Airport Currency Exchange: How Much You Lose
How much you lose exchanging at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang airport, compared with real rates. An automatic comparison of airport exchange counters against the best in-city rate, calculated from today's live rates. The difference between arrival-hall bank booths and the private exchange shops on the basement floor, how much to exchange at the airport, and rough transport costs into the city.
- 1Arrival-hall bank booths are a bad deal. The private exchange shops on the basement floor (B level), next to the Airport Rail Link station, are close to city rates
- 2Today's difference for 10,000 JPY is −91 ฿ (−4.3%). If the gap is under 2%, it's fine to exchange everything you need at the basement level
- 3On days when the gap is large, exchange only enough to cover transport into the city and your first day (7,000-8,000 yen), and do the rest in the city
It's understandable to want to exchange money as soon as you land. But the common wisdom that "the airport is a bad deal" is only partly true these days. This page calculates today's actual gap so you can judge, in numbers, how much to exchange at the airport.
Airport exchange splits into two, by location
Airport exchange counters fall into two broad types. One is the bank-affiliated booths in the arrival hall and departure level. The other is the private exchange shops on the basement floor (B level) of Suvarnabhumi Airport, next to the Airport Rail Link station.
The arrival-hall bank booths carry high rent and long operating hours as costs, with almost no competition. As a result, their buy rates are noticeably lower than in the city. This is what the "airport is a bad deal" reputation refers to.
The basement floor, on the other hand, hosts private exchange shops from the same chains found downtown, with rates close to the city's most competitive spots. The Happy Rich Exchange rate tracked on this site comes from one of these basement shops. Don Mueang Airport also has a private exchange shop (Cloud Exchange, inside Terminal 2) — it's a bit of a walk, but generally considered better value than the arrival-level bank booths.
On this page, "airport" rates refer to the published rates of private exchange shops. Arrival-hall bank booths aren't listed because their rates can't be collected automatically. Use the "Bank (reference)" row in the table below as a guide to the bank level.
Today's difference, in actual amounts
Here's how much baht you'd receive for the same 10,000 JPY, compared using rates collected at the time shown.
| Location | JPY buy rate | You receive | Diff vs best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Max Exchange Head Office | 0.2141 | 2,141 ฿ | — |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport (Happy Rich) | 0.2050 | 2,050 ฿ | −91 ฿ |
| Don Mueang Airport (Cloud Exchange) | 0.2126 | 2,126 ฿ | −15 ฿ |
| Bank counter (reference) | 0.2092 | 2,092 ฿ | −49 ฿ |
The percentage difference is the key benchmark. If it's under 2%, exchanging what you need at the basement shops does little harm — hunting for a better rate downtown would cost more in time than you'd save. On days when the gap exceeds 2%, exchange only enough for transport and your first day, and do the rest in the city.
Today's difference for 10,000 JPY is −91 ฿ (−4.3%). Skip the arrival-hall bank booths and use the basement exchange shops instead. On days when the gap is under 2%, it's fine to exchange everything you need at the basement level. On days when the gap is larger, exchange only enough to cover 7,000-8,000 yen worth of transport and first-day meals, and exchange the rest in the city.
The minimum amount to exchange at the airport
Here's a rough guide to how much cash you'll need, by mode of transport from the airport into the city. Since November 2025, the Airport Rail Link accepts contactless payment cards issued abroad (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, etc.) at the gates, so no cash is needed there. Cash is needed for onward BTS connections (contactless payment from foreign cards isn't supported — you'll need cash or a Rabbit card), metered taxis, and buses. Ride-hailing apps (Grab and Bolt) accept card payment.
- Airport Rail Link (ARL): 15-45 baht depending on distance. 45 baht to the final stop, Phaya Thai. Contactless accepted
- Connecting to BTS: a few tens of baht. Ticket machines accept coins and notes (20, 50, 100 baht), though some stations still have older coin-only machines, so it's worth having small change
- Metered taxi: meter fare of roughly 250-300 baht + 50 baht airport surcharge + expressway tolls (about 75 baht total across two toll points). Total: 350-450 baht
- Airport bus (S1): 60 baht. Runs from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check the airport's signage for the pickup point
- First-day meals and convenience store purchases: 500 baht is plenty
PR Klook lets you pre-book airport transfers and activities
Even adding it all up, 1,000-1,500 baht is enough. In yen, that's roughly 7,000-8,000 yen.
Don't want to carry cash? Try a Wise card
Once you're in the city
If you're exchanging in the city, it's easiest to start from the BTS/MRT station nearest your hotel. Bangkok's exchange shops cluster around Ratchadamri to Pratunam (near BTS Chit Lom and Ratchadamri), Siam, along the Sukhumvit line, and Silom — all within walking distance of a BTS/MRT station.
- Find exchange shops near a station: shows shops within about 2 km of major BTS/MRT stations, ranked by rate
- Compare Bangkok rates: check the best rates by currency across all shops in the city
- Exchange shop map: find nearby shops on a map from your current location
One thing to watch for: most private exchange shops in the city close around 6 p.m., and quite a few are closed on Sundays. If you're arriving at night or on a Sunday, it's worth exchanging enough at the airport basement level to cover you until the next business day. Each shop's opening hours are listed on its shop page.
FAQ
At the private exchange shops on the basement floor (B level), next to the Airport Rail Link station. Their buy rates are higher than the arrival-hall bank booths, and on most days they're close to city rates.
A rough guide is 1,000-1,500 baht, or about 7,000-8,000 yen, for transport into the city and first-day meals. Ride-hailing apps and the Airport Rail Link accept card payment, so cash is only needed for connecting BTS, metered taxis, or buses.
Many private exchange shops in the city close around 6 p.m., and some are closed on Sundays. Exchanging enough at the airport basement level to cover you until the next business day avoids any trouble.
The rates and amounts in this article are calculated automatically from each exchange shop's published rates, collected by this site every 15 minutes. How the data is sourced and updated