Buying a condo or house in Pattaya as a foreigner

Foreigners can buy a condo in Pattaya freehold within the 49 % foreign quota, and a house only through a land lease of up to 30 years or a Thai company. Pattaya is the second-biggest market for foreign condo buyers in Thailand after Bangkok: 4,164 units in Chonburi province in 2025, according to the Real Estate Information Center. In our catalogue, condos start at 2.1 million baht, one-bedroom units at 2.15 million and two-bedroom units at 4.45 million. The transfer is registered at the Chonburi Land Office.

We are Nong and Ann, and Pattaya is where we work every day – Jomtien, Na Jomtien, Wongamat, Huai Yai, Bang Saray. Most questions we get from buyers abroad are not about the law. They are about the area: where is quiet, where floods in the rain, how long the drive is. This guide covers both.

Why foreigners buy in Pattaya

It is the largest market outside Bangkok. According to the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), foreigners bought 4,164 condo units worth 11.59 billion baht in Chonburi province, which includes Pattaya, in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, Chonburi again led in sales to foreigners.

Prices are lower than on Phuket. The crowd-sourced site Numbeo (6 November 2026) puts the price per square metre in central Pattaya at about 94,000 baht, against about 143,600 baht on Phuket. Treat it as orientation, not a valuation.

It is a city to live in, not only a resort. Hospitals, international schools and shopping are all close at hand.

Where to buy in Pattaya: the areas

Jomtien, Wongamat and Pratumnak are where people usually choose for winters and a life by the sea: Jomtien is developed and busy, Wongamat is quieter in the north, Pratumnak is the green hill between Pattaya and Jomtien.

Central and South Pattaya – the city itself: everything within walking distance, but more noise and traffic.

East Pattaya, beyond Sukhumvit Road – where families buying a house usually look: closer to international schools, further from the tourist bustle.

Na Jomtien, Huai Yai and Bang Saray – further south and quieter; this is where we sell many of our houses.

More detail, with maps, is in our Pattaya area guide.

How much does a condo cost in Pattaya?

Starting prices in our catalogue, from the latest developer price lists:

Villas are a different budget: at Lumina Pool Villa in East Pattaya a three-bedroom villa starts at 12 million baht and four-bedroom villas from 14.62 million (May 2026). Most of these are developers' promotional prices from May–July 2026; the promotions have ended, so we confirm the current price and free units for each project on the day. All projects are on the Pattaya page.

The Pattaya market in 2026

Prices are flat. REIC's index of new condo prices in Chonburi was 101.7 in the first quarter of 2026 (2022 = 100), 1 % lower than a year earlier. Claims of fast price growth in Pattaya are not supported by this official index.

There is plenty of choice. Developers compete with discounts and gifts such as furniture and air conditioning. For a buyer that means room to negotiate; for an investor it means resale competes with new projects.

Monthly tenants, not tourists. Pattaya's steady renters are people who stay for a season or a year; a condo may not legally be let for less than 30 days without a hotel licence. So the useful question for a seller is what a 12-month lease in the building fetches – see Risks.

Flooding: what to check in Pattaya

Some Pattaya streets flood repeatedly in heavy rain – parts of Sukhumvit Road in South Pattaya and Third Road among them. The city is building flood protection, including a drainage tunnel. Before buying, ask how the street and the building's car park behave in the rainy season, and look at the building in the rain if you can.

How buying works in Pattaya

The steps are the same as anywhere in Thailand: choose a building registered as a condominium, check the developer and the remaining foreign quota, reserve, sign the contract, transfer the money from abroad in foreign currency, and register at the Land Office. For Pattaya that is the Chonburi provincial Land Office, Banglamung branch. Each step is explained in Buying property in Thailand.

Buying a house in Pattaya

A foreigner cannot own the land under a house. Houses and villas in Pattaya are bought through a registered land lease of up to 30 years, with the house registered separately, or through a Thai company with real Thai shareholders. Nominee structures are illegal and have been the target of raids in 2026. How the land rights work – lease, superficies, usufruct – is explained in Can foreigners buy property in Thailand.

In our house listings we always write the land size in ta-wa (1 ta-wa = 4 m²), the appraised value and who pays the transfer fee – often 50/50. The appraised value is worth a look: in one of our recent listings the special price was 4.5 million baht against an appraised value of 5.5 million, a million below the appraisal. Prices and availability depend on the property on the day of purchase.

Pattaya or Phuket?

If you are torn between the two, the short version from our side: Pattaya wins on price per square metre, on the choice of finished condos and on everyday city life; Phuket wins on villas and island nature. The detailed side-by-side table is in Pattaya or Phuket.

• Choose the area by your daily routes: sea, hospital, school, shops.
• Check the building is registered as a condominium and the foreign quota is open.
• Ask how the street and car park cope with heavy rain.
• Compare prices per square metre in the same form of ownership.
• Ask the building's management what monthly rents units like yours actually achieve.
• For a house: the land size in ta-wa, the type of land title and who pays the transfer fee.

FAQ