Thailand
Bangkok · South-Eastern Asia
A long-standing destination for long stays, with low costs, strong connectivity in the main cities, and a five-year multiple-entry visa aimed at remote workers. Thai law treats work performed in the country as work regardless of where the employer sits, which makes the distinction between visa categories consequential.
- ASEAN
- Capital
- Bangkok
- Currency
- THB ฿
- Language
- Thai
- Population
- 71.7M
- Long-stay routes
- 3
- Route to permanent residence
- None on file
- Unemployment
- 1%
- Drives on the
- Left
Thai baht
2024 estimate
2025, indicative
+66
Entry and short stays
What your passport allows before any long-stay permission is involved.
Reading your passport selection…
Can I live here?
Every long-stay route this country publishes, checked against what you tell us. The checking happens in your browser.
About you
Stored in this browser only. Never sent anywhere.
Before tax, in the currency you earn.
Reading your answers…
Nothing here is an approval, and nothing here is advice. Only the authority deciding your application can tell you the answer, and it will weigh things this tool does not model.
Long-stay routes
Stored as structured records, so the same data drives the checks above, the comparison view and the checklists.
Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
Remote workA five-year multiple-entry visa allowing 180 days per entry, extendable once by a further 180. It is not a residence permit and does not lead to permanent residence, but for a long, flexible stay it is the most practical route Thailand offers.
- Income needed
- Not stated
- Leads to settlement
- No
Long-Term Resident visa (LTR)
Remote workA ten-year visa administered by the Board of Investment across several categories, including work-from-Thailand professionals and wealthy pensioners. It carries a digital work permit and a flat 17 per cent tax rate for one of its categories.
- Income needed
- US$80,000 a year
- Leads to settlement
- No
Retirement visa (Non-Immigrant O-A / O-X)
Retirement and passive incomeFor people aged 50 and over, renewed annually on proof of funds held in a Thai bank or of monthly income. Long established and widely used, but it requires ongoing reporting.
- Income needed
- THB 65,000 a month
- Leads to settlement
- No
Cost of living
An estimate you can shape. It is not survey data and it is not a quote.
| Category | Monthly range |
|---|---|
| Housing | THB 8,000 – THB 25,000 |
| Food | THB 8,000 – THB 20,000 |
| Utilities | THB 1,500 – THB 4,500 |
| Internet | THB 600 – THB 1,200 |
| Transport | THB 1,000 – THB 4,000 |
| Healthcare | THB 2,000 – THB 8,000 |
| Everything else | THB 5,000 – THB 15,000 |
| Total | THB 26,100 – THB 77,700 |
| Suggested monthly buffer | THB 93,240 |
Modelled from a baseline for one adult and scaled, not sampled from households. Figures are shown as ranges because that is the honest shape of the data.
Worth knowing. Modelled estimate. The spread between a local and an imported lifestyle is wider in Thailand than in most countries, which is why the lifestyle multipliers are unusually far apart. International school fees are a large separate cost.
Housing
Foreign nationals cannot own land. They may own a condominium unit outright, provided foreign ownership in the building stays at or below 49 per cent of the floor area. Long leases and Thai company structures are used to work around the land rule, and some of those structures carry legal risk.
What landlords usually ask for
- Passport and visa
- Two months deposit plus one month in advance is the usual pattern
- Landlords often prefer longer leases for better rates
DDproperty (opens in a new tab)Hipflat (opens in a new tab)
Worth knowing. The land ownership prohibition and the 49 per cent condominium quota are statutory; the rest are market conventions.
Healthcare
A universal coverage scheme for Thai nationals alongside a large and internationally regarded private hospital sector that most foreign residents use. Private care is good and costs far less than in North America.
- If you live there
- The universal coverage scheme is for Thai nationals. Foreign residents in formal employment join social security; everyone else uses private insurance or pays directly.
- If you are visiting
- Private hospitals treat visitors readily on a fee-paying basis. Insurance is strongly advisable, particularly for motorbike accidents, which are a common exclusion.
Tax
- Tax residency threshold
- 180 days
- Taxes worldwide income
- Territorial
- Income tax range
- 0% – 35%
- VAT or sales tax
- 7%
Spending 180 days or more in Thailand in a calendar year makes you tax resident.
Remote workers. Thailand historically taxed foreign income only when remitted in the same year it was earned. That changed from 2024, and the treatment of remitted foreign income has continued to move since. This is the single most important thing to take advice on before a long stay.
Social insurance. Formal employees and employers contribute to the social security fund up to a capped monthly salary.
Capital gains. Gains are generally treated as ordinary income. Gains on listed Thai shares through the exchange are typically exempt for individuals.
Special regimes
LTR highly skilled professional rate
A flat 17 per cent personal income tax rate on Thai employment income for holders of that Long-Term Resident category.
Worth knowing. Thai rules on foreign-sourced income have changed repeatedly since 2023 and remain in flux. Treat this as orientation only and take professional advice.
Work and the labour market
Conditions in the labour market, which is a different claim from how many jobs are open right now. This product does not pretend to know the second from static data.
- Unemployment
- 1%
- Youth unemployment
- 6%
- Average earnings
- THB 16K / mo
- Minimum wage
- THB 11K / mo
Worth knowing. The very low unemployment rate reflects a large informal and agricultural workforce rather than an abundance of formal jobs. Minimum wages are set provincially as daily rates.
Sectors
- Tourism and hospitalitystableOne of the largest employers, and the sector most exposed to external shocks.
- Automotive and electronics manufacturingstableA major export base, with investment shifting towards electric vehicles.
- Medical tourismgrowingInternationally accredited private hospitals serving a large overseas patient base.
Cities
A country-wide average hides a lot. Where we have city data, use it instead.
Bangkok
The capital and the centre of everything administrative, with modern transit along the main corridors and very wide variation in cost depending on the district.
One adult, monthly: THB 45K – THB 90K
Chiang Mai
A northern city with a long-established remote-working community and costs well below Bangkok. Air quality deteriorates sharply during the February to April burning season.
One adult, monthly: THB 30K – THB 60K
Sources
Every claim on this page traces to one of these. If something here matters to a decision you are making, read it there.
Authorities for Thailand
- Immigration Bureau — extensions of stay, 90-day reporting and re-entry permits (opens in a new tab)Immigration Bureau, Royal Thai Police · National immigration authority
- Thai e-Visa — the official application portal for all Thai visa categories (opens in a new tab)Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand · Foreign ministry
- Visa categories and visa-exemption arrangements (opens in a new tab)Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand · Foreign ministry