Whether you rent furnished or fit out an empty unit, this guide covers the part newcomers underestimate: what “fully furnished” actually means on a Thai lease, where to buy new (IKEA, SB Design Square, Index Living Mall, Koncept), how to score expat sell-offs on Facebook Marketplace, the white goods you need, delivery and assembly into a Bangkok building, and realistic baht budgets for a 1-bed and 2-bed. Unbiased — data and tools for renters and buyers, never paid placement.
Most Bangkok rentals come furnished, so short-stay renters rarely need to buy anything — just check the written inventory before signing. If you’re furnishing an empty unit, IKEA plus a few white goods does it fast, expat Facebook sell-offs do it cheap, and a 1-bed runs roughly 40k–200k baht depending on new vs second-hand. Buying or staying 3+ years? Furnishing yourself can pay off.
Thai listings use three loose terms, and they mean very different things for your wallet and your move-in day:
Decide your time horizon first. Staying one or two years? Rent furnished and skip this whole guide. Staying longer, buying, or set on having your own things? Read on — and weigh it against renting vs buying.
There’s no legal definition of “furnished” in Thailand, so it varies by landlord. A typical fully-furnished Bangkok condo gives you:
Always get a written, photographed inventory (furniture list) attached to the lease, noting the condition of each item. It tells you exactly what you’re getting and protects your deposit at move-out — you can’t be charged for wear that was photographed on day one.
For new furniture, four names cover almost everything, from budget to design-led:
Online, Lazada and Shopee carry the same chains plus cheaper independents — handy for small items, but inspect bulky furniture in person where you can.
The single cheapest way to furnish is to buy from departing expats. People leave Thailand constantly and need a whole apartment gone before a flight, so nearly-new furniture sells at steep discounts:
Two cautions: arrange your own transport — most private sellers won’t deliver, so book a pickup via Lalamove or a song-thaew driver. And inspect before you pay — check upholstery and mattresses for damp, stains and pests, and test that fridges and washers actually run.
These are the items that make a unit livable and the ones most worth buying well:
If you’re renting unfurnished and buying air-con, confirm with the juristic office first — installation that touches the facade usually needs building approval.
Bangkok traffic, narrow lifts and flat-pack are the real friction — plan the logistics before you buy big:
Our first-30-days guide sequences move-in alongside utilities, internet and the TM30, so deliveries don’t collide with everything else.
Rough Bangkok planning numbers (all-in: furniture plus fridge, washer, TV and any extra air-con). These are buyer / long-stay figures — furnished renters pay none of it up front:
Buying second-hand is the biggest lever — it can roughly halve the bill. Check what your rent would be against an unfurnished unit with our rent-affordability and move-in cost tools.
The decision is really about time. Furnishing yourself only wins if your stay is long enough for the lower unfurnished rent to out-save the furniture cost minus resale:
Run your own break-even with the tools above rather than guessing — the answer flips entirely on how long you’ll be in the unit.
Most BAANLYY listings are fully furnished — filter, compare the move-in cost on the lease slider, and arrive with just your suitcases.
General information only — prices, store locations and product ranges change and vary by unit, retailer and season. Confirm current prices, delivery terms and your building’s move-in rules directly with the retailer and the juristic office. BAANLYY is a data-and-tools platform, not a furniture retailer, and never takes paid placement.