Is Bangkok Worth it for Digital Nomads?

1. Getting to Know Bangkok

The 9th stop of my digital nomad journey was Thailand in Southeast Asia. I stayed in Bangkok for 1 month, it was my first time in the country and I had a lot of expectations. And it surprised me again, but we will soon see together whether for better or worse :)

So, is Bangkok suitable for digital nomads? What should we pay attention to? Is it worth going and giving this country a chance? I explain it all to you in as much detail as possible, without using any artificial intelligence tools, relying entirely on my own experience and experience. Welcome to the article, enjoy your reading! 

  - General Opinion: 

As much as I love nature, I also love cities like Bangkok as I was born and raised in a big and chaotic city like Istanbul. There were a few things I didn't like here, but overall my experience, the city and the people were great.

I can even say that even though I didn't feel incredibly satisfied when I was in Bangkok, I have been missing Bangkok for the last couple of months :) 

I have to say that the thing that surprised me the most about Bangkok was the size and the spread of the city on all 4 sides. While we thought we were staying in the center (and yes, it is the center, where the shopping malls are also the center), we rented a house 20 minutes away from the most lively places. It was a nice and functional condo, it was not multi-storey, which was actually good. Because here they don't take your food orders upstairs, they leave them downstairs. Imagine going down 20 floors, getting my food and going back up again, it would be a bit difficult. 

I was in Sri Lanka before I came here, so I have experienced very opposite situations in a very short time. But these contrasts actually strengthen you in a way, your body gains immunity. 

So how was Bangkok at first impression? What did it make me feel? The first thing I felt was of course the warmth. I was there in May, it was incredibly hot. I had a natural feeling and thought that it would be a bit cooler in the evenings, the temperature difference between day and night was very small and I always wanted to spend time in air-conditioned environments.

Just when I was getting used to the heat, what happened in the last 2 weeks in Bangkok? The rains started. Okay, I agree, the temperatures have become more livable. But didn't the rains stop when they started? They didn't. It rained non-stop for almost 2 weeks. I had rented a motorcycle and the distance between my co-working space and my house was 12-15 km. I made sure in Bangkok that I don't like rain. This climatic situation was the only and the worst experience I had here.

Other than that, Bangkok is a paradise for a digital nomad. Would I recommend this place? Definitely yes! Without further ado, let's move on to other topics.

- Language Communication in Thailand: 

The official language of Thailand is Thai. Again, it is a language I encountered for the first time, especially I have no idea about the alphabet :) 

I can't say that English is like a second language among the locals, but somehow you can explain your problems and communicate. In cafes and restaurants, you can take care of your every request without any problems. 

As a constant part of the blogs I write, I write 6 simple words in the local language that will be useful for you below. This can create a first-contact effect that people like :) 

1. Hello - สวัสดี (Sawasdee)
   Pronunciation: sah-wah-dee

2. Thank you - ขอบคุณ (Khop khun)
   Pronunciation: khop khun

3. Yes - ใช่ (Chai)
   Pronunciation: chai

4. No - ไม่ใช่ (Mai chai)
   Pronunciation: mai chai

5. Please - กรุณา (Karuna)
   Pronunciation: kah-roo-nah

6. Goodbye - ลาก่อน (La korn)
   Pronunciation: lah gawn

2. Digital Nomadism in Bangkok

This episode is about why I came to Bangkok. Why Bangkok has been #1 for digital nomads for a very long time? I came here to find the answer to that question, and I found it!

I can't say I had a very balanced life when I was here, I was very work-oriented. Because I was trying new things and working on brand new strategies. And this was actually kind of a testing ground for me, with so many places to explore, with a very colorful nightlife, I was able to keep my focus on work. So that means that if you have a goal and a focus, Bangkok is not a place that can harm that goal, you can be hardworking and productive.

Let's come to the other points. Why are so many digital nomads here and more and more coming? Because, as I said, it is a big, flat-footed and sprawling city, public transportation is widespread and convenient, buildings are tall and modern, accommodations are affordable, co-working spaces and entrepreneurial culture are accepted, it is multicultural, visas are easy to obtain, and there is a lot of choice and variety in food and drink. So what else is there?

So how is the communication and interaction of the digital nomad community? I would say it is quite nice. No matter which cafe you go to, you will definitely see foreign people. It's very easy to get in touch and find out who they are and what they do. There are also weekly meetups, I had the opportunity to attend 3-4 of them while I was there, it was quite enjoyable. You can follow Bangkok digital nomad meetups here and join any of them.

