The cost of living or a vacation for single men in Pattaya, girls, sex, hotels, and nightlife, has always been comparatively cheap, and one of the reasons Pattaya has always been one of the most popular and affordable destinations in the world for single men.
There are times, though, when a vacation in Pattaya costs more than usual. It’s not that prices in Pattaya, for hotels and girls and nightlife, for example, are higher; it’s the cost of getting to Pattaya due to costly flights or that the Thai Baht is particularly strong against other currencies.
The question is, when faced with poor exchange rates and costly flights to Thailand—do you look for cheaper alternatives, or should you delay your trip to Pattaya and hope exchanges are better and flights cheaper soon?
The simple answer is to do Pattaya cheaper and offset the unavoidable high costs of travel and poor exchange rates.
That means staying, seeing, doing everything a little bit cheaper, and doing Pattaya on the cheap. That does not mean you have to be a cheap Charlie; it just means redirecting your funds and making a few sacrifices.
So, how to make Pattaya cheaper? There are several ways you can budget and make your money go further in Pattaya.
Visit Pattaya in the Low Season
The best time to get cheap hotel deals in Pattaya is in the low season, which is May to November for most hotels, and June to October for a minority.
It’s also true that if you book hotels in Pattaya well in advance, you can get some really cheap deals in the high season, but generally, you’ll find the cheapest rates at hotels in every price range during the low season.
During the low season in Pattaya, you can find hotels with basic air-conditioned rooms, balconies, a swimming pool, bar, for around 500 baht per night, right in downtown Pattaya. Forgo the swimming pool; you can find accommodation in Pattaya for as cheap as 300 baht per night.
Downgrade to a Cheaper Hotel
Downgrading from 5-star hotels to 4-star makes prices, on average, about 1000 baht per night cheaper. Downgrade to 3 stars, even in December, in downtown Pattaya you can find hotels for less than 1000 baht. Downgrade to 2-star hotels, there’s still a good choice of hotels with swimming pools, starting at 500 to 600 baht per night.
Stay in a Central Pattaya
By staying central, you are within easy walking distance of cheap eating places and convenience stores, and close to the baht bus route. Perhaps one of the best areas to stay in downtown Pattaya is in and around Soi Buakhao. It’s right on the baht bus route, with lots of cheap restaurants to choose from, and of course—lots of cheap bars.
Eat Cheap in Pattaya
Cheap western restaurants are abundant throughout downtown Pattaya. You really can find them everywhere, but especially in and around Soi Buakhao, where most bars/restaurants serve cheap western and Thai meals.
Places like the Hungry Hippo on Soi Buakhao have extensive western and Thai menus. Daily specials, including spaghetti, fish and chips, chicken curry, and pork chops with mash, cost as little as 99 baht. Simple breakfast items like eggs on toast cost 69 baht.
You can eat cheaply 24 hours a day in Pattaya. One of the most popular cheap all-day eating places is Kiss Food on the corner of 2nd Road and Soi Diana. They sell simple western and Thai dishes at prices similar to those of Hungry Hippo.
I’m not suggesting you live on convenience food, but it’s cheap, and it’s available 24 hours a day at 7-11 stores in Pattaya. You can buy frozen Thai meals like Pad Krapow (stir-fried chicken/pork with holy basil and rice) for 30–35 baht. You can also buy toasties, burgers, and an assortment of other fast foods. Just take it to the counter and ask them to warm it in the microwave.
See and Do Things Cheaper in Pattaya
The secret to seeing and doing Pattaya cheap is to get discounted entry tickets to attractions and activities. To find things worth doing, get the best discounts, and useful resources to help you plan your own cheap Pattaya sightseeing itinerary, read this guide to getting cheap tickets to attractions and tours in Pattaya.
Cheap Nightlife in Pattaya
Okay, you’re staying at a cheap hotel, eating cheap, and basically living cheap so you can spend more of your budget on the things that matter—having a good time in Pattaya. Doubtless, single men use the largest part of their budget in Pattaya on nightlife and paying for girls, but, if you need to, you can do the Pattaya nightlife cheaper by avoiding Walking Street, especially the Agogo bars.
Meet Pattaya Girls on the Cheap
You can hook up with Pattaya girls online for dating and sex, including Thai bar girls and freelance girls, so no having to visit bars and buy lady drinks and pay bar fines.
Drink Thai Beer
Chang, Leo, and Singha are three popular Thai beers that you can get at most bars in Pattaya. They are considerably cheaper than imported beers such as Corona, and a little less than other popular foreign beers like Heineken and Carlsberg.
Drink at Cheap Bars in Pattaya
Generally, in any nightlife zone in Pattaya, beer and other alcoholic drinks are cheaper at beer bars, whether it’s a beer bar complex or an open-fronted bar.
For drinks deals, happy hours, and plain cheap bars, you should try the Soi Buakhao area. At Places like Nikom Court—although it’s not a girly bar as such, you can get large bottles of Thai beer for a lot less than 100 baht a bottle.
Open a Thai Bank Account and Transfer Money Cheaply
For regular, frequent visitors to Thailand, the benefits of opening a Thai bank account include cheap ATM fees, no need to carry large amounts of cash, and you can use services like Transferwise to get a better exchange rate and transfer your money cheaper than your regular bank.
Requirements to open a Thai bank as a foreigner varies from bank to bank, and even from branch to branch in Pattaya. Some may require you to have a Thai work permit or an ‘O’ visa; some may only require you to have a tourist visa.
There are services such as Tik Tok and Mot’s, which can help you open a Thai bank in Pattaya; otherwise, it’s just a case of visiting local banks and asking what is required.
How Cheap Can You Do Pattaya as a Solo Traveler?
You can get a basic room with air conditioning, free wifi, a balcony, mini bar, in Soi Baukhao for around 400 baht per night.
Eat three western meals a day at cheap restaurants in Pattaya at a total cost of around 450 baht per day. Eat Thai food; you could probably eat for as little as 200 to 300 baht.
Whatever you spend on beer, nightlife, and girls is up to you, of course, but despite the poor exchange rates, and expensive flights, you can still have a cheap and very cheerful stay in Pattaya.