The costs to marry a Thai girl: If you plan to marry a Thai woman, you should be aware in advance that there are definitely several expenses you expect to pay. In Thailand, there is something like a bride price, also known as Sinsod in Thai language. In addition, in Thailand it is quite natural that the man arranges a big celebration, often for more than several hundreds of people. Which expenses to marry a Thai girl will await you, we explain in detail in this post.
The costs to marry a Thai girl: Sinsod
The history and background of the bride price in Thailand, so called Sinsod, is clearly traceable. First of all, it must be understood that in Thailand the the people are wired differently. What is unimaginable for many Europeans or Americans and looks like purchasing a wife, is historically an allowance for the loss of a worker and supporter in the family and therefore completely normal. Something similar happened until a few decades ago in the form of the dowry that the woman had to provide for the man in Germany.
In addition, there are almost no pension payments common in Thailand. The survival and well-being of the parents in old age usually is the responsibility of the new generation.
Last but not least, there is a symbolic meaning of the Sinsod: Paying the demanded dowry shows respect for the bride’s family. Material things and money has always had a high priority in Thailand…
What amount of Sinsod is appropriate in Thailand?
How much dowry is appropriate depends largely on the social position of the family. In the high society of Thailand, several million Baht of bridal money are not uncommon. In the countryside, in poor farmer-families, 20,000 – 100,000 Baht are common. However, it should be noted that, when marrying a supposedly wealthy foreigner higher sums can be required. 1 million baht is not uncommon. But often these demands are so exaggerated that the family agrees to a lower the Sinsod… How high the Sinsod in the end really is, depends also on negotiation skills. If two Thai people marrying together, the families meet to find an agreement… Also an important role for the value of the fiancee plays the factor if she was married already or has children. If this is the case, the Sinsod can be reduced to much smaller amounts. At the end it is only a huge bargain…
It often happens that during the wedding ceremony the Sinsod money is presented only symbolically. The Sinsod is handed over together with gold and jewellery during the ceremony, but in the end the married couple gets the money full or partially back. This can happen not only at Thai weddings, but also at the marriage of a Thai woman and a foreigner …
Sinsod costs overview:
- Girl from Isaan region (unmarried, no children) = 20,000 – 100,000 Baht
- Girl from Isaan region (formerly married + children) = 0 – 10,000 Baht
- Middle-class woman with good job (without children, unmarried) = 100,000 – 300,000 Baht
- Upper-class woman (no children, wealthy family) = 500,000 baht to several million
Is a wedding possible without paying Sinsod
Basically, paying Sinsaod in Thailand is not an obligation but a common and century old custom. Just a few families abstain from it completely, the social reputation would suffer. An important role plays, as already mentioned, whether the girl was already married and / or has children. In this case, it is not common to pay a high Sinsod but even in this case the most families want to see money on the table especially from foreigners. Summarized it is really rare that a foreign doesn’t have to pay for his Thai bride. Only if she is completely alone and has no family anymore you are rid of this thing.
Cost for a Thai wedding – The wedding celebrations
A wedding party is much cheaper in Thailand than in Europe, Australia or the USA. Of course there are some regional differences, so it is much cheaper to marry in the Isaan region than for example on Koh Samui. A really big and normal party without fancy stuff costs about 50,000 – 100,000 Baht. If you want to marry in a 5 star luxury hotel with Sea-View, you have to dig deeper into your pocket. Most of the complete packages are including location, catering, drinks, wedding photographer and even the wedding outfit…
Here are a few examples for costs of wedding celebrations in Thailand:
- Simple wedding celebration in Isaan with the whole village = 20,000 – 50,000 Baht
- Good lavish party on Phuket or Koh Samui = 80,000 – 150,000 Baht
- Upscale celebration in 5 Star hotel = 150,000 baht – 500,000 Baht
On top you must to pay the wedding ring. The wedding ring with a nice diamond shouldn’t be too expensive in Thailand. Depending on the material and design you should calculate between 10.000 to 30.000 Baht for a nice and reputable wedding ring.
Marrying Thai girl – The expenses in total
So, if you marry a girl from Isaan, the Thai wedding will be much cheaper, than marrying a western woman in Europe or the US. Even the wedding with a middle-class women is not too expensive in comparison with the high costs in Europe. Only marrying a high-society girl in Thailand could break you bank. But do not worry, HiSo girls in Thailand do not want marry with a „poor“ foreigner anyway…
- Cost of an Isaan wedding in total = about 100,000 Baht
- Middle-class woman with wedding on Phuket = about 250,000 baht
- HiSo = you don’t wanna know 🙂
By the way, you can find good women in Thailand with ThaiFriendly and ThaiCupid. Sign up for free and find your luck!