Looking for a real (genuine) Thai girlfriend in Pattaya? Commenters on some guides, forums, and vlogs, that touch on the topic of dating Thai women in Pattaya might have you believe that all Thai women in the famous naughty nightlife spot are bar girls, freelancers, or otherwise work in the adult entertainment industry—and your hopes of finding a ‘good Thai girl’ are nowhere near as realistic as the AI-generated ‘perfect Thai girlfriend’ pictured below.
The reality is, if you’re looking for a real Thai girlfriend, you will find one. Despite what some may say, there are plenty of beautiful, single, and like-minded Thai women in Pattaya who are open to dating foreign men for love rather than financial gain.
However, there are some caveats too.
How To Meet Good Thai Girls In Pattaya
The best way to meet genuine Thai women for dating in Pattaya is through your social circles, hobbies and pastimes, work, introduction, dating apps, and by chance, just like you meet girls in your home country.
I’m not saying you should join a gym or start making regular trips to Central Festival Mall or the night markets purely to meet women. Rather, just go about your business as usual. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee, attending events, or whatever, opportunities to meet like-minded Thai women tend to happen naturally—by chance.
The Problem
However, outside of Pattaya’s bar and nightlife scene, meeting a woman by chance—whether at a mall, while walking her dog, or at the gym—doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t a bar girl, freelance, or other.
Even some women with regular jobs, working in shopping malls, hotels, etc, turn to freelancing online or in nightclubs and discos to earn extra cash.
It’s not that you won’t meet bar girls in Pattaya who are seeking foreign men for love rather than money. But given their skillset—such as withholding the truth and maintaining relationships with multiple boyfriends (sponsors) for financial gain—it can, at least initially, be difficult to tell if they’re genuine or not.
Additionally, to make things even more intriguing, you might find that a fair number of the girls you meet in Pattaya turn out to be ladyboys.
Using Dating Apps To Meet Girls In Pattaya
You’re just as likely to meet a bar girl or freelancer online and find a holiday girlfriend in Pattaya as you are to meet good Thai girls and find a real Thai girlfriend—but ultimately, the choice is yours.
The real advantage of using dating apps to find a good Thai girlfriend in Pattaya is that you can use filters and messaging to figure out which girls are looking for genuine relationships before committing to a meeting.
By asking what they’re looking for, their job, education, whether they have kids, and other details, you can filter out the bar girls and ladyboys—ultimately narrowing your search to only include good Thai girls.
Here is how you can give yourself the best chance of attracting and meeting the right girls:
- Add a good profile photo
- Set your location to Pattaya
- Include in your bio what you’re looking for
- Have a video chat before committing to a meet up
Types Of Single Thai Women In Pattaya
The women you meet in Pattaya might be career-minded with a well-paying job or working long hours—sometimes 60-hour weeks for as little as 15,000 baht per month. Besides their living expenses, most will be duty-bound to send a monthly payment to help support their parents.
Many women working in Pattaya came from other parts of Thailand to seek work, maybe a foreign husband too. Some are divorced or single mothers and maybe have children living with them or staying with their parents in their hometown.
Given the mismatches and significant age gaps in some Thai-foreigner relationships, it’s fair to assume there are a number of fairly wealthy widows and divorcees in Pattaya.
Cultural Influences
The general consensus found online suggests that whether it’s dating culture, traditional values, or financial expectations, single mothers, divorcees, and women with darker skin may find it difficult to find a Thai partner, whereas foreign men are often viewed as more open-minded and accepting.
With many Thais receiving a minimal government pension, a paltry 500 baht a month in the case of my wife’s parents, many Thai women and their siblings are duty-bound to support their parents.
Foreigner Thai Relationships in Pattaya
Relationships, and women in Pattaya, come in different packages and with terms and conditions according to your principles, needs, and circumstances.
When you start living with your Thai girlfriend in Pattaya, you might, for example, enjoy your free time while she’s working. She likes her job and the financial independence it gives her. She pays for her personal expenses while you pay the rent and utilities as usual, and you split the cost of food between you.
On the other hand, if you want your girlfriend to quit her job and stay home so you can spend more quality time together in a provider-carer relationship where you provide the cash and she looks after you, cooks, cleans, etc, it’s usual to pay her a weekly/monthly allowance to at least cover her outgoings.
The Trophy Girlfriend: Some men in Pattaya seek a beautiful young girlfriend to put on a pedestal, showering her with gifts and money. But the arrangement often lasts only until one finds something new or a better offer.
The Dirty Old Man: From an outsider’s perspective, relationships between older foreign men and young Thai women might seem like a stereotypical case of a ‘dirty old man’ and a gold digger, but that’s mostly not the reality. Older men may struggle to find new relationships in their home countries, while some Thai women are overlooked by Thai men. Rather than fitting the stereotype, these relationships are often more of a mutually beneficial and natural coming together.
Final Thoughts
Finding a real Thai girlfriend in Pattaya isn’t impossible—it just depends on where you look and what kind of relationship you’re looking for. If you approach it the right way, you can easily find a good Thai girl who’s looking for true love, not just financial gain.