Headline yield numbers sell condos. Net yield pays you. This is the plain-English, unbiased version every foreign investor needs before they buy for income — what the real ranges are, what quietly eats your return, and the one figure that actually lands in your account. Information only, never paid placement.
Most Bangkok condos are commonly quoted at a gross yield somewhere in the 4–7% band, but your net yield — after fees, vacancy, tax and management — is always meaningfully lower. Buy the net number, not the brochure number, and never trust a "guaranteed" return on faith.
Almost every yield figure you'll see quoted is a gross yield: annual rent ÷ purchase price, with no costs deducted. It's useful for a quick comparison, but it is not what you earn. Your real return is the net yield:
Net yield is typically 1.5–3 percentage points below the gross headline. A unit advertised at "7% yield" can quite easily be a 4–5% net reality once the costs below are in the spreadsheet.
There is no single Bangkok yield. Commonly published gross figures for condos cluster in a broad 4–7% band, and where a given unit lands depends mostly on size, location and tenant pool. As a rough pattern: small, furnished, transit-adjacent mid-market units sit at the higher end; large units and prime/luxury stock sit lower because the price rises faster than the achievable rent. Treat any single "average yield for Bangkok" as a starting point to verify, never a number to buy on — the only yield that counts is the one your specific unit, at a realistic let rent, actually produces.
The gap between the brochure and your bank account is made of ordinary, recurring costs. Budget for all of them before you buy:
High-yield and high-growth units are often not the same unit. The small, transit-adjacent, mid-market condo that throws off the strongest monthly cash flow is rarely the prime-area luxury unit that has historically appreciated most steadily — they pull in opposite directions. Decide before you shop whether you're buying for income now (favour net yield) or long-term resale (favour location and quality), because the answer changes which unit you should even be looking at.
Off-plan developers frequently advertise a "guaranteed" 6–8% return for the first few years. Read these carefully: the guarantee is often priced into a higher purchase price (so you're partly paying yourself), it lasts only a fixed period, and it's only as good as the company honouring it once that period ends. A guarantee is a marketing promise, not a market yield. Ask who pays it, for how long, what happens afterwards, and have an independent Thai property lawyer review the contract before you sign.
Don't buy on a headline. Take the realistic let rent for comparable units in the same building, run it through the cap-rate & yield calculator with your real costs, and divide by your true all-in price from the purchase-cost calculator. If you're still deciding between buying and renting yourself, the rent-vs-buy break-even closes the loop.
Editorial analysis compiled and periodically refreshed by BAANLYY’s research team — not a live data feed.
Analysis last reviewed July 2026.
Run a realistic let rent against real Thai costs before you commit to an income unit.
General information only — not financial, investment or tax advice. Yield ranges are commonly-cited general figures, not a forecast or a quote for any specific unit; actual returns vary widely and depend on price, rent, costs, vacancy and tax. Verify current figures and your own situation before committing. BAANLYY never takes paid placement.