Thailand real estate for sale

Thailand property prices per square metre, market by market

There is no single Thai property market. A condominium in central Bangkok and a pool villa inland from Hua Hin differ by a factor of four per square metre, and they are bought by different people for different reasons. The table below is drawn from our own catalogue rather than from a national index: it covers the 1,871 properties currently for sale with Five Stars across Thailand, reported as medians by city and property type.

Median of the asking prices published in our catalogue in August 2026, divided by the built or indoor area declared for each property. Segments with fewer than ten listings are not shown.

What the spread actually means for a buyer

Read the table as three decisions rather than ten rows.

Budget. Across everything we list, the median asking price is 13,900,000 THB, a quarter of our stock is below 8,900,000 and a quarter is above 24,900,000. If your budget is under 10 million THB, the realistic universe is a Bangkok condominium outside the central business district, a Hua Hin villa inland, a Phuket or Pattaya condominium, or a Koh Phangan house. That is not a small universe, and it is the segment where most of our completed sales sit.

Yield or lifestyle. The two are rarely the same property. Short-term rental demand is concentrated in Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and the Hua Hin beachfront. Long-term rental demand, which is steadier and needs far less management, is a Bangkok phenomenon and is strongest along the Sukhumvit line from Asok out to On Nut. An inland Hua Hin villa at 37,000 to 44,000 THB per m² is excellent value to live in and a poor rental proposition, and nobody should buy one expecting both.

Legal structure. This is the one most foreign buyers underestimate, and it splits the table in two. Every condominium row can be bought freehold in your own name. Every house and villa row cannot, and is sold under a lease or another structure explained below. That difference affects resale liquidity as much as it affects the paperwork, and it is why the same money buys a very different level of security depending on the row you pick.

What a foreigner can legally buy in Thailand

The starting point is unambiguous and it applies nationwide: a foreign national cannot own land in Thailand in their own name. Everything else follows from that single rule.

Condominium: real freehold, with a building-level quota

The Condominium Act allows a foreigner to own a registered condominium unit outright, with the title deed in their own name, no time limit, full right of resale and of inheritance. The limit is on the building, not on you: foreign owners may hold at most 49 % of the total saleable floor area of a given condominium. Sought-after buildings do run out of foreign quota, after which units are sold to Thai buyers or on leasehold, usually at a visible discount. Before committing, require written confirmation from the condominium juristic person that foreign quota is available for your unit, plus a debt-free letter for the common area charges.

The money route is part of the law

Funds must be remitted from abroad, in foreign currency, and converted into baht by the receiving Thai bank, with the purpose recorded. For transfers of USD 50,000 or more the bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form. The Land Office requires it at registration for a foreign buyer of a condominium, and it is also what supports your right to repatriate the proceeds when you sell. Baht sent from a Thai account, or currency converted before it reaches Thailand, does not satisfy the rule and the registration is refused on the day. This is the most frequent cause of a failed remote purchase.

House, villa, land: the four legitimate structures

Registered lease. Thai law caps a registered residential lease at 30 years. A lease of more than three years must be registered on the title deed itself to be enforceable against a future owner of the land. Renewal clauses bind the signing parties but do not automatically bind a subsequent owner, so a renewal promise is worth what the counterparty is worth.

Ownership of the building. Thai law treats land and the structure on it as legally separable. A foreigner can own the house in their own name, registered separately at the Land Office or built under a construction permit in their name, while the land is leased.

Superficies and usufruct. A right of superficies allows you to own a structure on someone else's land, for up to 30 years or for life. A usufruct grants the right to use a property and take its fruits, including rental income, and can be granted for the holder's lifetime. Both are registered at the Land Office. A well-built landed purchase usually combines two or three of these rather than resting on one contract.

Thai limited company. A Thai company may own land and a foreign shareholder may hold up to 49 % of it. This is lawful for a company with genuine activity and genuine shareholders. It is unlawful when the Thai shareholders are nominees holding shares on your behalf with no economic interest, an arrangement the Land Department has scrutinised for years and whose exposure falls on the buyer. Anyone offering a ready-made company with silent Thai partners is selling a risk as if it were a product. We put that in writing before any structure is chosen.

Completing a Thai purchase from abroad

A significant share of our sales are signed by buyers who are not in Thailand on the day. It is entirely legal and well established. It is also unforgiving about documents, so this is the order it runs in.

1. Live viewing. A video call on site with you directing the camera, not an edited clip. For off-plan, the developer's licence, the approved plans and the construction permit before anything else.
2. Reservation and sale agreement. A deposit of typically 100,000 to 200,000 THB secures the property for the due diligence window. The agreement is bilingual and the Thai text prevails in a Thai court, so it must be read by your own lawyer.
3. Due diligence, before any large payment. Title deed search at the provincial Land Office: deed type, registered area, ownership chain, mortgages, servitudes, registered leases. For a condominium, foreign quota certificate and debt-free letter. For a landed property, construction permit, building compliance and registered legal access to the plot.
4. Transferring the funds. Foreign currency from your own account abroad, purpose stated, and keep the Foreign Exchange Transaction Form the bank issues.
5. Power of attorney. The Land Department form signed with certified passport copies, witnessed at a Thai embassy or consulate, or notarised and legalised in your country. It must name the specific transaction and the specific plot or unit. Generic wording is refused at the counter.
6. Registration. A few hours in person at the Land Office. Payment by cashier's cheque released against the officer's registration, and the title deed or registered lease issued the same day.

Costs on top of the purchase price

Where to start

Five Stars has been selling Thai property since 2006, from an office on South Sathorn Road in Bangkok, with listings across Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Phuket and Pattaya. We answer in English and in French. Tell us your budget, the market you are drawn to and whether the property is to live in, to retire to or to rent out, and we will come back with the properties that genuinely fit, each with its tenure structure stated up front rather than discovered at the notary.

Browse by market: condos for sale in Bangkok, villas and houses for sale in Hua Hin, property for sale in Koh Samui, villas for sale in Phuket, property for sale in Pattaya. Or browse by type: condos for sale in Thailand, houses and villas for sale in Thailand, land for sale in Thailand, businesses for sale in Thailand.