Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Samui: Three Other Thai Property Markets and Who Buys There
Phuket gets most of the attention, but it is not where most foreigners buy Thai condominiums. In 2025 Bangkok accounted for nearly half of all foreign condominium transfers and Chonburi province, which contains Pattaya and Jomtien, for more than a quarter. Chinese and Myanmar buyers concentrate in Bangkok; Chinese and Russian buyers are the main foreign groups in Chonburi.
Koh Samui is a different kind of market: Thailand’s second-largest island, reached through a privately owned airport and by car ferry. Below we take the three markets in turn.
Where foreigners buy
In 2025 the Land Department registered transfers of 14,899 condominium units to foreigners, worth THB 60.92 billion, up 2.2% in units and down 10.7% in value on 2024. These are completed transfers, not reservations. Bangkok had nearly half of those transfers and Chonburi more than a quarter. Chonburi also had the largest number of foreign transfers in early 2026.
2026 has been softer so far. In the first quarter, foreign transfers fell to 3,241 units worth THB 13.464 billion, down 17.3% in units and 17.9% in value year on year. Over the first half the fall narrowed: 6,533 units and about THB 28.27 billion, down 8.8% in units and 1.5% in value.
The average foreign purchase is small. In 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 it was about THB 4.1 to 4.2 million and 41 to 44 m2 per unit. Chinese buyers averaged THB 3.8 million and 35.6 m2 in 2025, while Indian buyers averaged THB 6.9 million and 75.7 m2.
Nationality trends differ by city. In the first half of 2026, Chinese buyers remained the largest group but their purchases fell 27.7% by value to THB 6.874 billion. Russian buyers were the fastest growing, up 75.9% to THB 3.603 billion, mainly in Phuket and Chonburi. Myanmar buyers were third at THB 2.457 billion, down 16.2%, mainly in Bangkok.
Bangkok: Sukhumvit, Silom and Sathorn, and the river
For a foreign buyer, Bangkok means condominiums, under the same rules as anywhere in Thailand: freehold within the 49% foreign quota, paid with foreign currency brought in from abroad. What changes from one district to the next is the setting and the transport.
Sukhumvit
Sukhumvit is the city’s main east-west corridor, served by the BTS Sukhumvit Line. Bangkok as a whole, with Sukhumvit as its main corridor, is where Chinese and Myanmar buyers concentrate.
Silom and Sathorn
Silom and Sathorn form Bangkok’s central business district, served by the BTS Silom Line. For any specific building, check the walking distance to the nearest station yourself.
The riverside
The riverside covers both banks of the Chao Phraya. On the Thonburi bank, the BTS Gold Line, 1.8 km long with three stations and opened on 16 December 2020, links Krung Thon Buri station on the BTS Silom Line to ICONSIAM and Khlong San.
Bangkok’s market conditions
New launches in Bangkok have been falling because of household debt, high mortgage rejection rates and unsold developer stock. For a buyer, unsold stock may mean more completed units to choose from, and also more competition when you come to resell, so look closely at what else is for sale in the same building.
Planning may shift some of the map. Bangkok’s fourth comprehensive plan revision, planned for enactment in 2027, would expand medium-density zones by 23% and lift height limits near some mass-transit interchanges. It is a plan, not yet in force.
Financing is where Bangkok differs slightly from the resort markets. Thai banks rarely lend to non-resident foreigners, but UOB has offered cross-border loans for freehold condominium units within the foreign quota, originated outside Thailand, in selected areas, mainly Bangkok. Ask the bank directly for its current loan-to-value and income requirements.
Pattaya and Jomtien
Pattaya City is a special self-governing city in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province, about 150 km south-east of Bangkok via Motorway 7. Jomtien lies to the south, separated from Pattaya by Thepprasit Road, and Naklua and Wongamat form the northern end. U-Tapao International Airport is about 45 minutes’ drive south.
