Is Bangkok the best spot for Digital Nomads to live? It is popular with digital nomads, with many calling Bangkok home. But why is it so popular? What is it about the capital of Thailand that draws content creators in?
Bangkok is a city that beautifully blends the old with the new, from its towering skyscrapers like Mahanakhon to its bustling street food stalls on every corner. The warm and humid weather, where sweat drips off your forehead, contributes to its charm and affordable prices.
We spent 10 days exploring Bangkok. We saw the sights, met people living and working there, ate, drank and took it all in. We were scouting it as a potential site for us to spend a few months going forward.
We left with the opinion that Bangkok offers a unique experience for travelers and digital nomads alike. In this blog post, we’ll explore why Bangkok is an ideal destination for those looking to live and work abroad.
Could we live in Bangkok?
Bangkok is a meeting place of diverse cultures, backgrounds and nationalities. This makes Bangkok an exciting destination for digital nomads.
- Religion – Buddhism is deeply woven into Bangkok’s cultural fabric. The influence of Buddhism is noticeable everywhere, with 90% of Thais practicing.
- Visit temples such as Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho, where people give offerings of food and flowers.
- Experience festivals such as Songkran, Loy Krathong and Chinese New Year.
Affordable Living
One of the biggest draws for living in Bangkok is its cost of living. While in Bangkok, we met a fellow Australian at a bar. He was not a digital nomad, just on a defense force pension. He moved from Brisbane to Bangkok because he could no longer afford to live in Australia. Here’s what you can expect:
- Accommodation: Rent an apartment in a high-rise for just under $200AUD a week.
- Food: Enjoy delicious street food for as little as $3-4AUD. Dining in tourist areas like Khao San Road can cost more than triple that price.
- Max Value had fresh daily meals made and ready to go, such as Spaghetti Bolognese for 35 Baht and crispy pork and rice for 55 Baht.
- Transportation: Get around easily with the MRT (Metro) and BTS (Skyrail Metro). Point-to-point tickets cost around $1.
- In Bangkok, Digital Nomads can buy passes for the BTS for 30 or 60 days, preloaded with up to 35 trips that come with a large discount to save you money.
I love the diversity. I can find a Starbucks selling average coffee and charging Western prices, and 10 meters up the street, I can find a street stall selling tasty coffee for $1-2 dollars.
I can buy fried chicken off the street or go to supermarkets and buy fresh meals for a few dollars. Bangkok is just so easy to eat, stay and see the sights for next to nothing.
Getting Around Bangkok
Thanks to its comprehensive public transport network, navigating Bangkok is a breeze. You can catch the trains both above and underground, buses, ferries and of course, you can order a Grab on the app.
- MRT (Metro): The underground system is user-friendly, allowing you to tap on and off with a credit card.
- BTS (Skyrail Metro): The Skyrail offers a scenic view of the city, but you may need to line up for tickets.
- River Boat: Head to Sapan Taksin on the BTS line to find boats to all sections of the city that are reachable by riverboat.
While staying in Bangkok, we used the BTS and MRT daily to take us from our apartment near Phra Khanong to downtown areas at Asok, Siam and the area. We used Grab and tuk-tuks to get between markets and even the hop on hop off boat on the Chao Phraya River.
The Perfect Base for Travel
It seems like Bangkok is the center of Asia for air travel. Bangkok serves as a major hub in Asia for many airlines coming and going from Europe to Asia and Europe to Australia make a stop over in Bangkok.
We flew into Bangkok from Guangzhou in China, which is only 2.5 hours away, and onto Australia, which is 8 hours away. Destinations like Malaysia and Vietnam are only an hour away, making it easy to connect to anywhere in the world from Bangkok.
- Affordable Flights: Fly to various destinations across Asia at a reasonable price.
- Central Location: Bangkok’s strategic position allows for quick access to popular tourist spots.
Content Creation and Digital Nomad Life
For those looking to create content while living in Bangkok, the city offers endless opportunities and good internet infrastructure.
- Filming Locations: Capture stunning visuals in both modern and traditional settings.
- Co-working spaces in Bangkok include the Work Loft near Lumphini Park and the Common Ground Central World located near Siam BTS Station.
- High-Speed Internet – Bangkok recorded the highest speeds in Thailand at 121 Mbps download and 27.6 Mbps upload on average.
- Mobile data plans are cheap and readily available. The top provider is AIS, with recent speeds in 2024 at 25 Mbps for download and 11 Mbps for upload.
- Digital Nomads Groups have weekly and monthly meetups, allowing you to meet others living this lifestyle. You can join the Bangkok Digital Nomads group on Meetup.com
Read More from Mark & Bec
Bangkok is not just a tourist destination; it’s a living, breathing entity that seems to move to its fast-paced rhythm. With its affordable living, rich culture, and excellent transport options, it’s no wonder that many are choosing to call Bangkok home.
It is certainly somewhere that we will be spending some time in the future when our digital nomad travel begins in 2027. I can’t put a finger on the attraction of Bangkok, it is not one or two things, it’s a lot of small things that add up to it being an exciting destination.
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