Photo courtesy of Luxury Experiences

 

Eating out in Bangkok, once a common pleasure, is fast becoming a luxury as food costs have more than doubled over the last 13 years. A recent study by the Agency for Real Estate Affairs (AREA) has brought this issue to light, revealing that the price of an average meal has skyrocketed by 106.5%, while wages have struggled to keep pace.

 

In 2012, a typical dish in Thailand’s bustling capital cost around ฿31. Today, as we approach 2025, that same meal could set customers back ฿64. This stark increase contrasts sharply with the modest 33.3% wage rise from ฿300 to ฿400 during the same period, leaving many residents grappling with rising living costs.

 

The research focused on key business areas in Bangkok, such as Silom, Surawong, and Sathorn, which are frequented by both local office workers and tourists. Dr Sophon Pornchokchai, president of AREA’s research centre, attributes the soaring food costs to inflation and escalating rents.

 

"Some restaurants pay as much as ฿60,000 monthly for an 18-square-metre space," Dr Sophon noted. "This has driven numerous eateries to favour takeaway services, which are less costly to run."

 

The study also highlighted how food prices rose under various Thai governments:

 

• During Yingluck Shinawatra’s leadership (2012–2014), prices increased by an average of 5.2% annually.
• Under Prayut Chan-o-cha (2014–2023), prices surged by 6.6% per year, marking a significant 77% hike overall.
• During Srettha Thavisin’s period (2023–2024), prices edged up by 3.3%.
• A smaller 2% rise is anticipated under Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government (2024–2025).

 

While some food stalls, especially those in industrial and tourist zones, have managed to maintain stability due to government intervention, experts warn that ongoing rent and inflation will continue to challenge this.

 

Looking forward, the report forecasts a slight increase of up to 2% in 2025–2026 as economic uncertainties persist. However, this offers scant relief for families already stretched thin.

 

Dr Sophon advises consumers to consider cooking at home to economize. With living costs relentlessly climbing, enjoying an inexpensive meal of rice and curry is becoming increasingly elusive for Bangkok’s workers. For many, adapting to these changes is essential as they navigate the city’s evolving economic landscape.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-07-15

 

 

Wages for day workers are out of touch with the cost of living.

Double in 13 years is the way of the world guys. What HASN'T doubled in 13 years? Oh yeah, pu$&y. But it's gone up!

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

the modest 33.3% wage rise from ฿300 to ฿400

 

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The research focused on key business areas in Bangkok, such as Silom, Surawong, and Sathorn, which are frequented by both local office workers and tourists

 

I'm not sure why they try to illustrate their point using the increase in the minimum wage, which is far less than office workers in Silom are earning. (Though I'm not arguing with their basic thesis.)

22 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

I'm not sure why they try to illustrate their point using the increase in the minimum wage, which is far less than office workers in Silom are earning. (Though I'm not arguing with their basic thesis.)

Millions upon millions of Thais outside Bangers are earning the minimum wage or less or nothing at all. 

 

But prices are lower too outside the 3 or 4 largest cities. Here in Prasat Surin province my b/f and I yesterday had dinner at a wayside shack after our round-the-lake 5-times rapid walk. Delicious pad thai enclosed in omelette plus 2 bottles of chilled water: total price 154฿.

1 hour ago, Nickcage49 said:

Double in 13 years is the way of the world guys. What HASN'T doubled in 13 years? Oh yeah, pu$&y. But it's gone up!

 

Wages!

Conside cooking at home?  Many do not have kitchens. Cheap street food has been a survival tactic for the working poor.  If a person is making 400 baht and lunch costs 64 baht not much left over for the necssities of life.  Unlike the west sending money to parents and/or family is a necessity for many.  

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Eating out in Bangkok, once a common pleasure, is fast becoming a luxury as food costs have more than doubled over the last 13 years.

13 years? Try since Covid. Pad kra pao moo sap kai dao was Bt35-40 before covid and is now Bt50-60. Sure it might not have doubled but IMHO the last 5 years is when prices really started going up.

On 7/15/2025 at 6:40 AM, snoop1130 said:

In 2012, a typical dish in Thailand’s bustling capital cost around ฿31. Today, as we approach 2025, that same meal could set customers back ฿64.

 

And 60 baht will only get you a low protein meal. 

 

 

About a year ago a friend of mine was figuring whether or not he could quit work and retire on his pension. He said his pension was just enough to live comfortably so as long as he lived frugally. I was able to convince him what a bad idea that was. He had at least another ten years left barring any unforseen emergencies, and he would make occasional remarks how "skint" he was until his next paycheck.

