Best Bangkok Street Food Thai Market Guide

Are you traveling on a budget and need cheap Bangkok street food? If you plan a trip to Thailand and don’t want to spend big bucks, you’ll love this Thai Bangkok street food guide—it’s one of the best places to visit if you want to eat for under $7 a day.

Thailand is the perfect destination for thrifty travelers who are watching their wallets. You can find many budget accommodations, and the best street food in Bangkok is surprisingly affordable. There is a good reason why Thailand is a backpacker and digital nomad paradise! Let’s find the best street food Bangkok offers for unbelievably low prices.

Quick Tip: Book accommodation, tours, and transport ahead of time online to save money and stress. 
Best Bangkok Tours: Click here to check out the top Bangkok tours
Best Bangkok Accommodation: Click here to check out the best accommodation in Bangkok
Best Bangkok Transport: Click here to book a bus, ferry, or train in Bangkok

Why Eat at a Street Food Thai Market?

The number one way to save money in Thailand is simple: eat Thai food. Or, more specifically, eat Thai Bangkok street food! It’s cheap and delicious—you also have less chance of getting sick eating the Thai street food Bangkok is famous for than dining in restaurants.

Don’t be afraid to eat street food Thai market stalls and carts! To genuinely experience Thailand without blowing your budget, you must overcome your fear of eating street food. I primarily ate from street carts for most of my three weeks there and never got an upset belly.

Where to Find the Best Street Food in Bangkok

You can’t walk far down the street in Thailand without seeing a food cart. Many will have tables and chairs for you to sit while savoring the Bangkok street food menu.

There are several street food Thai market options:

• Walking streets – This is your classic street food Thai market experience. They close the road off, and it becomes a pedestrian-only street. There are always plenty of stalls offering food.
• Food markets – These usually consist of many food vendors with a large central section where you can sit and eat your food.
• Street carts – These vendors are spotted around the streets and don’t usually have a seated area.
• Restaurants – Even the most expensive restaurants offer Thai food on the menu for about 50-70 tbt. I stayed within my budget when I wanted to sit inside with air conditioning and get out of the heat for a bit.

If you’re craving pizza or a cheeseburger, you’re in luck! You will probably pay between 100 and 200 tbt for Western food. Vegetarian food can be harder to find at street markets, but there is plenty of great vegetarian food in Thailand. 

Looking for somewhere to stay? Check out these options!

CHERN Bangkok
The Moon Night Hotel
Here Hostel Bangkok

I highly recommend staying at The Yard—it’s the best hostel in town, and they have private rooms if you don’t like the idea of sharing.

Bangkok Street Food Menu Prices

Breakfast

Cost: 10-200 tbt

There is no such thing as breakfast in Thailand, but most places serve a Western version. Here are a few things to know:

• Most of the sausages are chicken.
• The bacon is streaky (like you get in the US).
• Eggs are eggs—you typically get them fried, boiled, scrambled, or as an omelet.
• Generally, most places call a traditional English breakfast an “American Breakfast.”
• A Western breakfast typically costs 100-200 tbt, significantly more expensive than the 30-60 tbt for Thai food.
• If the thought of curry or noodles for breakfast makes you shudder, opt for fruit—you can get it everywhere, and it’s cheap. If you want it nicely cut up, grab a 10 tbt bag from one of the vendors.

If, like me, you aren’t a real person until you have had at least one cup of coffee, you can generally get a half-decent one for about 50-60 tbt.

Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet?

The Insurance companies I recommend are Hey Mondo and Safety Wing

Hey Mondo is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $45.08. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy.

Read my full travel insurance post here, where I go into detail about all companies. 

Lunch and Dinner

Cost: 30-70 tbt

Expect curries, stir-fries, soups, and rice dishes for dinner. There are many street food Thai market options for dinner, and most are affordable. Prepare to eat some of the best street food Bangkok offers!

Drinks

We found the drinks were about the same at every Thai street food Bangkok spot.

• Soda (Coke, Fanta, Sprite): 40-60 tbt
• Water: 10-20 tbt
• Tea and coffee: 50-100 tbt

Bangkok Street Food Budget

Breakfast – Bag of fruit and a coffee: 70 tbt

Lunch – Pad Thai and a bottle of water: 60 tbt

Dinner – Thai green curry and a Coke: 100 tbt

Total: 230 tbt ($7)

Western Food Budget

Breakfast – Cooked breakfast and a coffee: 150 tbt

Lunch – Toasted cheese sandwich and a bottle of water: 150 tbt

Dinner – Pizza and a Coke: 200 tbt

Total: 500 tbt ($15)

Need Transport in Thailand?

I’m a big fan of using BookAway.com when booking transportation in Thailand. I wrote a whole blog post about using them that you can read here. It makes the entire booking process so much easier, plus they have 24/7 support in case you need it!

Quick Tip: View my full Thailand packing guide here including a downloadable checklist. And check out my Thailand Essentials shopping list here.

Bangkok Street Food Thai Market: Final Thoughts

Since I love Thai street food Bangkok was a dream come true. I ate the best street food in Bangkok and didn’t have one bad experience. Every time I opted for a Western-style meal, I was disappointed with the taste and the high price. Please take my advice and stick to Thai Bangkok street food as much as possible. My golden rule for eating anywhere is if there are plastic tables and chairs, you are getting the real deal!

Thailand Travel Guide Planning

🧳 Any recommendations on what I should pack for Thailand?

Yes! I have created a whole packing guide to Thailand which you can read here and you can also check out my packing list for Thailand on Amazon here.

👩‍⚕️ What is the best insurance to have while traveling?

I recommend using Heymondo for a great value policy. The app also offers you 24/7 Dr Chat. For Digital Nomads check out SafetyWing digital nomad insurance. I have also written a blog post covering all my recommended travel insurance here

✈️ Any flight recommendations?

WayAWay offers you cheap flights with cashback. You can use this code CLAIRE22 to get 10% off. Otherwise Skyscanner or Expedia are my go to flight searching platforms.

🚗 Where can I book rental cars or private transportation?

I strongly recommend using 12Go or Bookaway. There are many transport options available such as train, bus, and ferry.

I would strongly advice against driving a car in Thailand but you can easily rent a scooter locally.

🎫 Where can I buy tickets for museums, attractions, and tours in Thailand?

First and foremost check out all of the amazing Thailand tours Where Sidewalks End has. They are a small local company and they have some really special experiences.

For everything else I recommend either Viator or GetYour Guide. 

📱What do you use for internet connection while traveling?

I’m a big fan of personal WiFi devices and they have saved my ass so many times when traveling. I wrote a full review of the top travel WiFi devices you can read here. I personally use GlocalMe as I can either pop in a physical sim card or use their local carrier.

With regards to my phone connection, I use e-sims while traveling, so rather than having to swap out my regular sim card I can download the app and buy a virtual sim card. I recommend using either Airhub or Alosim. Both have great coverage of multiple countries and are very easy to use.

🛏️ What is the best platform to use for booking accommodation?

The 3 best platforms that I normally use are Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Expedia. They offer great deals and multiple options. I always check all three to be sure of the best deals. However, Agoda is highly recommended in Thailand and it has the most selection.

🛅 Do you have any luggage recommendations for traveling?

I do have a complete list of the best packing and luggage products that I recommend, you can check the list here. I’m currently traveling with this suitcase and this backpack. 

This post was proofread by Grammarly.