Where to Stay in Bangkok on a Budget

Wondering where to stay in Bangkok without breaking your budget? Well, so were we.

While the cost of travel in Thailand can easily be kept to a tight budget, Bangkok is unsurprisingly the most expensive city in Thailand. The majority of travellers to Thailand will arrive or depart from Bangkok and spend a few days in the city at least. Backpackers can grab a dorm bed for a little as £3 and double rooms in hostels can go for as low as £10 near Khaosan Road.

For the budget conscious traveller who doesn’t want the loud party scene that dominates the Khaosan Road area, finding budget accommodation in a more desirable location takes a bit more hard work. Luke and I set an accommodation budget of £20 per night for two, which is really the upper end of “budget” for Thailand, and went from there.

Bangkok is huge and spread out, and getting between neighbourhoods can eat your budget. A bargain room in the wrong spot often costs you more in taxis than you saved on the bed. This guide is organised by neighbourhood: the areas we rated, the one we’d skip on a budget, and a few places in each that we’d happily book, with live prices so you can compare for your own dates.

In a Rush? Our Favourite Hotels in Bangkok

How to Choose Your Neighbourhood

• Best all-rounder for value and getting around — Phaya Thai and Ari. Central, brilliantly connected by BTS and MRT, and our favourite base.
• Best for first-timers who want the temples and the buzz — The Old Town around Khao San and Rambuttri. Cheapest beds in the city, walkable to the big sights, lively (sometimes too lively!)
• Best for river views and easy transport — The Riverside around Saphan Taksin, Bang Rak and Silom. Good value, the Chao Phraya on your doorstep, and a BTS stop plus the river boats.
• Where we’d skip on a budget — Sukhumvit (more on that below).

Phaya Thai & Ari — our top pick for value and transport

This was our favourite base in Bangkok. Phaya Thai and neighbouring Ari are central and the thing that matters most on a budget, transport, is superb: you’ve got the BTS Skytrain and the MRT within easy reach, so getting almost anywhere is quick and cheap. Ari itself has become one of the city’s nicest local neighbourhoods for cafes and food, without the tourist mark-up.

Our own best-value stay in Bangkok was a homestay here called Mooncome Homestay. It’s run by an amiable and welcoming young couple who were nice to chat with and made us feel at home. They provided us with a healthy vegetarian Thai breakfast of rice, veggies and pineapple. The room was really big. The homestay is located near Sanam Pao BTS which makes getting to other places in Bangkok very easy.

The Old Town, Khao San & Rambuttri — cheapest beds, closest to the sights

If it’s your first time in Bangkok and you want to be walking distance from the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the river, the Old Town (Rattanakosin) is the place, and it has the cheapest beds in the city. Khao San Road is the famous backpacker strip: fun, cheap and loud, with fairly unpredictable room standards.

For most people we’d suggest staying a street back on Rambuttri or a nearby soi, where you get the same walkability and prices but can actually sleep. A heads-up: this area is light on Skytrain and metro, so you’ll rely more on river boats, buses and the odd taxi. Always check hotel reviews for noise levels in this part of Bangkok.

The Riverside, Bang Rak & Silom — river views and good transport

The stretch along the Chao Phraya around Saphan Taksin, Bang Rak and into Silom is a great-value base that a lot of first-timers overlook. You get the river right there (the boats are a cheap, scenic way to reach the Old Town and the big temples), the Saphan Taksin BTS station for the Skytrain, and some of the best street food in the city on your doorstep. We rated the Silom area for accommodation value on our own trip; the one catch is that a few budget spots sit a little way from the nearest station, so check the walk before you book.

We stayed at Luxx at Silom. I had originally been searching for “quirky budget accommodation in Bangkok” and “budget boutique hotels in Bangkok,” because Luke and I were so excited to be in Thailand and in a cool city like Bangkok, that we thought it’d be fun to find somewhere unique to stay. That’s how we came across Luxx. It’s a no frills kind of hotel, but the rooms are clean, the wifi is excellent, and the best thing about it is the very unique wooden bath tub in every room.

Where We Wouldn’t Stay on a Budget: Sukhumvit

Staying in Sukhumvit was our biggest budget mistake. It’s a big, glossy area built around shopping malls and nightlife, and while the BTS runs right through it, everyday costs (especially food) are noticeably higher, and you’re a long way from most of Bangkok’s historical and cultural sights. Unless you’re specifically in town for the malls or the nightlife, your money goes a lot further in Phaya Thai, the Old Town or by the river.

What’s the Best Budget Accommodation in Bangkok?

Fortunately, we’ve done all the hard work researching and trying out the best budget accommodation in Bangkok for you. If your accommodation budget for Bangkok is around £20 per night for a double room, then you’re in luck.

Budget Tips We Wish We’d Known Sooner

With so much choice in Bangkok, it’s easy to end up getting overwhelmed by the idea of hotel hunting. Hopefully this breakdown of how Luke and I went about finding budget accommodation in Bangkok will help you out.

• Weigh transport against room price. A cheaper room that’s far from a BTS/MRT station can cost you more overall once you’re paying for taxis, and Bangkok taxi prices climb at night. Being near the Skytrain or a river pier is often the real saving.
• Book a little ahead in peak season. In high season, holiday apartments and hotels in the central areas fill up and prices rise, so the best-value places get snapped up early.
• Use the map, not just the list. Prices and availability move around a lot in Bangkok. The live maps above let you compare for your exact dates and see instantly what’s near a station.
• Check the walk to the nearest station on the map before you book anything described as “budget”, especially in Silom.
• The main issue we had with finding budget accommodation in Bangkok is that because the city is so darn big, just rolling up to guesthouses and haggling is quite a mission. It seemed like most places don’t have trouble filling their rooms, and if you are willing to persevere going guesthouse to guesthouse you could get a better deal. However, with so many online booking websites and more competitive pricing online these days, this tactic doesn’t work as well as it used to.

This guide contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only ever recommend places we have stayed or would happily book ourselves.