What are your fixed costs when renting in Bangkok
Are you looking for a place to live in Thailand? Bangkok can be an excellent choice. There are many accommodation options available in this huge city. It is not the cheapest renting place in Thailand, but I prefer to live in Bangkok because of the many conveniences that this city has to offer. There are plenty of shops, hospitals, bars and transportation options. You pay a little more for convenience, but the renting prices for one-room apartments are reasonable.
Besides the rent you also pay for fixed costs like electricity, water and other services. This article will tell you more about those extra costs. The information is based on my experiences with renting one-bedroom apartments in the price range of 100 to 300 U.S. dollars. Rental conditions and prices can be different when you want to live in a larger accommodation, like a house or a two-bedroom apartment.
Water costs
In general you don’t have to worry about your water bill. Of course the amount depends on how many people are living in the apartment and their style of living, but usually the water bill will not add much to your list of extra expenses. I never pay more than 10 U.S. dollars for my water.
My electricity bills have always been fluctuating between 15 and 60 U.S. dollars. The price per unit defers. Some apartment buildings use electricity which is subsidized by the government. Which means that you don’t have to pay if you stay under a certain amount of used electricity units. This can save you some money every month.
Take a look at the condition of the air conditioner when you inspect a new room. Try to rent an accommodation with a new air conditioner. You will use more electricity with an old model. Do not use the air conditioning too much, otherwise you could end up paying more for the electricity then for the rent. A fan is a good substitute for the air conditioner, and it keeps the mosquitoes away.
A WI-FI connection
I recommend you rent an accommodation which includes WI-FI. My first apartment did not have WI-FI, so I signed up for a contract with an Internet provider. All was fine until I moved to another part of the city and was told that my Internet would not work in that area. I also found out that my contract term was longer than I originally thought. I was stuck with a useless 1.5 year Internet contract.
So, I don’t recommend that you sign up for an Internet contract, if you are not familiar with the Thai language and the rules of the contract. This could lead to expensive misunderstandings. You can resolve this problem by asking the help of a Thai person who can explain the contract details to you.
Other costs
In some apartments you pay an extra amount for the collection of your trash, or you have to pay for the rental of furniture. You also have to pay a one time deposit amount when you sign your accommodation contract. The amount is usually equal to one month of rent. It will be given back to you once you end the renting contract, and leave the accommodation in a good condition.
Where do you live, and what are your monthly fixed costs? How do you safe money when it comes to costs like electricity and water?