Is It Safe to Drink Water in Thailand? Let’s Find Out!

Everyone, no matter tourist or expat, has wondered if drinking tap water in Thailand is safe.

In fact, it’s one of the most popular questions we’ve received since launching ExpatDen nearly a decade ago. 

Well, there’s a good reason why so many people ask this question: water is an important part of our lives and we probably consume more of it under Thailand’s scorching sun than anywhere else.  

In this guide, you’re going to find out the detailed answer to this question, including whether it’s safe to drink the tap water and free water and ice from local food shops and restaurants. You’ll also get some insider tips about what you can do to ensure you’re drinking clean water in Thailand.

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Can You Drink Tap Water in Thailand? 

You shouldn’t drink tap water in Thailand. While it’s generally okay to use for showers or brushing your teeth, tap water isn’t safe to drink even in a modern city like Bangkok.

While the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA), the main organization handling water in Bangkok and metropolitan areas including Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi, published a report in 2023 saying that it’s safe to drink tap water, I haven’t heard of anyone in Thailand who drinks tap water without boiling it first.

There are two main reasons: 

• Smell of chlorine 
• Fear of contamination from rusty water pipes or leaks

Because of this, you shouldn’t drink tap water anywhere in Thailand, including at a hotel. Even if it’s a 5-star hotel, avoid the tap and drink bottled water instead. 

How to Get Safe Drinking Water at Home

There are three popular ways to get drinkable water at home.

Buy Bottled Water

The first method is simple. Just buy bottled water from the convenience store or supermarket. It’s cheap, In fact, a 1.5-liter of bottled water can cost less than THB15. 

Since online delivery services in Thailand are now found in almost all regions, you can use an app from 7-Eleven or Tesco to order bottled water online and have it delivered to your home, with free delivery. 

But the problem with this method is that it isn’t eco-friendly. You will consume a lot of plastic bottles, which will add to Thailand’s on-going issue with plastics. 

Use a Water Filter 

You can buy a water filter online from Lazada or Shopee or get one from HomePro or ThaiWatsadu and attach it to your kitchen faucet.

This method is more cost effective than buying bottles of water, especially if you use a lot of drinking water. It’s also the most popular way to filter tap water among families in Thailand. 

There are two main water filtration systems available:

• Ultrafiltration (UF) system: a multiple-stage filtration process that filters out viruses, bacteria, macromolecular organics, particles, and silt. But it does leave behind traces of salts and organic dissolved organics. 
• Reverse osmosis (RO) system: a filtering process that requires more equipment than a UF system. But it filters many more minerals as well, including salts and dissolved organics.

In my opinion, the UF system is sufficient if you live in a city that provides quality tap water and you want to retain some minerals such as magnesium. But if you live in a rural area, or you want to know for sure that the water you’re drinking is pure, go with the RO system. 

A bottom-of-the-line UF water filtration system starts as low as THB1,500. But this will get you a basic three-stage filtration system. Top-of-the-line filtration systems with UV lights can cost as much as THB20,000 or more. 

No matter which filtration system you choose, it will include everything you need to attach it to your kitchen faucet. If you have some basic plumbing skills, you should have no problem installing it.

You might have to clean your water filter occasionally depending on the type you get. And you should also change the filters every six to 12 months, but this also depends on how often you use it.  

Subscribe to a Water Filtration Service

If you don’t want to install a water filter yourself, you can use a company like CoWay or AmWay to do it for you. 

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There are four benefits with using this method:

• You’ll most likely get an RO water filtration system 
• Installation is free
• The company changes your filters and cleans your system every two to three months
• You might get both hot and cold water filtration

While it’s convenient, you’ll probably wind up paying more in the end as opposed to installing a three-stage water filter. Prices start at THB500 per month. 

Public Filter Water Dispensers 

You can find filter water dispensers in many public areas throughout Thailand, especially in residential areas with many apartment buildings. These dispensers sell filtered water for THB1 per liter. 

While it’s cheap, you might want to avoid using them.

These dispensers are connected to the building’s water supply and use their own water filtration system. These systems are often overlooked, depending on how well maintained the building is. 

In fact, according to research conducted by MWA in 2018, the water quality from these water dispensers can be worse than tap water due to the lack of maintenance or cleaning. 

Therefore, it’s best to avoid using them. 

Drinking Water Inside Restaurants

Many restaurants in Thailand give you free water. In most cases, it’s tap water, which is unsafe to drink. 

While it may not cause serious long-term health issues, you can get diarrhea from drinking tap water at restaurants. And this goes for ice as well.

Here are two good guidelines to follow when eating at restaurants: 

• Avoid free water and ice
• Always drink from bottled water

While you’ll see many Thais drinking restaurant water without issues, it’s because they’re used to the local bacteria, while it may take some time for you to get used to it. 

Boiling Water

While you shouldn’t drink tap water, it’s commonly used for cooking. This is common practice with local food shops and restaurants in Thailand, as boiling kills bacteria and other microorganisms, making it safe for cooking or drinking. 

Hot and Cold Beverages 

When it comes to beverages, those made with boiling water, such as coffee, tea, and cocoa are generally safe to drink. The boiling process ensures that any harmful microorganisms are eliminated. 

On the other hand, for smoothies, fruit juices, and iced drinks — all commonly found throughout Thailand — you need to exercise caution. While they are generally safe to drink because a majority of vendors use purified factory-made ice or filtered water, contamination can still occur in less cleaner environments.

So, observe the cleanliness of the vendor’s setup. If the area looks tidy and well-maintained, it’s likely safe to enjoy your drink. If not, it’s better to avoid the shop altogether.

What to Do if You Get Diarrhea? 

According to the Thai Travel Clinic, diarrhea is the most common illness among travelers to Thailand. In fact, some visitors will get an upset stomach, diarrhea, or even food poisoning from eating contaminated food. 

If you happen to get diarrhea during your trip in Thailand, here’s what you should do. 

• For minor diarrhea, visit a local pharmacy. You can find them throughout Thailand, and they carry diarrhea medicine. Alternatively, you can buy activated charcoal like Air-X from any convenience store. 
• If it gets worse, you should go to a hospital right away. You can get some medicine and an IV to keep your body hydrated, as you’ll be losing lots of fluids if you have diarrhea. 

While the cost of a hospital visit in Thailand is generally affordable, severe cases of diarrhea that require hospitalization could cost at least THB15,000 per night for a standard private hospital. 

If you don’t want to risk getting sick and having to pay out of pocket, you should get travel insurance. Diarrhea from traveling is normally covered by travel insurance plans. 

Use Safe and Not Sorry to find travel medical insurance for only a few dollars a day and get a minimum of US$100,000 in emergency coverage. 

Now, on to You

To summarize this article:

• It’s not recommended to drink tap water or eat ice in Thailand, especially from local shops that provide it for free.
• It’s always recommended to drink bottled water.
• If you want to drink smoothies or fruit juices, make sure the vendor runs a clean shop.
• If you live in Thailand, you can buy bottled water, install a water filter, or use a professional service. 

But no matter the precautions you take, things still do happen. It’s always a good idea to take out insurance when traveling to Thailand. It can save your life (and your pocket) if you have a medical emergency. Or, at the very least, it gives you peace of mind knowing you’ll be covered. 

Read more: How to Pick the Best Travel Insurance for Your Thailand Trip