Thai land is measured in wah. One wah is 2 metres, so one square wah is 2 × 2 = 4 square metres. A 70 square wah plot is 280 square metres and a 90 square wah plot is 360 square metres.
A quick comparison
| Plot size | Square metres | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 50 sq wah | 200 sq m | about 13.5 × 15 m |
| 70 sq wah | 280 sq m | about 13.5 × 21 m |
| 90 sq wah | 360 sq m | about 13.5 × 27 m |
| 100 sq wah (1 ngan) | 400 sq m | about 20 × 20 m |
A typical provincial housing estate offers 50 to 60 square wah. Once the house footprint, parking and the legal setbacks are taken out, little is left for a garden.
What the extra land gives you
- A lawn for children to play on, or a large tree for shade
- A Thai kitchen or storeroom at the back without squeezing the house
- Space for a third car, a pickup or a van
- Distance from the fence and the neighbours, for privacy and airflow
Before you compare prices
Do not compare two projects on price per house alone. Divide the price by the plot size to get baht per square wah, and set that beside the usable floor area. Ask how many metres of road frontage the plot has, because a wide plot is far more usable than a deep, narrow one.
