helped me find the current place, also that she’s always pushing the units in this specific condo (I think she shows the condo to all of my colleagues, we always joke that she wants to put all of us in this one condo), but compared to her, the current broker is useless, only tells me to contact the property management office and only contacts me to ask me to send them a picture of my bank transfer receipt every month. I guess different broker provides different service.
- Walk-ins: I did read online that if you happen to walk by a condo that you are interested in, you can just walk in to ask the security or office people to show you the units. I never tried this though. What I do is that I’ll take note of the condo name and do research online
This should cover most of it. In general, compared to living expenses in Europe and North America, Bangkok is cheaper, but compared to what it was before or other parts of Asia, it is not that cheap. I am from Taiwan, I would say the living expense in Bangkok is pretty much the same as in Taipei, except for housing as with the same amount of rent, you usually get units in much older buildings in central Taipei. It‘s also more expensive to cook in Bangkok especially if you only cook for one person. The street food in Bangkok is cheap, 40-100 baht (USD 2-5) per one dish so I think a lot of locals opt to eat outside. But if you talk about restaurants, it can also get really expensive in Bangkok, the normal restaurant will cost 300 baht (USD 10) per head easily and drinks for 200 baht (USD 7), and some more fancy restaurants, it can get 1K baht per person (USD 30) easily, for the top restaurant, it’s also easy to spend more than 3K to 10K baht per person (USD 100-300), especially those Michellin star ones. What I like about Bangkok the most is the relatively cheap housing, especially when you look out at the night, can’t help feeling like someone who’s made it lol but still can’t retire yet.
