Daily costs per person in THB (฿). Pattaya is one of the cheapest beach destinations in Southeast Asia once you avoid the tourist traps.
Daily cost breakdown
Currency: THB (฿ Baht) (1 USD ≈ ฿35)
| Category | Budget | Mid-range | Splurge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | ฿250–500 | ฿800–2,000 | ฿4,000+ | Hostels → hotels with pool → beachfront resort |
| Food | ฿200–350 | ฿500–1,000 | ฿2,000+ | Street food → seafood restaurants → fine dining |
| Transport | ฿40–100 | ฿200–400 | ฿800+ | Songthaews → Grab → private car & boat |
| Activities | ฿0–500 | ฿500–1,500 | ฿5,000+ | Beach & markets → temples & water park → skydiving |
| Drinks | ฿60–150 | ฿200–500 | ฿1,000+ | 7-Eleven beer → bar happy hours → rooftop cocktails |
| Daily Total | ฿550–1,600 | ฿2,200–5,400 | ฿12,800+ | $16–46 → $63–154 → $366+ |
Money-saving tips
Street food is dirt cheap
Pad thai: ฿40–50. Grilled squid: ฿50. Rice with curry: ฿40–60. Mango sticky rice: ฿60. You can eat three meals for under ฿250 ($7) per day at night markets and street stalls.
Songthaews are ฿10
The blue shared songthaews (pickup trucks) run fixed routes along Beach Road and Second Road for ฿10 per person. Wave them down, hop on the back, and press the buzzer to stop. Do not take "special" rides — those are unmetered taxis charging ฿200+.
Koh Larn public ferry
The public ferry to Koh Larn is ฿30 each way — skip the "tour packages" charging ฿500–1,000 that include the same ferry plus unwanted stops. Buy tickets at Bali Hai Pier window.
Drink at 7-Eleven
Beer at bars: ฿80–150. Beer at 7-Eleven: ฿40–60. The beach allows drinking — buy from the convenience store and take it to Jomtien Beach. Chang and Leo are the cheapest Thai beers.
Negotiate water sports
Jet ski, parasailing, and banana boat operators inflate prices by 50–100% for tourists. Always negotiate. Parasailing should be ฿300–500, not ฿800. Compare prices at multiple operators on Jomtien.
Use Grab for fair fares
Grab gives fixed prices that are 30–50% cheaper than negotiating with tuk-tuk drivers. GrabBike is cheapest for solo travel (฿40–80). Always check Grab first before accepting any quoted fare.
