Living in the outskirts of Bangkok

living in the outskirts of Bangkok

 

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I used to live in central Bangkok, I thought it was the best place to be. 2 minutes walk to the MRT, I could be in Thonglor in 15 minutes. I was happy being there but I had 1 small problem, my commute. I work outside of the city center and the daily slug on the van or bus was taking over an hour each way. It was a major issue and was the first factor that made me think about living in the outskirts of Bangkok.

I made the choice to move to Nawamin Road at the end of 2014. Nawamin Road is located between Bang Kapi and Ramintra in the North East of the city ( see map below ). I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t miss the city center a lot and I could get there easily if I needed to. I also manage to save more money and find things more relaxed now that I have moved.

Transport

As you can see it’s away from the MRT and BTS lines and looks a long from the city center. Well it is but there are lots of busses and vans which can take me to the city center within 30 minutes. I have a van to Victory Monument, Silom and Rhamkhamhaeng all within 5 minutes of my condo. I also have many buses which run through to Ladprao, Ekami and Phrom Phong. In short I can get to the center of Bangkok easily and don’t have to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes for transport.

It is the same with other locations outside of the city center. There are plenty of vans and buses to help you get into the center if you need to go there. You will also soon realize that the BTS and MRT is very expensive compared to other transport options. A bus starts from 6.5 Baht and vans from 10 baht. I do crave a bit of BTS style air conditioning sometimes but in the evening it’s great to sit next to the open window of a bus.

Accommodation

This is where I think living in the outskirts of Bangkok has an advantage. There is a huge range of accommodation options and all at a very reasonable price. I have bought a condo but before this I rented a 1 bedroom 32sq meter condo for 7,000 Baht a month. This was a new condo with leisure facilities. Compared to the 13,000 I was paying for a similar property in the center of town I feel the pricing out here is much better. I had an extra 6,000 Baht a month to use or to save.

The other option you have out here is renting a house. With prices starting at around 6,000 Baht a month you can get great value for money, but be aware most houses come unfurnished. The only thing to bear in mind is that it can be harder to find a place as most agencies focus on renting in the center of Bangkok and local apartments are likely to have a low level of English, making communication difficult.

Prices

Although only being a few kilometers from the city center I find the prices here to be a lot more reasonable. Street food is maybe a little cheaper at around 30 baht a plate upwards but the main difference is going out to a restaurant. I can go to one of the local style restaurants and get great food and drink at a much lower cost. For example, my local favorite local restaurant costs me about 300 Baht for 4 plates of food and 2 large beers. The same where I was before would be closer to 500 Baht.

Other day to day items like fruit stalls seem to be cheaper too. I can get half a fresh pineapple for around 10 Baht and many local stalls sell fresh bananas. Of course we still have many 7/11’s which are the same price as elsewhere but I feel there is more of a community here with local shops being open almost 24 hours to visit.

I guess the other price change I notice is that I’m not tempted into going out to the main areas and spending money on expensive meals and drinking sessions. Taking away the temptations has meant I save a few thousand Baht a month but still get to socialize in my new area.

Socializing

You may be thinking that it sounds good but it must be boring at night. Well its not as bright and colorful as Thong Lor, Ekami etc but there are plenty of options. Tawandang German Brewery is a famous place and on the same road there are numerous restaurants, nightclubs and bars to visit. This is about 5 minutes from where I live. However, many are close to the prices found in central Bangkok so I tend to look at the local places.

I can go to a very nice Thai restaurant with my girlfriend, eat lots of food, drink lots of beer and have change from 1,000 Baht, for example at The Beach Bar Ladprao 101 ( in Thai )There are also lots of cafes nearby for a quick, cheap coffee and a cake. I can go play football at the local park or get a game of badminton at my local sports club. As you can see there are plenty of options here for socializing and going out.

Is Living in the Outskirts of Bangkok for Everyone?

It probably isn’t suitable for everyone, especially if you work in the center of Bangkok, or need to be there often. I just found myself not needing or wanting everything the city center has. I found the money saved can pay for the odd taxi into town if I need it. I feel more relaxed and I think it’s slightly less polluted out here.

However, you still do get horrific traffic jams which I guess you can’t escape anywhere in town. For some people it might be too laid back, especially if you’re hooked on a diet of partying.

If you’re a family or if you’re looking to find somewhere more relaxing and cheaper, then you should seriously start thinking about living in the outskirts of Bangkok. If you do have any questions please leave me a comment!

About Richard 176 Articles
British guy living and working in Bangkok, Thailand since 2013. Running LifeInANewCountry.com teaching and writer of Settling in Thailand expat book.

2 Comments

  1. Hi Richard, I’m Karan. I’m planning to move to Bangkok to learn Muay Thai. Can you suggest me some places in the outskirts of the city where there are good gyms and cheap accomodations.

    • Hi Karan, most of the famous gyms are located in the centre of the city such as Jitti Gym which is in Ratchada – not the centre but definitely not the outskirts.

      A quick search brings up
      http://www.muaythaisasiprapa.com/home.php which is located in Bang Kapi which is a cheap area to live in and only 30 minutes by bus from the MRT subway. It might be worth a look at if you need to be out of the city.

      If you are prepared to be more central let me know as I have a few friends who train and might be able to give more recommendations.

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