A brochure shows the best month. An investor needs the whole year, plus the day of purchase and the day of sale. This article lays out what a Phuket condominium costs at each stage, using published surveys, law-firm summaries and press reports. Where a figure comes from a broker or a guide and not from a regulator, we say so. Check every number with your lawyer before you rely on it.
The price, and what it is measured against
In C9 Hotelworks' survey of the first quarter of 2025, the median condominium price was THB 144,000 per square metre, about US$4,300. Branded projects were THB 181,000 against THB 141,000 for non-branded, about 28% more. Among non-branded units, primary-market prices averaged THB 139,000 and resale prices THB 100,000.
That last gap is worth a minute. A new unit and the same unit on the resale market do not trade at the same price, and your exit price is a resale price. Knight Frank's year-end 2025 report puts market averages at THB 125,000 to 160,000 per square metre, with Bang Tao near THB 284,000, Layan about THB 197,000 and Kamala about THB 182,000.
Buying: the one-time costs
These come from law-firm and guide summaries, not from a Land Department page, so confirm each one in writing.
- Transfer fee: 2% of the appraised value, shared between buyer and seller by default unless the contract says otherwise.
- Seller's taxes: specific business tax of 3.3% if the unit was held for under five years, otherwise stamp duty of 0.5%, plus withholding tax. Who pays is negotiable.
- Common-area fee: THB 40 to 75 per square metre a month in four listings we checked, often prepaid for one to three years.
- Sinking fund: one-off or recurring, depending on the project.
- Bank fees on the transfer and, if you want your own lawyer, legal fees.
Funds must arrive in foreign currency, and the receiving Thai bank issues the Foreign Exchange Transaction (FET) form, which the Land Office asks for at registration.
Holding: what comes back every year
The Land and Buildings Tax starts at 0.02% of appraised value, though sources disagree on the bands. Common-area fees continue. A non-resident landlord has 15% withheld at source, which can be credited in the Thai tax filing, and whether a 30% expense deduction applies is disputed. The baht matters too: the dollar-baht rate ranged from 30.925 on 13 February 2026 to 33.827 on 23 July, about 9%, while the rent is paid in baht.
Then there is legality. Under the Hotel Act a stay shorter than 30 days needs a hotel licence, and most condominium buildings have none. Thai media have reported warnings aimed at foreign owners. Ask under which licence a unit is rented, and who holds it.
Reading a rental programme
The terms matter more than the headline. Ask for the definition of net revenue, every deduction made before the split, the occupancy assumptions behind any illustration, and who stands behind an income promise. A 2020 C9 paper observed that income undertakings in Thai contracts are rarely backed by escrow or a bank undertaking, so the remedy is usually a lawsuit.
A broker guide from 2026 lists splits that run from 50/50 to 60/40 or 70/30 in the owner's favour, and agency analyses put operator fees at 25% to 40% of revenue (unaudited). Income depends on occupancy and is not assured unless the contract says so. We give no yield figures here. No audited series exists, and CBRE warned in the first half of 2026 that selling on projected returns will not be sustainable if they are not delivered.
The market around your unit
At the end of 2025 Krungsri Research counted 12,346 unsold condominium units, valued at THB 112.0 billion, and reported a rise of 36.2%. CBRE counts a pipeline of 28,211 units, with 10,233 due in the second half of 2026, and names oversupply as a risk. In the first half of 2026 only three projects completed, 1,196 units, and many were delayed. The Phuket Real Estate Association takes the other view and says oversupply is unlikely.
There are positive signals as well. CBRE recorded 4,017 units sold in the first half of 2026, up 10.6% on the year, strongest in projects with rental programmes, good value or prime locations. Foreign condominium transfers were 1,190 units in 2025, up 18.3%.
Selling
We found no public sales registry, so every resale-time figure circulating in broker blogs, such as 8 to 14 months to sell or discounts of 15% to 25%, is unverified. What you can control is the structure. Know your holding period against the five-year threshold for specific business tax. Know the exit costs before you sign. Know the resale price of comparable units, not the launch price.
Tenure and the quota
A condominium unit can be owned freehold by a foreigner within the building's 49% quota. Get written confirmation from the juristic person that the quota has room. Proposals to raise the quota to 60% or 75% or to allow 99-year leases are proposals, not law. Raids on nominee companies in 2026, including 66 in Phuket and Krabi in June, concern land and villas.
How we work with investors
Vika Thai Company Limited is a Phuket agency, working since 2013. The developer pays our fee. Managers speak English, Russian and Turkish. Our investor page shows every unit with its published price, from $99,000, and a written investment memo goes with the video call so that you can take it to a lawyer.
The same checklist applies wherever you buy from. For specifics, see Singapore, the UAE, Istanbul, Europe and the Baltics, Russian passport holders and Americans.
Read more
https://invest.vikathai.com/ — every unit with its published price from $99,000, the costs around it in writing, and an investment memo to take to your lawyer.