"Why does one shop quote ฿3,000 and another ฿50,000?" — a question we hear all the time. The truth is website pricing depends on what's included and what's billed extra. This article breaks down every cost component of building a website in 2026, with example numbers, so you can budget accurately.
The 6 Cost Components of a Website
A website's total cost splits into 2 buckets: one-time fees and recurring fees.
One-time
- Design — UI/UX design, mockups, colors, layout
- Development — Writing the actual code, including responsive behavior and backend wiring
- Content — Copy, images, video for the site
Recurring
- Domain — Your website name, e.g.
yourbiz.com - Hosting — Where the site files live so visitors can reach them
- Maintenance — Updates, bug fixes, ongoing improvements
Cost Table by Site Size
| Site size | Design + Dev | Domain/yr | Hosting/yr | Maintenance/yr | Year 1 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landing Page (1 page) | ฿9,900 | ฿400–500 | Free (Vercel) | ฿0–3,000 | ~฿10,300 |
| Company site (5–7 pages) | ฿24,900 | ฿400–500 | Free (Vercel) | ฿0–5,000 | ~฿25,400 |
| E-Commerce / Booking | ฿49,900 | ฿400–500 | ฿1,500–5,000 | ฿6,000–15,000 | ~฿57,400 |
| Custom Web Application | ฿80,000+ | ฿400–500 | ฿3,000–20,000 | ฿15,000–50,000 | ~฿100,000+ |
Why is hosting free? — Vercel offers a free Hobby plan suitable for personal/small business sites with traffic under 100GB/month (covers most SME sites). You only start paying when you hit enterprise-level traffic or use premium features.
Hidden Costs to Watch For
Many people pay only for the website itself and forget these, then the budget balloons:
1. Content (copy / images)
If you prepare content yourself = no extra cost. But if you have designers/copywriters help:
- Web page copywriting: ฿500–2,000 per page
- Product / portrait photoshoot: ฿5,000–30,000 per session
- Short video production (15–30s): ฿15,000–50,000
2. Payment Gateway (for stores)
| Gateway | Fees | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | 3.65% + ฿11 per transaction | Global |
| Omise | 3.65% + ฿10 | Thailand-focused |
| PromptPay (KPay/SCB) | 0% for transactions under ฿700 | Cheapest for Thai customers |
3. SSL Certificate
Usually free — Vercel/Netlify provide Let's Encrypt automatically. Legacy hosts may charge ฿1,500–5,000/year.
4. Email Hosting
hello@yourbiz.com needs separate email hosting:
- Google Workspace: $6/user/month (~฿2,500/year)
- Zoho Mail: Free (1 user, 5GB) or ~฿800/year/user
Template (Wix/Squarespace) vs Custom Built
| Template (Wix/Squarespace) | Custom Built | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | ฿200–700/month | ฿9,900+ (one-time) |
| Design | Looks like everyone else | Unique to you |
| Speed | Average | Very fast (Next.js) |
| SEO | Limited | Fully optimizable |
| Hosting portability | No | Yes |
| Best for | Quick trials | Real businesses that scale |
Doing the 3-year math: ฿500/month template = ฿18,000 → comparable to a one-time company site build, but the template isn't yours — you can't move it.
Tips to Save Budget
- Start with a Landing Page — test the idea before committing fully
- Prepare content yourself — reduces copy + photo costs
- Use free hosting (Vercel/Netlify) for small sites
- Use free images from Unsplash/Pexels
- Do SEO yourself with Google Search Console (free)
Summary
Minimum budget for a new website in 2026:
- DIY: ~฿1,000/year (domain + free Vercel)
- Hire to build Landing Page: ~฿10,300 year 1
- Hire to build company site: ~฿25,400 year 1
- Online store system: ~฿57,400 year 1
Want a quote tailored to your business? Message DX Development on LINE — free consultation with a clear number within 1 business day.