A flat “฿8 a unit” on the bill is one of the quietest ways a Thai rental costs more than it should. Enter what you used and what you were charged, and see the real price per unit you’re paying against the metered MEA/PEA rate — plus what the markup adds up to over a year. Unbiased, no paid placement.
Enter what you used and what you were charged, and see the real price per unit you’re paying versus the metered government rate. Drag a slider or tap Type for an exact number — nothing here is a quote, and the reference rate is yours to set.
Your effective rate is simply the amount charged divided by the units used — the true price you pay per unit, regardless of what the bill calls it. Thailand’s metered residential electricity is billed by the MEA (Bangkok area) or PEA (provinces) on a progressive structure of roughly ฿3–4.4 per unit, plus the periodic Ft fuel adjustment and 7% VAT — so a typical all-in metered rate lands somewhere around ฿4–5 a unit (set your own figure above from your latest official bill). Many condos with a juristic office pass through the real MEA bill at cost; apartments and sub-let units often charge a flat ฿6–8 a unit and keep the difference. Under Thailand’s 2018 consumer-protection regulation, a landlord renting five or more units is expected to charge electricity and water at the actual metered cost, not at a profit. If your effective rate sits well above the metered rate, that’s your cue to ask for the official meter bill — use the message above.
Estimates only, from the figures you enter — not legal or financial advice. Actual MEA/PEA tariffs are progressive and change with the Ft adjustment; confirm the current rate on your official bill or at mea.or.th / pea.co.th. Whether and how much a landlord may add varies by lease and building type. For a billing dispute, contact your juristic office, the relevant utility, or the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (hotline 1166). BAANLYY never takes paid placement.
Utility bills are full of line items, but the figure that tells you whether you’re being treated fairly is simple: the amount charged divided by the units used. That’s your effective rate per unit, and it’s directly comparable to the metered MEA or PEA rate no matter how the bill is dressed up. If your effective rate is close to the metered rate, you’re paying for what you use. If it’s well above, the bill itself is marked up — and that’s a different problem from simply running the air-conditioning a lot.
Thailand’s residential electricity is metered and billed on a progressive tariff — roughly ฿3 to ฿4.4 per unit depending on how much you use — with the periodic Ft fuel-adjustment charge and 7% VAT added on top. For normal condo usage that lands at an all-in rate of around ฿4–5 a unit. The MEA covers Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan; the PEA covers the rest of the country. Pull your latest official bill, work out its own per-unit figure, and use that as the reference in the tool — it’s the most honest benchmark there is.
In a condo run by a juristic office, electricity is usually passed through at the real MEA cost. The markup tends to appear in apartments and sub-let units, where the landlord holds the master meter and re-bills tenants at a flat rate — commonly ฿6–8 a unit — pocketing the gap. Over a year of air-conditioning, a ฿3-a-unit margin on a few hundred units a month quietly becomes several thousand baht. Under Thailand’s 2018 consumer-protection regulation, a landlord renting five or more units is expected to charge utilities at the actual metered cost, not at a profit.
The fix is rarely confrontational. Ask — politely, in writing — to see the official MEA/PEA meter bill for your unit and to confirm the per-unit rate being applied. The message generated above does exactly that. Showing that you understand the metered rate is often enough for a markup to disappear at the next bill. Photograph your meter at move-in and each billing cycle so the units you’re billed match what the meter moved. If a landlord refuses to show the official bill and your building rents five or more units, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (hotline 1166) is the route to escalate.
Check the rate before you sign, and budget every monthly cost — not just the rent.
General information and a self-input tool only — not legal or financial advice. Actual MEA/PEA tariffs are progressive and change with the Ft fuel adjustment; confirm current rates on your official bill or at mea.or.th / pea.co.th. Whether and how much a landlord may add to utilities varies by lease and building type. For a billing dispute, contact your juristic office, the relevant utility, or the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (hotline 1166). BAANLYY never takes paid placement.