How Much Do I Need?

When you ask "How much money do I need each day in Pattaya?"
I have to ask "What do you want to do in Pattaya?"

Do you want to go out on bar crawls "bar hopping" every day/night with a bunch of buddies (mates)?

If you do then that is going to cost you a lot more than hanging out with a long time Pattaya bar girl for a few days or weeks.

Depending on your drinking habits you could spend around 3,000 to 4,000 baht a day when cruising with the boys in Soi Six or double that if you prefer Walking Street. When it comes to drinking everyone is different.

Pattaya Bar Drink Prices

Cost of drink depends how much you want to drink and where you want to drink. If you hang out in the discos it will cost you 200 baht up for a Bacardi Breezer.

Chang beer will cost you 165 baht.

Go go bars charge around 80 to 90 baht for a small bottle of Chang beer. Add ten or twenty baht if you want Hienekin. In the go go bars if you sit with a dancer you will be expected to buy her a "lady drink". This drink will usually cost you around 100 baht or more.

Beer Bars are the cheapest for drinks provided you don't get scammed. Chang beer 50 to 65 baht for a small bottle.

First item on the list

Drinks:480 baht

Tricks and Scams

These deserve a mention because they are alive and well. There are many of these alternative ways of extracting money from the tourist or even hardened expats who have lived in Pattaya for years.

The cost? Anywhere from 20 baht up to your lifetime savings. Be warned. Bill Williams has described 15 of these scams and how to avoid them in his e-book "Pattaya Bar Girls Report". You will find them in chapter 10 of the report.

There are also eight more Thai girl scams covered in the "druggings" chapter. If you apply the advice contained in the e-book you will save a bundle of time and money during your stay in Pattaya.

I would advise every man planning a trip to Pattaya to download Pattaya Bar Girls Report and read it before arriving in LOS. (Land Of Smiles)

Pattaya Hotel Accommodation Prices

Want a comfortable place to stay? The cost will depend on what's important for your comfort. You can find budget guest houses with decent facilities from around 450 baht up to 600 baht per night. Some of these will include free wi-fi but in many budget hotels signal availability might be limited to the reception or restauant area. Check out this database of cheap hotel stays.

Add to the list:

Drinks:480 baht

Hotel:850 baht

Phone and Internet

You can purchase mobile phone data packages from "Dtac" or "One to Call" for around 300 baht for 3GB of high speed data. Say around 50 baht per day including a SIM card which should cost you around 120 baht (a one time purchase). To go with your data DTAC offers a mobile call pre paid plan at 2 baht per local call for the first minute then 1.5 baht for each consecutive minute. Lets allow 30 baht a day for local calls making the total for internet and mobile phone 80 baht per day.

Add to the list:

Drinks:480 baht

Hotel:850 baht

Internet:80 baht

Pattaya Restaurant and Food Prices

Restaurant and food prices vary of course. If you plan to eat Western food during your entire stay then you will pay from 150 baht up per meal. However if you eat Thai food you will save a lot. A plate of tasty fried rice can be bought for 40 baht.

If you like Indian food then you will be well catered for because there is an abundance of Indian restaurants in Pattaya City.

Some are expensive and others have reasonable prices. A cheap, good quality Indian food restaurant, The Tikka, is located in Soi Bouakhow opposite the entrance to Soi Honey where all the massage shops are. The Tikka is owned by a Pakistani family. Saag Paneer costs around 200 baht. At a few other Indian restaurants the same meal is listed at 300 baht.

Foodland supermarkets in Pattaya have a very good restuarant called "TOOK LAE DEE" (Thai) meaning "Cheap and Good".

Meals start at around 60 baht.

There are many franchised fast food shops in Pattaya where you can eat on the cheap. Some include Mc Donalds, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, Sizzlers and KFC. KFC have catered well for the Thai palate. Try some of their Crispy Chicken with Green Curry Rice.

That said Pattaya has its own Thai fast food kitchens providing access to one of the worlds finest cuisines. These can be found scattered throughout the entertainment areas and you will be able to find a tasty Thai meal from 60 baht up to 100 baht.

Add to the list:

Drinks:480 baht

Hotel:850 baht

Internet:80 baht

Meals:320 baht

Cost of Transport

How much do I need for transport in Pattaya? There are many ways to get around in Pattaya. The Baht Bus is the main method of transport starting at ten baht to travel a few blocks or twenty baht for one complete circuit from South Pattaya to North Pattaya.

Various transport methods and travel costs are discussed in more detail on the transport page of this website. For example if you wish to be more indepentant you could hire a small motorbike for around 220 baht per day even less.

Add to the list:

Drinks:480 baht

Hotel:850 baht

Internet:80 baht

Meals:320 baht

Transport:200 baht

Bar Girls

There are a lot of options when it comes to finding the girl of your dreams in Pattaya. Here again how much you spend will depend on your personal taste and desires.

The cost will also depend on where you shop. Some savy punters have reported spending from 800 baht up to 1,500 baht for a night out with a bar girl.

How much will a bar girl cost?

Add to the list:

Drinks:480 baht

Hotel:850 baht

Internet:80 baht

Meals:320 baht

Transport:200 baht

Entertainment:2300 baht

Some foreigners pick up girls on the promenade, rather than take a girl from the bar and pay a bar fine. That could save a punter 300 up to 600 baht per event. For the purpose of research I have hooked up with girls from the promenade myself, but I have to tell you it can be a risky activity.

Anyway, if you need to dig deeper into the intricacies of the Pattaya nightlife scene and find out how much to pay, where to find the best and safest encounters, explore the bar girl culture and avoid the traps and cheats I highly recommend you grab a copy of the eBook mentioned above. Reading it will save you some money in the long run.

Summing Up the Daily Cost

Item	Description	Cost
Alcohol	Say six small bottles at beer bars and go go bars tips 60b	480 baht
Hotel	3 star hotel	850 baht
Phone/Data	Say around 80 baht per day	80 baht
Meals	3 average meals 1 western 2 Thai including tip	320 baht
Transport	2 x motorbike taxi 160b, 4 x baht bus rides 40b	200 baht
Entertainment	Entertaining one companion for the entire night	2300 baht
Incidentals	Say around 200 baht per day	200 baht
Total	Estimate for one day	4,430 baht

Calculation is approximate and assumes no experience with the Pattaya scene or how to get the best deal for your dollar. It also assumes that the "Pattaya Bar Girls Report" hasn't been read.