35 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Conside cooking at home?  Many do not have kitchens. Cheap street food has been a survival tactic for the working poor.  If a person is making 400 baht and lunch costs 64 baht not much left over for the necssities of life.  Unlike the west sending money to parents and/or family is a necessity for many.  

5 sticks of moo ping plus sticky rice still 30bht where I live.

7-11 prepared meals still around 40bht, I like the cow pat gung.

Bag of deep fried chicken breasts in batter 20bht.

 

Hard to convince me that's expensive!

But maybe Bangkok is different.

Indian curry at took la dee Foodland 135 baht, breakfast 83 baht, some people must expect food for free!

Post Covid has been a combination of global inflation and price gouging. While 400 Baht per day seems crazy low for a day worker in today's world, Bangkok lawyers charging 24,000 Baht per hour is also absurd.  
Inflation is global -- Gouging is local.  

And now that Bangkok, and even Chiang Mai are increasingly infiltrated by real estate developers and speculators, they pay stupid prices and expect future rents to support those valuations.  

1 hour ago, MarkBR said:

Not bad for inflation, remember my mother trying to cope with 14% inflation in 1970s UK.  Consequence of the disastrous Labour government of Jim Callaghan (he of IMF bailout, binmens strikes, and gravediggers strikes).  The result of this being the election of Maggie, and all subsequent economic horror due to embracing neoliberal fantasy trickledown economics.

Latest has Starmer's Chancellor Rachel Reeves talking about trickle-down of wealth.  OMG a Thatcherite convert.  Nightmare.

37 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

5 sticks of moo ping plus sticky rice still 30bht where I live.

7-11 prepared meals still around 40bht, I like the cow pat gung.

Bag of deep fried chicken breasts in batter 20bht.

 

Hard to convince me that's expensive!

But maybe Bangkok is different.

 

That can be had, and everyone can and does afford 60 baht meals. However, if you go to proper restaurants you pay at least 250 Baht for a decent meal. If you add that up, it would be 750 per day and 22500 baht per month. Many people can't afford that and have to stick to 60 baht meals. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but even in Thailand you pay for a real restaurant experience.

 

Of course, there's no limit upwards, and 250 is the lowest end of the scale, really good restaurants, you'd look at 500 to 1000 per head, and the creme de la creme can be 5000 per head.

 

Ultimately there's something for everybody, so a non-story.

Another one of those ..".Thailand is now expensive " posts ,Youtube is

full of them, no mention of the way prices have risen in the West ,also

watching on Youtube a guy reviewing 5 fish and chip shops in Pattaya,

the prices for Cod and chips ,sitting down in restaurant ,price B195 -

B220 , bet they are more expensive in UK , don't know as never been

back there for 40 years.....

 

 

So many Influencers ,Volgers  ,trying to put Thailand down these days.

 

regards worgeordie

While food has gone up it amazes me that a 18 litre bottle of treated water is still 15 baht home delivered, the same as it was 10 years ago. 10 baht will buy you a small bottle at 7/11, try doing that in a civilised western country.

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Millions upon millions of Thais outside Bangers are earning the minimum wage or less or nothing at all. 

 

But prices are lower too outside the 3 or 4 largest cities. Here in Prasat Surin province my b/f and I yesterday had dinner at a wayside shack after our round-the-lake 5-times rapid walk. Delicious pad thai enclosed in omelette plus 2 bottles of chilled water: total price 154฿.

That does not seem like a low price. Water 10 X 2... Did you really actually pay 65 baht for each pad Thai? Usually the price is 30-40 baht. 

36 minutes ago, thesetat said:

That does not seem like a low price. Water 10 X 2... Did you really actually pay 65 baht for each pad Thai? Usually the price is 30-40 baht. 

Oh, well it seemed cheap to me.  And certainly compared to anything we buy when in BKK ...

I posted here not long ago about how much supermarket prices had jumped in the UK when I visited back in May.

 

The reaction? Utter denial. A pile-on of abuse like I’d fabricated the whole thing. Apparently, pointing out the obvious now makes you public enemy number one.

 

Funny how people are only just waking up to the cost-of-living squeeze — something I've been saying for years. Suddenly it’s “I can’t afford lunch!” and “Groceries are extortionate!” Really? No kidding.

 

Meanwhile, here at home in Thailand, we’ve got both a Thai and a Western kitchen. A full outdoor BBQ setup. Every pan, burner, and cutting board imaginable.

 

And not one of them — not one — lifts a finger to cook. Why? Because I pay for everything. So they don't have to. It's not poverty. It’s not lack of time. Likewise, it’s not even lack of skill. It’s sheer, unfiltered bone idleness.

 

And yes — I’ve pointed it out. Many times. What do I get in return? Blank stares and passive resistance, like I’ve just suggested they take up coal mining.

