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Why do you choose to live in Bangkok with such bad air quality?
For nearly 2/3 of the year, the air quality is horrible. If you walk around without a mask, you… Curious for those of you who chose to live in Bangkok, does the air quality not want to make you leave?
For nearly 2/3 of the year, the air quality is horrible. If you walk around without a mask, you feel sick nearly everyday and wake up feeling like you have a hangover. And no one wants to wear a mask in this hot weather.
I am not trying to rag on Bangkok, I am just genuinely curious to hear how the air quality affects you and why you choose to stay.
I personally, am very sensitive to bad air quality so I literally cannot go outside without a n95 mask or I will be knocked out the next day.
It's really quite sad, because I don't enjoy being in Bangkok anymore because of the air quality. What kind of life are we living to be breathing this everyday?
honestly i get where you're coming from, the haze is brutal especially during january-march when it feels like you're breathing through a blanket. i stay because the tradeoffs work for me personally - i can walk to my office on sukhumvit 39, grab a 60 baht pad thai from the cart outside, and still afford a decent condo with a pool. i just check the aqi app before planning my day and wear a mask when it's over 150, which is maybe 50 days a year not 2/3 if you pick your timing right.
honestly the air is bad but i think people exaggerate how much of the year it's unlivable. like right now in november we're getting cool breezes and decent aqi most days. i've been here 4 years and yeah jan-april sucks but the rest is manageable if you're smart about it. i keep a portable air monitor in my bag and just avoid being outside when it's over 150
for me the tradeoff is i can work remotely for a salary that goes way further here. my rent in phra khanong lets me save 60% of what i earn and still eat out every meal. back in manchester i was spending all my money on heating bills and sad weather. i'll take 3 months of bad air over 9 months of grey skies any day
also the city has gotten better about it. they're pushing electric buses and the new orange line should take more cars off the road. it's not perfect but it's not getting worse either which is more than i can say for a lot of asian cities
ngl the air quality is a real pain but honestly i just adapted. i moved my gym to one with a solid indoor filtration system and stopped running outside altogether. now i do laps at lumphini park only on green days, otherwise it's the treadmill. the rest of my life is too good to give up over three months of haze, especially the nightlife on ratchada and the fact that i can get a boat down the saen saep canal for like 15 baht
best som tam in Bangkok? Krua Dok Mai Kao 2026
yeah Krua Dok Mai Kao is solid but if you're up for a detour, try Som Tum Nua near Siam Square. their som tam pu pla ra is insane if you like the fermented fish sauce kick. way more pungent than the On Nut spot, just less grilled chicken options