Buy a holiday condo in Thailand where you holiday: let it 11 months, live in it one

In brief

In Thailand the plan "let it for 11 months, live there for one" works legally only as monthly lets: a condo may not be let for less than 30 days unless the building holds a hotel licence. On our illustrative Phuket one-bedroom at THB 6.7 million (about $200,000) the year nets about 3.5% before tax; taking January for yourself lowers it to about 3.0%, taking October to about 3.2%. Figures as of 1 November 2026; the rents and occupancy are our assumptions, not market data, so replace them with a manager's real numbers.

Why Thailand is a special case for this plan

Most European resort markets let you advertise a flat by the night once you have a licence. Thailand does not. Under the Hotel Act of 2004, accommodation let for less than 30 days is treated as a hotel business, and a condominium is a residential building. Law-firm and press summaries say short lets in a condo are generally prohibited unless the building itself holds a hotel licence, and the reported penalty is a fine of up to THB 20,000, a further THB 10,000 per day, or up to one year in prison. In July 2026 the House of Representatives passed two bills amending the Act at first reading; we found no report that they have become law, so the 30-day line is still the working rule. Details are in our guide to rental income and tax for foreign owners.

That changes the model. You cannot count on nightly high-season rates in an ordinary condo. The lawful version is a sequence of lets of 30 days or more, often one to six months, with gaps between tenants, plus your own month. If you want nightly lets, the realistic route is a unit inside a licensed hotel or condo-hotel, where the operator's contract usually decides how many nights you may use it yourself; see condo-hotels and leases in Phuket. Read the contract before the price.

This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. The campaign overview is in the hub guide, and the method for the owner month is in the owner month against rental income.

Seasonality: when to rent and when to stay

Sources agree on the shape of the year, though not on the numbers.

• Phuket: vendor and agency blogs put high season at November to April and low season at May to October. One reports condo occupancy of 72% to 85% in high season and 45% to 60% in low season; another says 65% to 78% and 35% to 50%. These are sales blogs and they conflict, so treat them as a range of opinion, not a statistic. For hotels, Real Estate Asia reported occupancy peaking at 91.8% in January and its lowest, 66.9%, in June, and CBRE gave Phuket hotels 67.7% in the first half of 2026. AirDNA's all-year average for Phuket short-term rentals is about 63% occupancy.
• Pattaya and Jomtien: a 2024 Horwath HTL outlook places the main high season at November to February plus April. AirDNA scores Pattaya's seasonality at 93 out of 100, meaning demand is fairly steady, with average occupancy near 60%. A promotional blog said April 2026 was weaker than usual; that is one voice.
• Hua Hin and Koh Samui: we found no sourced monthly data. Samui's weather pattern differs from Phuket's, so ask a local manager for the last two years of bookings before you pick a month.

For your own month the sensible candidates are the low-season months of the area you buy in, when rent is lowest and weather is the main trade-off. A condo bought for monthly lets also has a quieter market when rain keeps visitors away, so a month of your own often costs less in lost income than in comfort.

What the same money buys, by budget

Prices below are asking levels from the sources in our areas guide for Thailand, converted at about THB 33.5 to the dollar. The floor areas are our arithmetic: budget divided by the asking price per square metre, ignoring buying costs, floor, view and negotiation. Sources disagree and some are single listings, so these are starting points.

• About THB 3.35 million (about $100,000). Bang Tao and Cherngtalay new-build asks of THB 123,000 to 146,000 per m2 give about 23 to 27 m2, a small studio. Jomtien at THB 100,000 to 140,000 gives about 24 to 34 m2. Pattaya generally at THB 67,000 to 75,000 gives about 45 to 50 m2. Hua Hin at about THB 66,000 (a mixed-type median) gives about 51 m2.
• About THB 6.7 million (about $200,000). Bang Tao and Cherngtalay about 46 to 54 m2, a one-bedroom. Jomtien about 48 to 67 m2. Pattaya about 89 to 100 m2. Hua Hin about 102 m2.
• About THB 10.05 million (about $300,000). Bang Tao and Cherngtalay about 69 to 82 m2. Jomtien about 72 to 100 m2. Pattaya about 134 to 150 m2. Hua Hin about 152 m2.

For a lettable holiday home the areas worth comparing are Phuket's west coast (Bang Tao, Cherngtalay; see the Phuket areas guide), Jomtien and Pattaya (see Pattaya condos) and Hua Hin or Samui (see Samui and Hua Hin). Pattaya gives the most space per baht but the local press has described 2026 as a year of adjustment after supply outran demand; Phuket costs more per square metre and has the stronger high season. The cheaper the entry, the more your return depends on tenants who may be scarce.

The model: 12 months of letting against 11

This is arithmetic on stated assumptions, not a forecast. Replace every number with a manager's quote.

Assumptions: a one-bedroom condo on Phuket's west coast bought for THB 6,700,000; monthly lets only; rent THB 40,000 per month in high season (November to April) and THB 28,000 in low season (May to October); occupancy 90% in high season and 65% in low season because monthly tenants leave gaps; management 10% of rent; fixed costs of THB 60,000 a year for the building's common-area fee, insurance and a repair reserve; no mortgage and no income tax.

