International School Bangkok
American
- IB Diploma average points: 35 points (2026) · source
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inBangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand17.1MCapitalUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Tee-12838
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 3.04x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Thailand: $22,432/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 58% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Overall
2.4x further
Prices are 58% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
5.9x further
Prices are 83% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.1x further
Prices are 53% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
3.6x further
Prices are 72% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$22,432
PPP, International $
City Population
17.1M
Monthly Costs
Rent
1BR City Center$677/mo
1BR Outside Center$344/mo
3BR City Center$2,008/mo
3BR Outside Center$736/mo
Food
Cheap Meal$2.98
Mid-Range (2 people)$36
Milk (1L)$1.90
Bread (500g)$1.50
Eggs (12)$2.54
Transport
Monthly Pass$35
Taxi per km$1.19
Gasoline (1L)$1.40
Utilities
Basic (85m² apt)$107/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$18/mo
Education
Preschool$569/mo
Intl Primary School$16,387/yr
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes Thailand as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Bangkok.
Quality
Limited fit for most expats
Expat access
Possible, rarely the expat choice
hardInstruction
Thai
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Thailand’s public system is not the path most expat families choose, especially if they want English-medium schooling.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Some resident families can use local public schools, but Thai-medium instruction makes it a hard fit unless the family wants full local immersion.
📋 Homeschooling
Legal with registrationRegistration requiredCurriculum approvalPeriodic assessment
Homeschooling has been legal since the National Education Act of 1999. Families must register with the local education service area office and submit a learning plan. Annual assessments are required. Thailand has a growing homeschool/worldschool community, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Homeschool legality in Thailand — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
8 confirmed schools
Typical fee
$20,923/yr
median of 4 schools' published fees
- British3
- IB3
- American2
Bangkok Patana School
British
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
How schools rank by exam results →Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Bangkok, Thailand.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$700
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,350
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Bangkok: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 80/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
80/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
Major regional hub
Bangkok is one of Southeast Asia’s strongest aviation hubs.
Urban transit
BTS, MRT, and bus
metrobus
Rail coverage is strong in core districts, though some neighborhoods still lean car-heavy.
Rideshare
Grab widely available
Grab is a normal part of getting around Bangkok.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Thailand.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
41 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
GoodGood national coverage and low out-of-pocket burden help, but doctor staffing is lighter.
Public care
GoodBroad public coverage, strong public funding, and relatively low patient cost-sharing support this rating.
Private care
LimitedSelf-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
82/100
2023
Physicians
0.54/1k
2021
Hospital beds
2.39/1k
2023
Out of pocket
10%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
76.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
34/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
5.1/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedMultiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Doctor: 10Pharmacy: 10Hospital: 8Dentist: 7Clinic: 6
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Thailand yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Safety Index62/100
Crime Index38/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.80
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Bangkok, Thailand · Source: NSO LFS (region-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
beer
$5.05Survey-verified35% cheaper
big mac
$4.02Estimated35% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.50Estimated56% cheaper
budget hotel
$71.08Survey-verified96% more
childcare preschool
$569.12Estimated63% cheaper
cinema
$10.68Survey-verified35% cheaper
coca cola
$5.05Survey-verified135% more
eggs dozen
$2.54Estimated47% cheaper
gasoline liter
$30.65Survey-verified2876% more
inexpensive meal
$6.78Survey-verified68% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$17.90Estimated74% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
jeans
$44.69Survey-verified13% cheaper
latte
$5.05Survey-verified5% cheaper
luxury hotel
$71.08Survey-verified85% cheaper
mcmeal
$6.78Survey-verified33% cheaper
milk liter
$1.90Estimated56% more
monthly pass
$30.65Survey-verified56% cheaper
nike shoes
$44.69Survey-verified51% cheaper
rent 1br
$419.80Survey-verified77% cheaper
rent 2br
$419.80Survey-verified90% cheaper
rent 3br
$2008.16Estimated37% cheaper
subway fare
$30.65Survey-verified1172% more
taxi km
$1.19Estimated36% cheaper
utilities basic
$107.42Estimated50% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
visa freeUp to 60 days
US passport holders can stay up to 60 days without a visa.
Long-Term Visa Programs
digital nomad
Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa
60 monthsRenewableMin. $6,666.67/mo income
Migrated from legacy digital_nomad_visas row 31
retirement
Thailand Elite Privilege Card60 monthsRenewable
retirement
Thailand O-A Long Stay Visa12 monthsRenewable
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Bangkok compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.0x further in Bangkok than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Bangkok cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Bangkok is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 58% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Bangkok.
How does rent in Bangkok compare with New York City?
Rent in Bangkok is about 83% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Bangkok?
Groceries in Bangkok are about 53% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 72% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Bangkok
Bangkok is the political, financial, and cultural capital of Thailand, and by a wide margin the country's only true tier-one city. For relocators it has settled into a clear role as Southeast Asia's most accessible base: long-term retirement and Elite visas exist, the BTS and MRT cover the central business corridors, and Suvarnabhumi flies direct to most regional capitals. Housing and food costs run well below Singapore or Hong Kong, English is workable in business and tourist zones but limited elsewhere, and the heat is tropical year-round with a defined monsoon. The trade-offs are traffic, periodic political instability, and air quality that turns hazardous during the dry-season burning months.
Tropical climate: hot, humid, monsoon season May-OctoberExcellent internet: fiber broadband widely available and affordableMassive expat community: hundreds of thousands of English-speaking residentsMixed walkability: compact neighborhoods vs. chaotic traffic and sprawlLegendary food scene: street food capital with Michelin-starred restaurantsVibrant nightlife: rooftop bars, night bazaars, and diverse entertainmentAbundant coworking: dozens of spaces with 24/7 access and communityGenerally safe: low crime rates in expat areas, petty theft in crowded zones
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