Is it worth renting a serviced apartment in Bangkok? This is a common question that people ask and the short answer is: yes! Absolutely. However, you are likely going to want a little more to go on than that. So, if you’ve been giving some thought to renting a serviced apartment in Bangkok, but haven’t yet made your mind up, this is the article for you. Here’s everything you need to know…

What is meant by a serviced apartment?
First of all, what is actually meant by a serviced apartment? Simply put, a serviced apartment is a furnished property in an apartment / condo complex that is available for both short and long-term rent. But there’s much more to it than that; for example, a serviced apartment in Bangkok tends to come with many additional attractive advantages, such as:

A communal swimming pool: swimming pools are the staple of serviced apartments in Bangkok. It offers guests and tenants an opportunity to get some exercise, cool off, and escape the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Fitness room: you’ll find a fitness room in most serviced apartments, the quality of which depends on the facility itself.
Sauna & steam room: some apartments offer steam rooms and saunas in addition to gym equipment.
Onsite restaurant and bar: in some cases, your serviced apartment may feature an onsite restaurant and/or bar. This is more common in hotels that offer serviced apartments as well.
Room service: for apartments that have restaurants, you tend to have optional room service available.
Regular room cleaning: any serviced apartment will offer weekly cleaning. Some places offer cleaning once or twice a week, depending on your needs and availability.
General maintenance: another beautiful advantage to living in this type of accommodation is the fact that you will not be responsible for any general maintenance – either in your apartment or the rest of the building. As such, if your air-con unit packs in for example, your building management team will have it fixed immediately for you.
Security: any quality serviced accommodation will have round-the-clock security. In some places this means having a security guard onsite 24-hours a day; for others it means extensive CCTV throughout, key-card access, and more.
Concierge: again, this is more common in hotels that offer to rent out apartments, as opposed to a dedicated serviced apartment building. In any case, the attentive staff will always try to offer as much help as possible, including recommendations of nearby amenities.
Onsite management and support: you will always have someone onsite to assist you in a serviced building. Certainly, after 10pm it is likely that there will only be security onsite. However, during normal working hours there will be reception and management staff available for support as necessary.
Co-working spaces: some have co-working spaces and lounge areas where tenants can come down and use the Wi-Fi to do some work. In any case, most quality accommodation should have a desk area inside.
Green space: in some apartments, particularly in Bangkok, you might find some green space, whether on the roof, or on the ground surrounding the building itself.
Parking: it isn’t always offered, but many apartments offer parking for their residents.
Shuttle transfers: this is another service that tends only to be offered by hotels that have apartments to rent.

It’s important to note that not every building will have all of the above. Your average up-market serviced apartment in Bangkok will have a pool, fitness room, security, room cleaning, and an onsite restaurant. However, the others are not always available and reserved for the most lavish (and expensive) developments.

Why Bangkok?
Why Bangkok, specifically? What is it about this location that makes it so special? The fact is, Bangkok is an amazing city to live in, particularly for young professionals looking for opportunity. However, the main reason to want to live in Bangkok is the affordability. Compared to most other major cities and capitals (e.g., London, New York, Sydney), Bangkok boasts an excellent cost of living.

A serviced apartment to rent in Bangkok for example, can cost as little as 18,000 THB (approx. $495 USD). If you were to try and rent an apartment of similar quality somewhere like London (with a swimming pool, balcony, and so on), it would be significantly higher. In fact, for an unfurnished one-bedroom flat in London (without any of the services listed above) you can expect to pay an average of £2,090 per month ($2,533 USD / 92,100 THB). That’s x5 times more expensive with none of the benefits.

So, not only is the accommodation exceptionally cheap to rent, but the quality offered in exchange is far superior to most other countries. And that’s not to mention the affordability of groceries, public transport, local restaurants, bars, and so on.

All in all, living in Bangkok can provide a wide variety of lifestyle upgrades, for less.

Conclusion
To recap, the benefits of living in and renting a serviced apartment are:

Affordability / value for money (with serviced apartments being x5 times cheaper than an average, unfurnished 1-bed flat in London).
Flexibility (you can leave and move on whenever you are ready).
Regular room cleaning (perfect for those with a busy lifestyle).
Great facilities (swimming pool, restaurant, fitness centre, etc.).
Round-the-clock security (for your peace of mind).
A blend of privacy and community (you can interact with neighbours in shared spaces or keep to yourself)
Location and local amenities (most serviced apartments in Bangkok are strategically located near public transport hubs, restaurants and bars, and so on).

If you have been thinking about moving to Bangkok and you weren’t quite sure if renting a serviced apartment was the right choice for you, we hope that this article has been inspiring.

Just be sure to take your time, find a reputable real estate agency to assist you, read plenty of reviews from other tenants before making any commitments, and you should run into any problems!