Journal · 1 min read
Does Furnishing a Rental Condo Pay? Run the Numbers
Before spending on furniture, calculate the return from higher rent and fewer vacant months.
2026-02-06
Whether furnishing a rental condo pays comes down to two things: how much extra rent it commands and how many vacant months it saves. If a full furniture set costs 120,000 baht but adds 3,000 baht a month and rents faster, you recover it in roughly three to four years, usually worthwhile for a long-term hold.
Calculate the Return on Your Furniture
The simplest method is to divide the extra annual rent by what you spent on furniture. If rent rises 3,000 baht a month, that is 36,000 baht a year against 120,000 baht of furniture, roughly a 30% yearly return before wear, and that ignores the value of renting out sooner.
- Extra monthly rent times 12 gives the yearly difference
- Yearly difference divided by furniture spend gives a rough return
- Subtract wear of about 15-20% of furniture value per year
- Add the value of months not left vacant because it rents sooner
Do Not Forget the Cost of Empty Months
The cost people forget is the vacant month with no income while common fees and the mortgage still run. A well-furnished, well-staged unit usually rents weeks faster than an empty one. Saving even one vacant month per lease cycle brings the furniture to breakeven sooner.
What Tips the Investment Toward or Against Paying Off
Location and tenant pool decide it. In areas where renters are professionals or expats, like Asoke, Thonglor, and Phrom Phong, a furnished unit is nearly essential. But where the market skews to very long-term tenants who own their own furniture, a full set may pay off less. Always check what competing units in the same building charge.
Should I furnish fully or only partially?
It depends on the local tenant pool. If renters are professionals or expats wanting to move in with a suitcase, a full set rents faster and for more. But if most units in the building are let with only built-ins, furnishing to that norm is enough and more cost-effective.
How many years to recover the furniture cost?
Typically three to five years if the furniture raises rent and cuts vacancy, shorter than the life of durable pieces like beds and wardrobes that last over ten years. For a long-term hold it usually pays, but if you plan to sell within one or two years you may not recover it in time.