Suvarnabhumi airport exchange rates: how much you really lose
Rates checked: 2026-09-16
Best rate USD · Bangkok: 33.21 — Superrich Thailand — Headquarter Rajdamri 1 → Details
The first money decision of a Thailand trip is made while you are tired and carrying luggage, which is exactly why airport counters can charge what they do.
Three different rates inside one airport
Arrival hall (floor 2). The bank booths you meet as you exit customs. Most convenient, worst rate — typically 2–4% below the city.
Floor B, by the Airport Rail Link. Counters from the major city operators, including Superrich. Rates here are close to the city. If you are taking the train anyway, you walk past them; the detour costs nothing.
The city. Pratunam and Silom are the best in the country, but hauling luggage there on arrival day is not realistic.
The practical rule
Change 3,000–5,000 baht in the arrival hall. That covers a taxi, a meal, and a 7-Eleven run. Change the rest at floor B if you take the train, or in the city the next day.
On a US$1,000 trip budget, taking the whole amount at the arrival-hall rate instead of a city rate costs roughly US$20–40. Not catastrophic, but entirely avoidable.
Don Mueang
Thailand’s low-cost carrier airport follows the same pattern. Booths immediately at arrivals are the most expensive; walking a little further into the terminal or to the connecting walkway usually improves the number.
The ATM alternative
Thai ATMs charge foreign cards a flat 220 baht per withdrawal, on top of whatever your own bank adds. Because it is a flat fee, small withdrawals are punishing: 220 baht on a 5,000-baht withdrawal is 4.4%, but only 0.7% on 30,000.
Always decline the machine’s offer to “charge in your home currency” — that is dynamic currency conversion and it adds 3–8%.
Check the city rate before you land
If you know what the city is paying today, you can judge the airport board in a second instead of guessing. THX publishes live rates for Bangkok and 20 other Thai cities, refreshed every few minutes from the shops’ own websites.