GUIDE TO LIVING AND WORKING IN BANGKOK

Living in Thailand

Housing

As mentioned in the introduction, Bangkok offers some excellent accommodation options for ex-pats. There are no end of apartment blocks, ranging from relatively cheap, but perfectly comfortable blocks that are extremely good value for money, to high end, high specification penthouse apartments with all the bells and whistles. While the latter type of apartments are much more expensive, they are still good value for money when compared to the price you would expect to pay for a similar place elsewhere. Another option is to rent a house and options include spacious townhouses, right up to detached homes with large gardens and private swimming pools.

Popular areas for ex-pats include Sukhumvit Road and Silom, both of which are close to the central business district and on the BTS Skyway (an elevated railway system) line. There are of course plenty of other options, including finding somewhere further out, but traffic can be a real problem particularly early in the morning and in the evening. An underground railway system has opened recently and has improved the traffic situation somewhat, although it could still be a great deal better.

Social Life

Thailand offers what most people would probably consider to be an extremely good quality of life. Millions of tourists flock there from all over the world each year to experience the charm and breathless excitement of Bangkok and the breathtaking beauty of its coastlines and countryside. So to have that on your doorstep means there are always plenty of interesting ways to spend your free time.

The size of the ex-pat community in Thailand ensures that there are plenty of opportunities to play competitive sports and you should have no difficulty finding yourself a locally based sports team to play with, if that is your thing. Such teams tend to be put together as much for the social side of things as they are for the sport itself. Tours overseas and weekend tournaments are a regular feature and great fun to take part in, with plenty of fun and games always planned for the evenings. Watersports are also popular and you can water-ski, wake-board, sail, scuba dive, etc cheaply and easily. As mentioned earlier, golfing options in Thailand are top quality and very reasonably priced.

Local cinemas show all the big Hollywood releases in English language with Thai sub-titles, good and very reasonably priced restaurants are all over the place and there are plenty of gyms and health clubs for those who like to maintain a fitness regime.

The night scene in Bangkok is always plenty of fun. Popular spots with ex-pats include Q-Bar and the Ministry of Sound in the Sukhumvit Road area of town, the Hard Rock Café and CM2 in Siam Square and the Irish Exchange and the Barbican in Silom.