You can meet and make friends with people from all over the world here. Of course, the co-working spaces and cafes that will enable this to happen are also very developed and have a great variety in both style and location. I had a couple of favorite Starbucks that I really enjoyed working there :)

In short, it is very easy to be a digital nomad here and to meet other digital nomads. It's normal that a place where everything is so easy and affordable is so popular. Maybe one day we will meet in Bangkok, what do you think? :) 

I would like to add one last thing before finishing this episode, in the Bangkok chapter of our YouTube interview series on digital nomadism, we talked to a cannabis cafe owner about Thai culture and much more. I invite you to click here to subscribe to the channel :) It was a really interesting and special interview.

3. Working in Bangkok

My favorite thing in Bangkok is working! This part is very important. Don't worry, there is nothing so troublesome or very negative, but it is still useful to know. 

Now let's talk about co-working spaces and cafes.

- Co-working Spaces in Bangkok: 

Bangkok is a very developed, multicultural city with a large number of foreign workers. For these reasons, the co-working space culture is quite good and sufficient both in terms of level and distribution to the population. 

But there are some situations that are a bit difficult to understand. That is the price difference between some places. I would say most of them are affordable, some are even free, really free. But some of them, especially due to their luxurious location, can go up to high prices. The first co-working space I went to and got a price was like this. They said $400 per month and I didn't even respond to their offer email :D

Still, for the most part, the prices are very reasonable, and I would definitely work in a co-working space again if I went back to Bangkok.

Now I'm going to talk about the best co-working spaces and I'll add their locations on the map.

• UnionSPACE: This is the co-working space where I worked very peacefully and almost for a full month. It is open 24 hours, has air conditioning, smoking area, cafe where you can get tea, water and coffee. It was around $120 a month. I also made a Reels video with the pleasure of being there, it was quite fun, you can check it out here.

• Paper Plane Project (PPP): This was a co-working space that surprised me a lot, because it's free! Yes, it's really free. But of course they have 1 rule, you have to buy a drink or food when you arrive. Then you get a wi-fi password that you can use for 8 hours and connect to the internet. You can check out the Reels video where I explain the details here.

• WeWork T-One Building 

• Common Ground G Tower

- Wi-Fi and Cafes in Bangkok: 

I'm not going to lie, I didn't visit a lot of cafes, I didn't explore a lot of cafes. I only looked at the popular ones and the ones I was curious about, and I share a simple list of them below. My favorite is Starbucks in the first place, I usually did my weekend work here :) 

• Starbucks

• Le Café Phénix

• Oasis Coffee

• Kaizen Coffee

• CUM Coffee

4. Living in Bangkok

Life in Bangkok is pleasant, easy, safe, and very colorful :) Let's take a more detailed look. 

- Accommodation in Bangkok:

There are many pleasant accommodation options in Bangkok. And the prices are really great! Condos are the most famous type of accommodation. They are actually small houses in high-rise buildings with security, elevators, socializing areas, gyms, some even have co-working space. There are some located in the city center, some 20-30 minutes away, and the prices vary depending on the region and timing you prefer. There is a rumor that there are those who stay in the most central place for $500 per month, I have never come across these prices, but on average you can easily find a nice one for $750-$1,200. 

If you are definitely going to stay in Bangkok, I suggest you to stay on the train line called BTS Line or on the streets parallel to it. If you don't have a personal vehicle, transportation will be very easy this way. 

- Cost of Living in Bangkok:

If you want to listen and watch the cost of living in Bangkok from me, you can take a quick look here, and if you want to see the calculation as a carousel post, you can take a quick look here. 

But if you want to read it, I will explain it anyway, don't worry. The rent for the house I rented was $750 per month, but all the bills were included. So it was not a bad deal. Although I rented from Airbnb, these prices will go down even more if you stay longer and deal with local people. For food and drink, I recommend spending $500-$600 per month, you will understand why when we get to the relevant section. Transportation is not too expensive either. To summarize, in the range of $1,500-$2,300 per month, you can live a really nice and enjoyable life in Bangkok. 

5. Transportation and Safety in Bangkok

- Transportation in Bangkok:

Transportation is never a problem in Bangkok. With apps such as Grab and Gojek, you can call any type of car you want, there are moto-taxi options, public transportation options such as BTS Line, and tuk-tuks, which are a bit touristy and require you to bargain. Of course, you can also rent your own scooter. I can say that the prices of scooters are almost 2 times more expensive than other places I have lived. The reason for this is that they are pricing in direct proportion to the demand. They charge higher prices because the demand is higher in high season, I can't say anything :) 

However, I must say that there is a traffic problem in Bangkok. Unless you use the rail system, you are affected by traffic. 

To sum up, transportation in Bangkok is not incredibly cheap, but it is not unreachable either. You can rest assured in this respect, but renting a house close to where you want to live or work will make you more comfortable in terms of transportation. 

- Safety Tips in Bangkok:

Safety in Bangkok is a very pleasant subject. Because even though I don't see a lot of police here, I have never experienced a situation that would make me feel unsafe or require me to take extra precautions. I have never felt like I would experience such a situation. 

