You just landed in Bangkok for a three month project. Or maybe you are testing the waters before committing to a full year lease. Either way, you are staring at two options on your laptop screen: an extended stay hotel that handles everything for you, or a monthly condo rental where you build your own setup. The price gap between these two choices is bigger than most people expect. And once you factor in lifestyle, flexibility, and the hidden costs on both sides, the decision gets even more interesting. Let me break it all down from someone who has lived through both options in this city.

What Exactly Counts as an Extended Stay Hotel in Bangkok?

Extended stay hotels, sometimes called serviced apartments or apart-hotels, sit somewhere between a traditional hotel and a residential rental. You get daily or weekly housekeeping, front desk service, usually a small kitchen or kitchenette, and bills bundled into one rate. Think places like Citadines Sukhumvit 8, Somerset Maison Asoke, or the Oakwood properties scattered around the Sukhumvit corridor.

These places are set up for stays of one week to several months. You sign a simple agreement, hand over your passport and a credit card, and you are in. No deposits equivalent to two months rent, no utility account setup, no internet installation appointment you have to wait around for all day.

A friend of mine relocated from Singapore for a consulting gig near Asoke. He checked into a serviced apartment on Sukhumvit Soi 16 and paid around 55,000 THB per month for a studio. Electricity, water, Wi-Fi, gym, pool, and weekly cleaning were all included. For a two month stint, the simplicity made sense. But when his contract got extended to six months, he started doing the math and realized he was bleeding money compared to what a condo would cost.

Monthly Condo Rentals: What You Actually Pay

A monthly condo rental means leasing a unit directly from an owner, typically through a platform or agent. You sign a lease, usually for a minimum of three months or sometimes month to month if the landlord is flexible. According to DDproperty's market data, the average rent for a one bedroom condo in central Bangkok ranges from 15,000 to 35,000 THB per month depending on the neighborhood and building quality.

On top of rent, you pay your own electricity (roughly 2,000 to 4,000 THB monthly with air conditioning use), water (100 to 300 THB), and internet (600 to 900 THB). You also typically put down a two month security deposit upfront, which you get back when you move out assuming no damage.

Take a real example. A one bedroom unit at Life Asoke Hype near MRT Phetchaburi station rents for about 18,000 THB per month. Add 3,000 for electricity, 200 for water, and 700 for internet. Your all-in monthly cost is roughly 21,900 THB. Compare that to 45,000 to 60,000 THB at an extended stay hotel in the same area and the difference is dramatic.

The Real Cost Comparison: Three Month Stay

Let me put actual numbers side by side. This is based on a typical one bedroom setup in the Asoke to Phrom Phong area, one of the most popular zones for expats and professionals in Bangkok.

• Monthly Rate: 45,000 to 65,000 THB vs 18,000 to 30,000 THB
• Electricity: Included vs 2,500 to 4,000 THB/month
• Water: Included vs 100 to 300 THB/month
• Internet: Included vs 600 to 900 THB/month
• Cleaning Service: Included (daily/weekly) vs Optional, 500 to 1,500 THB per visit
• Security Deposit: Credit card hold or 1 month vs 2 months rent (refundable)
• Upfront Cost (Move-in): 45,000 to 65,000 THB vs 54,000 to 90,000 THB (first + deposit)
• Total 3 Month Cost: 135,000 to 195,000 THB vs 70,000 to 110,000 THB (excl. deposit)
• Minimum Commitment: Often 1 week vs Usually 3 months

The numbers speak for themselves. Over three months, a condo rental saves you roughly 60,000 to 85,000 THB compared to an extended stay hotel at a similar location. That is enough to cover several months of groceries, a weekend trip to Koh Samui, or simply padding your savings account.

When an Extended Stay Hotel Actually Makes Sense

I would be dishonest if I said condos win every time. Extended stay hotels have a clear advantage in specific situations. If you are in Bangkok for less than 30 days, the hassle of setting up a condo lease, transferring a deposit, and arranging utilities simply is not worth the savings.

Corporate travelers on expense accounts also gravitate toward serviced apartments for obvious reasons. One invoice, zero admin, and a front desk that handles package deliveries while you are at work. Places like Marriott Executive Apartments on Sukhumvit Soi 24 cater specifically to this crowd, with rates that companies can process as a single hotel expense.