• Gross rent over 12 months: 6 x 40,000 x 0.90 = 216,000 plus 6 x 28,000 x 0.65 = 109,200, so THB 325,200 (4.85% of the price).
• Less management THB 32,520 and fixed costs THB 60,000: net THB 232,680, or 3.47% a year.
• Break-even: with these costs the flat covers its running costs at about 16% of the maximum possible rent, which is why the fixed costs matter more than a good month.
• Sensitivity: occupancy 10 points lower in both seasons gives net THB 195,960 (2.92%); rents 10% lower gives THB 203,412 (3.04%).

Remember what is left out. Thai tax on the rent comes off this, buying costs are paid once, and a net 3.5% is before the cost of your money. Our prices and yield guide and the country ranking give published yields to compare against.

Which month to take for yourself

Taking one month changes the result by the rent you would have received, less the management fee you save. Fixed costs are paid either way.

• October (low season): you give up THB 18,200 of rent and save THB 1,820 of fee, a net loss of THB 16,380. The year nets THB 216,300, or 3.23%.
• January (high season): you give up THB 36,000 and save THB 3,600, a net loss of THB 32,400. The year nets THB 200,280, or 2.99%.
• The difference between the two choices is THB 16,020 a year, about $480.

Compare that with renting a similar condo for your holiday: at the same rents you would pay THB 40,000 in January or THB 28,000 in October. So the owner month costs less than renting in both cases, but in this example the saving is larger in the low season, and the low season is also when you give up the least. The trap is the reverse: owners naturally want January, the busiest and driest month, and pay for it with the lowest return.

Ownership and licences that decide whether it works

• Condominium quota. Foreigners may own units only up to 49% of the saleable area of a building, and the share is counted per building; see the 49% quota explained. Resale to another foreigner depends on the quota being free, which affects your exit.
• Short lets. Check three layers: the Hotel Act (30-day line), the building licence (does the building hold a hotel licence?) and the juristic person's house rules, which often forbid daily lets and can cut your key-card access before any authority acts.
• Your own month. Staying in your own condo is not a rental and needs no licence. The risk is the opposite: if the manager or a platform lists your flat nightly in the other eleven months, you carry the legal risk as the owner.
• Villas and land. A foreigner cannot simply own land; the lawful options are a leasehold or other structures, and nominee arrangements are under a crackdown; see land for foreigners and the nominee crackdown. A villa on a thirty-year lease also loses value as the lease runs down.
• Visa. Owning a condo does not give a long stay. Check the visa-exempt period and your options before planning a month; see visa options for property buyers.

Taxes and costs in short

Rent is assessable income in Thailand. Summaries report a flat 30% deduction or actual costs, a 15% withholding on rent paid to a non-resident individual that can be credited on filing, and progressive rates up to 35%. Tax at home depends on your country and any treaty; see personal-use days and rental income taxes. A month in the property does not by itself make you a Thai tax resident: the usual test is 180 days a year.

Buying costs, as reported: a transfer fee of 2% of the appraised value, usually split with the seller (on THB 6.7 million, THB 134,000 in full or THB 67,000 for half), stamp duty of 0.5%, a specific business tax of 3.3% if you resell within five years, and a mortgage registration fee of 1% if financed. Reports say the 2026 cut of these fees to 0.01% applies only to Thai buyers; confirm with the Land Office. See taxes and fees for foreign buyers and managers and their contracts. Rules on running it from afar are in managing a holiday home abroad, and licences, house rules and insurance in the legal guide.

Common mistakes

• Buying a condo for nightly lets in a building without a hotel licence.
• Planning the owner month in January because it is the best weather.
• Using a manager's high-season nightly rate for the whole year.
• Ignoring the foreign quota and learning at resale that no quota is free.
• Treating a "guaranteed return" from a developer as a contract: ask who pays, for how long and from which account.
• Forgetting that fixed costs run in the months you live there.

Checklist before you buy

• Written confirmation from the juristic person that monthly lets are allowed.
• The building's hotel licence status, and the foreign quota remaining.
• Twenty-four months of bookings and monthly rents for the same building.
• A written manager contract with a free-owner-month clause and notice period.
• A tax adviser's view of Thai tax and of tax at home.
• The visa you will use for your month.

FAQ

Can I list my Thai condo on Airbnb for nightly stays? Only if the building holds a hotel licence. Otherwise the Hotel Act's 30-day line applies and reported penalties include fines and up to one year in prison. The 2026 amendment bills passed a first reading in July but we found no enactment, so do not plan on a change.

What is a realistic net return on a Phuket condo let monthly? On our illustrative inputs about 3.5% a year before tax, falling to about 3.0% to 3.2% once you take a month. Published gross figures are higher, but costs, vacancy and tax are what remain.

Which month is cheapest for my own stay? A low-season month such as October gives up the least rent; in our example it costs about THB 16,000 net against about THB 32,000 for January.

Do I become a Thai tax resident by spending a month there? Not by that alone; the usual test is 180 days in a calendar year. Confirm with an adviser, especially if you spend other months in Thailand too.

Is a villa a better holiday home? You must solve land ownership first, usually through a long lease, and a lease loses value each year. The analysis above is for a condo with a quota.