Thailand is famous for its markets, small street vendors and local travel scenes. While the country is digitizing rapidly, cash is still king for the majority of small vendors. If you are planning to travel to Thailand, it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with local currency ahead of time. Also related to payments, we also covered a topic on how to transfer your money to Thailand in another post. Learn more about Thailand coins, their appearances and value in this article!
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Value range
Thailand predominantly uses 8 types of coins which range from 10 satang (0.1 baht or ~0.003 USD) to 10 baht (~0.3USD). In Thailand, 1 baht consists of 100 satang, putting it in dollar terms this is similar to 1 dollar containing 100 cents.
Here is a list of Thailand coins and their values (from largest to smallest)
- 10 baht coin
- 5 baht coin
- 2 baht coin
- 1 baht coin
- 50 satang coin
- 25 satang coin
- 10 satang coin
Almost all transactions you make in Thailand are rounded up to the nearest 0 decimal places or whole numbers. This is why you will not encounter satang coins very often. However since the smallest bank note in Thailand is 20, you will likely end up with a bag of 1 to 10 baht coins during your travel! Your next question might be: how can you tell these coins apart? First all coins are labelled by number. Secondly they all have different shapes and colors. We will go into more details in the following sections.
Thailand silver coins
In general, silver coins represent whole baht coins including 1 baht, 2 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht. The only exception is the 10 baht coin, where the silver 10 baht coin has a golden section in the middle – making it the biggest and thickest Thailand coin.
The 5 baht coin is roundish but its design will make the coin look nonagon. The 2 baht coin is the newest and rarest among common coins in Thailand. The government issued the 2 baht coin in 2005, making it the newest coin among the rest. The 1 baht coin is the smallest, round shaped silver Thailand coin.
Thailand gold coins/copper coins
Thailand cents or satang coins are generally gold or copper in color. Although some satang coins are meant to be yellow gold, as the coin gets older, the color might dim. Hence, they may appear darker yellow instead. Satang coins include 50, 25 and 10 satang coins. All coins are round in shape with 10 satang coins being the smallest.
Older Thailand coins
The history of these coins dates back to 1857 when Queen Victoria of England gave a small coining machine to King Rama the 4th. Following that, the first series of flat “Siamese” coins were then produced in 1860.
More on the history of Thailand coins here.
Is it still relevant in Thailand?
The use of Thailand coins is getting less frequent these days but it does not mean they are obsolete. These coins are still popular among vendors in rural areas or smaller cities in Thailand. Therefore, understanding these coins is important so that you know how to use them for transactions while you are in Thailand.
Learn more about travelling to Thailand with us!