December 29 2019 - Bangkok is a highly attractive place for many expats. It's a combination of affordable living, world-class foods and beautiful culture. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and has the longest name of any capital city in the world! It's host to a diversity of people, shopping malls, museums and interesting things to explore. It's a very safe city to live in as a foreigner, so if you're thinking of the expat life, be sure to check out these tips to maximise your experience.

Work Permits

If you want to live in Thailand for more than a few months you're going to need one of two things: a work permit or a marriage to a Thai national. Not all jobs offer work permits, and that's why many expats choose to become teachers, which guarantee them. If you need a job, there are some good recruitment agencies in Bangkok that can help expats find work.

Make the most of your location

Bangkok is one of the best cities in the world for travel. From Bangkok, you can very easily and very cheaply travel to other parts of Southeast Asia. That's why if you're an expat living in Bangkok you can become very familiar with Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, but even China and Japan are pretty affordable to travel to from Bangkok.

Save up first

You should come to Thailand with enough money to at least support yourself for one month. That includes rent, deposit, food and water money. This is really important, as in Thailand almost all companies pay you once a month. This means that you will work for one whole month before you get your paycheque, so will need to support yourself until then.

Spending Money

Bangkok, and Thailand in general, is home to quite a few billionaires and consequently you can live a very lavish lifestyle in Thailand for a higher price than you have to. Accommodation can vary. You can get a small studio flat for as little as $300 USD per month, but you could also get a 2 bedroom flat for $1,500-2000 USD/month, so it really depends on what you can afford. Likewise, there is a large diversity of food prices in Bangkok. You can eat easily for less than $1 if you buy street-food, but you can also go to amazing Michelin restaurants like Mezzaluna or R-Haan for a much higher price. Transport does tend to always be cheap, unless you exclusively travel in luxury executive cars. There are taxis, motorbikes, sky-trains and subways to choose from. You can get a taxi from one end of the city to the other for less than $10 USD, and transport is very efficient. Shopping for food can also be quite varied - you can shop at local markets and pay pennies for amazing quality fruits, vegetables and meats, but you can also shop at the famous Central Group shopping malls, where you should expect to pay similar prices for food as you would in the UK or United States.