 

Let me tell you — I’m 63. Not exactly from the Victorian era. Raised in a big UK family. My mum was widowed when I was just 18 months old. She worked an 8-hour factory shift every day and still managed to prep and cook dinner for seven kids. Not UberEats. Not takeaways. Real food. Real effort.

 

By the time I joined the Royal Navy, I could already cook, wash, iron, and sew — because in our house, you had to know how to survive. And guess what? Those skills came in bloody useful.

 

We’ve gone from self-reliance to self-entitlement in a single generation. Somewhere along the way, personal responsibility became optional. Now, people treat “preparing your own lunch” like it’s a hardship on par with indentured servitude.

 

And before anyone gets defensive — this isn’t about wealth. It’s about attitude. If my mother could feed eight on a widow’s wage, there’s no excuse for a household full of able-bodied adults staring at a stocked fridge like it’s a museum exhibit.

 

Wake up. This isn't just a financial crisis — it's a cultural one.

 

 

28 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

Oh, well it seemed cheap to me.  And certainly compared to anything we buy when in BKK ...

 

You are quite right, it was value for money.

 

If you have a black cat on this board, someone has to have one that is blacker, you can't win.

In Thailand, trying to apply basic logic or suggest efficiency improvements is like shouting into a typhoon.

 

Take rice, for example. Every year, it’s the same routine: planting, tending, harvesting — all for a yield that’s completely at the mercy of the weather, pests, and sheer luck.

 

I’ve crunched the numbers. Between the cost of seed, wages, fuel, and equipment — not to mention the headaches when the crop inevitably underperforms — it would be cheaper, smarter, and far less stressful to just buy rice from the supermarket as needed.

 

We live in a farming area, for heaven’s sake — there’s no shortage of fresh, affordable rice nearby. But when I point this out, I get the usual response: a blank stare like I’ve just insulted the family ancestors, followed by the old chestnut: “But we’ve always done it this way.”

 

The same thing happens when I suggest something as simple as batch cooking. Prep a few meals at once, freeze them, save money, save time — job done. But again, it’s met with indifference.

 

No one’s interested. Why bother cooking when you can swing in a hammock all afternoon, gossip about the neighbors, and dream about winning the lottery?

 

It’s not a resource issue. It’s not poverty. Furthermore, it’s a mindset — one stuck on repeat, wrapped in tradition and lulled by inertia.

 

Meanwhile, any attempt at common sense is seen as disruption with a No, thanks — just pass the lucky numbers and another bag of takeout.

On 7/15/2025 at 5:40 PM, snoop1130 said:

Today, as we approach 2025

I am halfway through already!

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

5 sticks of moo ping plus sticky rice still 30bht where I live.

 

But maybe Bangkok is different.

In Bangkok it is 60

19 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

No one’s interested. Why bother cooking when you can swing in a hammock all afternoon, gossip about the neighbors, and dream about winning the lottery?

 

It’s not a resource issue. It’s not poverty. Furthermore, it’s a mindset — one stuck on repeat, wrapped in tradition and lulled by inertia.

Yes, and it won't change till every child gets a decent modern education for their first 20 years. Just compare the children of the rich bourgeoisie of BKK with all the peasant children. 

 

Not in our lifetime, sadly.

19 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

In Bangkok it is 60

Im sure I could find it there for 30. 

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Another one of tholiving in UKse ..".Thailand is now expensive " posts ,Youtube is

full of them, no mention of the way prices have risen in the West ,also

watching on Youtube a guy reviewing 5 fish and chip shops in Pattaya,

the prices for Cod and chips ,sitting down in restaurant ,price B195 -

B220 , bet they are more expensive in UK , don't know as never been

back there for 40 years.....

 

 

So many Influencers ,Volgers  ,trying to put Thailand down these days.

 

regards worgeordie

Hideously expensive, have friends who want move abroad as it is far easier than UK (they lived abroad before so know all the pitfalls), mostly due to high cost of living.  Alo the weather is far far better, except for those that cannot stand the heat.  Food is a big draw, on ground of variety, deliciousness, and cost.

Off topic posts about inflation in the USA and the replies have been removed as this topic is about:

 

Bangkok Dining Costs Surge: Eating Out a Luxury for Many

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

 

You are quite right, it was value for money.

 

If you have a black cat on this board, someone has to have one that is blacker, you can't win.

Even in Bangkok you can buy cheap & eat well.  As Chef McDang pointed out, the main difference between stallholder's food & high restaurants is the presentation.  Obviously there will be few bad ones, but most sell good food.  They would not survive otherwise.

Learn to cook quick and easy meals at home.

Also, buy some prepared foods from supermarkets to save money.

Pack a lunch for work. 

No need to eat out every day, so the price increases in restaurants should not be a major factor.