Living and working in Thailand

Cost of building a house in Thailand

Last udate: November 2012

Preperation

Leaving your Country
Fly Cheaper
Health Insurance
Where to stay in Thailand
Hotels in Thailand (booking)
E-Books about living in Thailand

Thai Visa Stuff

Visa Regulations Overview
Thailand without a Visa
Thailand with Tourist Visa
Thailand with ED Visa
One Year Visa for Thailand
One Year Visa Extension
Re Entry Permit (important)
Retire in Thailand
Visa Run (how to)

Finance

Banks & Accounts
Free VISA Card
Cost Of Living in Thailand
Prices in Thailand

Business

Working in Thailand
The Workpermit
Finding a Job in Thailand
Jobs in Thailand
Your own Company
Business Ideas for Thailand
Making Money Online

Living in Thailand

Finding A House
Rent or Buy?
Houses for Rent
Building A House
Cost of building a house
Buying a Car or MB
Driver's Licence
Satelite TV
Public Holidays
Important Links
Contact & Privacy Policy

Since it is possible for a foreigner to legally rent a piece of land for at least 30 years in Thailand, it is also possible to build your own house on that land. Then the question comes up about how much does it cost to build a house in Thailand?

Generally we can say that it is cheaper to build a house somewhere in the province than somewhere near a tourist place, like in Pattaya, Koh Samui or Phuket. It is also true, that it is cheaper to build a house somewhere in the North of Thailand than in the South, due to lower labor costs. Most foreigners however prefer to build their houses at tourist places anyway, but a significant number also moves to the North East, in the Isaan, following their Thai girlfriends or Thai wives.

There are two ways to build a house in Thailand, after you have solved all necessary paperwork and planning:

You look for a "building team" and arrange a "price per square meter" with the foreman, that can be with or without the material. Doing it this way, might be a little more expensive but causes certainly less trouble.
You build or manage the building of the house by yourself and also look for the workers and the material by yourself. Might be less expensive but causes more trouble.

Prices for building a house in Thailand also depends on the style you want to build. It is the cheapest if you build Unit Style Apartments, which is basically a big garage with some more internal walls and a bathroom.
Most expensive of course is to build a Bungalow Style Villa, with all western style equipment.

So, the cost of building a house in Thailand ranges from about 4000,- Baht per m² for a unit style building, with Thai style (simple) bathroom up to about 20,000,- Baht per m² for a luxurious villa. Remember that this prices can double at- or near well known tourist places. So you probably won't be able to build the cheapest house for 4,000 per m² at a place like Phuket or Pattaya.
If you build two or more floors, multiply this prices by the number of floors.
This prices should include all building material like cement, blocks, roof, tiles, windows, doors, electric and bathroom but of course not the furniture.