Bangkok's trendiest, most upscale lifestyle strip — the best restaurants, craft bars, specialty coffee and boutique gyms in the city, with Ekkamai the younger, cheaper next-door alternative.
Thonglor (Sukhumvit Soi 55) is the address for affluent Bangkok — a long soi of design-led restaurants, craft-beer bars, third-wave coffee, boutique fitness studios and a strong coworking scene, popular with well-off Thais, the Japanese community and lifestyle-focused expats. Ekkamai (Soi 63), one stop further out, is its younger, slightly cheaper sibling with the same food-and-coffee DNA.
This is where you live for the lifestyle rather than for transit convenience: the dining and nightlife are the best in the city, and Ekkamai in particular has become a magnet for younger renters and remote workers. The catch is that the good stuff is spread deep down long sois, so plenty of Ekkamai condos sit a 10–15 minute walk from the BTS.
Best for: Affluent professionals, foodies and nightlife-seekers who want Bangkok's best lifestyle strip.
Typical rent: Thonglor 1-beds run ฿22,000–35,000/month; Ekkamai is cheaper at ฿15,000–22,000/month, both on 12-month leases. Walk-to-station, brand-new towers sit at the top of each band.
Transit: BTS Thonglor and Ekkamai sit on the Sukhumvit Line, a few quick stops from the Asok interchange — but check the walk, as many condos are deep down the soi from the station.
Getting around: Bangkok runs on its trains — stay near a station and most of the city is a quick, traffic-free ride. For the full picture on the BTS, MRT, fares, Grab and motorbike taxis, see our getting around Bangkok guide.
If you can afford it and want Bangkok at its most stylish — the food, the bars, the coffee — Thonglor is the prize; pick Ekkamai if you want the same scene for less and don't mind a longer walk to the train. Compare the numbers in our cost-of-living guide and weigh it against the other districts in the neighbourhoods overview.
Yes — Thonglor and Ekkamai are Bangkok's trendiest, most upscale lifestyle strip and suit affluent professionals, foodies and nightlife-seekers. Thonglor is the premium end; Ekkamai is cheaper, younger and just as good for food and coffee.
A Thonglor 1-bed runs about ฿22,000–35,000 per month, while Ekkamai is cheaper at ฿15,000–22,000, both on 12-month leases. New-build, walk-to-station towers sit at the top of each range.
Thonglor and Ekkamai each have their own station on the BTS Sukhumvit Line (BTS Thonglor and BTS Ekkamai), a few quick stops from Asok — though many condos are a 10–15 minute walk down the soi from the platform.