What Is the Average Phuket Condo Maintenance

This guide answers one of the most common questions from foreign buyers in Phuket’s property market: What Is the Average Phuket Condo Maintenance Fee?.

Direct Answer

Common area maintenance in Phuket is charged per square metre per month, and the rate varies more than most buyers expect: roughly 50 to 70 baht per square metre in simpler buildings, and 80 to 120 or higher in amenity-heavy resort-standard developments. On a 50 sqm unit that is a difference of several thousand baht a month, every month, forever.

What drives the rate

CAM funds day-to-day operation: cleaning, security, landscaping, pool service, common-area utilities, lift maintenance and staff. The more there is to run, the higher the rate.

Building type	Indicative CAM	What you are funding
Simple mid-rise, modest facilities	Roughly 50-70 THB/sqm/month	Basic security, cleaning, a small pool
Resort-standard with substantial amenity	Roughly 80-120 THB/sqm/month	Large pool decks, gym, lobby, concierge, extensive grounds
Branded or hotel-operated	Often above 120 THB/sqm/month	Hotel-grade service standards and staffing

The trade is straightforward and worth being explicit about. Amenity drives nightly rate for short-let units, because guests compare pools and photographs. If you are letting nightly, high CAM buying a genuinely attractive pool deck may pay for itself. If you are letting long-term or using the property yourself a few weeks a year, you are paying every month for facilities that are not earning.

What else to budget alongside it

CAM is not the whole annual cost. Add the sinking fund contribution, which is typically a lump sum at first transfer and may be topped up; buildings insurance where it is charged separately; and the Land and Building Tax, which applies nationally at low residential rates but is not nil.

Ask for the all-in year-one cost of ownership in writing, itemised. No answer means no calculation, and the cost surfaces on your invoice rather than in the sales conversation.

The questions that matter more than the average

What was the rate three years ago? CAM rises. A building whose rate has climbed steeply is either improving its service or covering a funding problem, and it is worth knowing which.

What is the owner delinquency rate? A building where a meaningful share of owners are in arrears is under-collecting, and the shortfall lands on those who do pay, through either service cuts or rate rises.

Is the sinking fund adequate for the building’s age? Underfunding shows up as a special assessment when the lifts or the facade need work. On a smaller unit an assessment can exceed a year’s rental income.

Who actually manages the building? The juristic person’s competence determines whether common areas stay presentable, which determines your photographs, which determines your rate. It is the least visible and most consequential factor here.

How to use this when comparing units

Convert CAM to an annual figure and subtract it from your rental projection before comparing two units. A unit with a lower price and higher CAM can be the more expensive one to own over a decade, and the comparison is rarely presented that way on a price list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a typical CAM rate? +

Roughly 50 to 70 baht per square metre per month in simpler buildings, and 80 to 120 or higher in amenity-heavy resort-standard developments. On a 50 sqm unit that difference is several thousand baht every month, permanently.

What drives the difference? +

How much there is to run. Large pool decks, gyms, lobbies, concierge and extensive grounds all cost money to staff and maintain, and that is what separates the two bands.

Is a high CAM worth paying? +

If you let nightly and the amenities drive your rate, frequently yes, because guests compare pools and photographs. If you let long-term or use the property a few weeks a year, you are paying every month for facilities that are not earning.

What else belongs in the annual figure? +

The sinking fund contribution, buildings insurance where charged separately, and the Land and Building Tax, which applies nationally at low residential rates but is not nil. Ask for the total year-one cost of ownership itemised.

What should I ask beyond the current rate? +

What it was three years ago, since CAM rises and a steep climb means either improving service or a funding problem; the owner delinquency rate; and the building's actual collections against actual expenditure, which tells you whether the rate is sufficient.