In fact, sometimes, because I followed the GPS, I passed through such deserted, dark streets on my scooter that I would be more worried if I passed through such streets in Istanbul, the city where I was born and raised :) 

Bangkok is definitely a safe city. Both the local people are very calm and the tourists and digital nomads here. Of course there can be extreme situations, but the risk of these things happening is always there everywhere. I am talking about my experience and my general feelings. Still, I am not saying that it is as safe as Dubai and you don't need to lock your house and car :) 

6. Free Time and Exploration in Bangkok

Bangkok was unfortunately the weakest city for me in terms of exploring and seeing new places. This is not to say that there was very little to do in Bangkok, but that I personally had almost no time. Otherwise there are so many interesting things to see and do. That's why Bangkok for me is an unfinished, incomplete city. In 2025 I plan to visit Thailand again and explore it to the fullest.

But that doesn't affect the fact that I can tell you something about it, so I'll get to the relevant part :) 

- Tourist Attractions in Bangkok:

What I would add here would be to definitely organize an expedition to Chinatown. You suddenly feel like you've stepped into another universe. By the way, both day and night are very different. Especially at night, with the lights and the signs, it is much more impressive. 

Also, there is a newsletter that I follow about discovering new places and events in Bangkok called Storefronts of Bangkok, I'll leave the link here, you should definitely check it out if you want to be informed about what's happening in Bangkok.

- Food and Cuisine in Bangkok:

I don't think you will have any problems with eating and drinking in Bangkok. It is very easy to find both a wide variety of local delicacies and all kinds of food from all over the world. Street food is already one of the most iconic parts of the city and the country. I didn't prefer it, but that doesn't mean I wasn't interested in it. It also has a very rich variety of fruits. It is possible to find 10 types of watermelon and 15 types of apples in the market, and you can also buy sliced fruits chilled on ice on many street corners. These fruits were usually my breakfast :) 

- Entertainment in Bangkok:

As someone who loves nightlife and having fun, of course Bangkok got a passing score from me. Both restaurants, bars and nightclubs are quite different and it is possible to find something to appeal to everyone. I was never bothered by the prices, of course luxury is luxury, but I never said “oh no, the bill is going to be really bad”.

As I said, it is possible to find different, beautiful and interesting places here. During 1 month, I must have gone out 3-4 times in total. I loved every restaurant, every place I went to. But I want to tell you the place that sticks in my mind the most, we were very tired and we wanted to choose a quiet restaurant to have something nice to eat. And we found a Greek restaurant, it looked very classy in the photos, and we went. We had great food and a nice red wine. Just as our food was about to arrive, the whole restaurant went crazy, the songs started, the dancers came out, the plates started flying in the air and breaking. At that moment I thought oh no, Bangkok is dangerous for guys like me, because I like to have fun :D 

7. Challenges in Bangkok

There are not many challenges in Bangkok. Of course there are certain difficulties, but there is nothing that cannot be overcome.

First of all, Bangkok is a really big and horizontally spread city. So sometimes you hear of a place, you look at the map and it looks close, but you can't drive on and on :) In these cases you realize how big and spread out it is. 

Despite this size, there is also a traffic problem, which is very difficult to overcome, especially on the way to and from work. 

Another difficulty I would say is the climate. It might be because of the time I was there, but I didn't like this much heat and then this much rain :/ 

Apart from these, I did not experience any other difficulties in Bangkok or specific to Bangkok. It is a very safe, multicultural, wonderful metropolis where you can find everything you are looking for, regardless of men and women.

8. Final Thoughts

In Bangkok, where I came to find answers to my questions “Why does everyone go to Bangkok and why has it been number 1 for digital nomads for so long?”, I realized that living here is much easier than in many other cities and countries.

With its advanced technology, infrastructure and ecosystem, it is sure to be such a preferred place for many years to come. 

I may not have appreciated it incredibly while I was there, but I can say that I have been missing Bangkok for about 1-2 months :) That's why I am planning a trip to Thailand in 2025 for about 2 months, maybe longer. We will meet Bangkok again and I will definitely do all the things that I couldn't do but I have left inside me :) 

You should definitely give this place a chance as a digital nomad, I think you won't regret it. After Bangkok, we are on our way to Istanbul again, see you in my hometown and the city where my main area of expertise is :) 

And I am always open to your feedback and comments, whether you send me a dm or a comment, I always see and reply to everything you write. 

Thank you for reading this far, I invite you to follow NomadVibe Instagram account so that you can quickly reach content, stories and insights about the countries I travel to. This way you will support me and be a part of my journey to realize everything I want to do with you :)

And as I always say, until the next post arrivederci folks :)