There is also the visa angle. If you are on a tourist visa or a visa exempt entry, some landlords hesitate to sign a lease with you because your legal stay is only 30 to 60 days. Extended stay hotels do not care about your visa type. You could be on a 30 day stamp and still book a room for three weeks without anyone raising an eyebrow. For visa specifics, it is always good to check the Thai Immigration Bureau's official site for current entry requirements.

Where Each Option Works Best by Neighborhood

Location changes the equation more than people realize. In some neighborhoods, the gap between hotel and condo pricing is enormous. In others, especially older areas with fewer condo developments, extended stay hotels might be your only realistic option for a furnished, move-in-ready place.

Along the Sukhumvit line between BTS Nana and BTS Thong Lo, you have the widest selection of both options. Serviced apartments like Jasmine Grande Residence sit right next to condo buildings like Park Origin Phrom Phong, giving you an easy apples-to-apples comparison. A one bedroom at a serviced apartment here runs 50,000 to 70,000 THB monthly, while a comparable condo rental goes for 22,000 to 35,000 THB.

In areas like Ratchathewi near BTS Victory Monument or along the MRT Blue Line near Huai Khwang, monthly condos become even more affordable. You can find solid one bedrooms at buildings like Ideo Mobi Ratchathewi for 14,000 to 18,000 THB per month. Serviced apartments in these neighborhoods are rarer, so your hotel alternative might be a mid-range hotel offering monthly rates of 30,000 to 40,000 THB. Still more expensive, but the gap narrows slightly.

On the other hand, in areas like Riverside or Sathorn, high-end serviced residences such as Banyan Tree Residences or 137 Pillars compete with luxury condos like The Ritz-Carlton Residences. At that tier, you are comparing 120,000 THB monthly at a serviced apartment to 60,000 to 80,000 THB at a condo. The savings from renting a condo become even more significant at the premium end of the market.

Hidden Costs and Lifestyle Factors Most People Miss

Beyond the raw numbers, there are quality of life factors that shift the balance. Extended stay hotels give you a social buffer. Someone else deals with the broken air conditioner at 2 AM, the clogged drain, and the noisy construction next door. You call the front desk and it is handled. In a condo, you message your landlord on LINE and hope they respond before the weekend.

But condos give you something hotels never can: a feeling of home. You stock your own fridge, cook your own meals, and actually settle in. My colleague moved into a unit at Lumpini Suite Sukhumvit 41 for a six month stay. She set up a small home office, bought a proper coffee maker, and said it was the first time in years of business travel that she did not feel like she was living out of a suitcase. Her total monthly spend including rent, utilities, a biweekly cleaning service, and groceries came to about 28,000 THB. An equivalent serviced apartment in the area would have been 55,000 THB minimum.

One cost people always forget is laundry. Extended stay hotels typically include laundry service or at least have machines on site. In a condo, some buildings have shared laundry rooms where a wash and dry cycle costs 40 to 80 THB. Others have in-unit machines. If your building has neither, you are walking to a neighborhood laundromat, which is fine but adds up to 800 to 1,500 THB monthly if you are doing laundry twice a week.

Also consider the tax implications if you are working remotely or running a business. According to CBRE Thailand's research on Bangkok's residential market, the serviced apartment sector has seen increased competition driving rates down slightly in 2024, but they still command a 40 to 60 percent premium over equivalent condo rentals. That premium is essentially what you pay for convenience and zero administrative burden.

Making the Right Call for Your Situation

Here is the simple framework. If your stay is under 30 days, go with an extended stay hotel and do not overthink it. If you are staying one to three months and value simplicity over savings, a serviced apartment still makes sense, especially if your company is footing the bill. But if you are staying three months or longer and you are paying out of your own pocket, a monthly condo rental will save you 40 to 60 percent compared to an extended stay hotel at a similar quality level in the same neighborhood.

The biggest barrier to choosing a condo used to be the search process itself. Scrolling through hundreds of listings, messaging unresponsive landlords, and trying to figure out which buildings are actually decent. That friction made serviced apartments the default choice for short to medium stays, even when they cost twice as much.

That is exactly the problem Superagent was built to solve. If you are looking for a monthly condo rental in Bangkok without the usual headaches, head to superagent.co and let the AI match you with verified listings that fit your budget, location, and move-in timeline. It takes the one real advantage extended stay hotels have, which is simplicity, and brings it to the condo rental experience.