By foreign transfer volume, Chonburi is Thailand’s second market: more than a quarter of all foreign condominium transfers in 2025 and the largest number in early 2026, with Chinese and Russian buyers the main foreign groups. Russian purchases in the first half of 2026 grew fastest of any nationality and were concentrated in Phuket and Chonburi.
Pattaya sits in the Eastern Economic Corridor, and two infrastructure stories shape its outlook. U-Tapao’s developer received its notice to proceed on 3 April 2026, but with the first phase cut to 3 million passengers a year from 16 million. The high-speed rail line meant to link Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao remained stalled as of September 2026. If a seller’s case for Pattaya rests on that rail link, weigh it as a project without a date.
Koh Samui
Koh Samui is Thailand’s second-largest island, about 229 km2, and a district of Surat Thani province. Its main beach areas include Chaweng, Lamai and Bophut.
Access is the island’s defining feature. Samui Airport was privately built and is owned by Bangkok Airways; it opened in 1989. Daily flight caps have been raised to 50, an increase to 73 has been approved, and a terminal renovation was planned. Car ferries run from Don Sak on the mainland to Nathon and Lipa Noi.
Where a Samui purchase is a villa, the leasehold and nominee questions come to the front. Surat Thani is one of the 16 risk provinces where the Department of Business Development has, since 1 August 2026, required bank statements and an investment explanation letter when a company with foreign co-investors or foreign signatories is registered or amended. A villa offered through a company structure deserves extra scrutiny there, as it does in Phuket and Chonburi.
Samui prices have no clear direction: some asking prices are rising and others falling.
Letting and staying in these markets
Two questions come up in all three markets, and the answers are national rather than local.
The first is short-term letting. Under the Hotel Act, renting out accommodation for less than a month is generally treated as hotel business that needs a licence, and the statutory test is whether the stay is “monthly or longer”, not a mechanical 30 days. Condominium owners are also bound by the building’s own rules, and many condominium buildings ban stays under 30 days. That applies in a Sukhumvit tower as much as on Jomtien beach. Our guide to the rental rules has the detail.
The second is residence. Owning a completed condominium unit worth at least THB 3 million, registered in your own name, can support an investment-based extension of stay since October 2025, subject to a certification from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The route is new and its rules are still being clarified, and off-plan units do not qualify. The average foreign transfer, about THB 4.1 to 4.2 million, is above that threshold, but the route gives a permission to stay, not residency, and it needs a lawyer’s check. We cover it in our guide to visas for property buyers.
The three markets side by side
| Bangkok | Pattaya and Jomtien | Koh Samui | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of 2025 foreign condo transfers | Nearly half | Chonburi: more than a quarter | Not available |
| Main foreign buyer groups | Chinese and Myanmar | Chinese and Russian | Not available |
| What a foreigner can own freehold | Condominium units within the 49% quota | Condominium units within the 49% quota | Condominium units within the 49% quota |
| How a villa is held | Registered lease of up to 30 years | Registered lease of up to 30 years | Registered lease of up to 30 years |
| Access | BTS Sukhumvit, Silom and Gold lines | Motorway 7 from Bangkok; U-Tapao about 45 minutes | Bangkok Airways’ private airport; ferries from Don Sak |
| Projects to watch | City plan revision, planned for 2027 | U-Tapao first phase; stalled high-speed rail | Flight cap increases; terminal renovation |
The ownership rows are identical because the rules are national. What differs between the three markets is who buys and how you get there.
What to check before you buy
- Written confirmation of foreign quota for the specific unit, in any of the three markets.
- For Bangkok, the real walking distance to the station, and how many similar units are for sale in the same building.
- For Pattaya, whether the case for the purchase depends on infrastructure that has no confirmed date.
- For Samui, how the villa is held: a registered lease of up to 30 years, with no nominee company.
- Whether short stays are allowed by the building’s rules and by the Hotel Act.
- A price comparison based on completed sales your lawyer or agent can document.
For the legal background, see our guide to what a foreigner can own and our 2026 market figures. Phuket is covered separately in our Phuket area guide, and current projects are on our Thailand properties page.
