zierf1

20,000 baht a month is my budget(US$600 a month). That is pretty comfortable. 5,000 baht/month for food, 3000/month for an apartment, and 400 baht/day for other stuff - loads! Sure you can spend more but you will more than likely end up broke and going back home in no time. I think it is wiser to spend less and be more secure financially. The guys bragging on here about their 100,000+baht/month lifestyles probably don't last very long.

It's a tad generalizing isn't it? I spend near enough to 100,000 a month because I work and have a mortgage.Granted, if people are spending that from minor savings or a pension they'll soon run out of cash but I'm 36 and have a fair few years left to work (I'm not reminding myself how many). I'll be frugal when I have no income other than a pension....not everyone out here is at that age yet you know?

I spend the same amount of money here as I did in my home country. Just have a few more luxuries. I work a lot harder here though then I did back home..

If you have a nice condo and maybe a car 100-120 is easy to go through just living.

Why do people wont to move to Thailand and live in a run down apartment and eat noodles or kow mun Gai all the time. Never understood that.

Same standard of living but I get to live in a different country and have a hot wife. In America I'd be living in run down apartment working at a low wage job and eating processed food all day.

20,000 baht a month is my budget(US$600 a month). That is pretty comfortable. 5,000 baht/month for food, 3000/month for an apartment, and 400 baht/day for other stuff - loads! Sure you can spend more but you will more than likely end up broke and going back home in no time. I think it is wiser to spend less and be more secure financially. The guys bragging on here about their 100,000+baht/month lifestyles probably don't last very long.

Yep it's a family destination.

By immigrant they mean they are trying to take jobs from people in countries they are living in. I don't think many "white" people do that. They aren't even allowed in most cases. And most countries do not allow outside nationalities to become citizens. That IS racist since "white" countries are the only countries giving citizenship to outside nationalities. France allows Algerians to become French citizens but Thailand does not allow a Frenchman to become a Thai citizen.

Income from my job in America: $2000 a month after taxes(hello ladies )I figure half that figure in Thailand(or South East Asia) provides me with the same standard of living as I get in the US. So 35000 baht a month is equivalent to my $30k/year salary in America, which is about the median wage here. For the UK(especially London), you could do it on 1/3 or 1/4th the amount of after tax income and still have the same lifestyle.

It's going to .75 cents.

I'm looking to live half in both countries. One year in the US and one year in Thailand then back again every other year. I guess I'll take a job when I come back to the US to keep myself busy and bring in some income. I realize this is a pretty unconventional lifestyle. But I miss my parents too much to live in Thailand and not come back every so often. Anybody else do this? I'll be living with my parents so no housing issues. What about taxes? Will I be able to write off my income I'll be making online in Thailand since I won't be living in the US every other year? I'll be self employed in Thailand then when I come back to the US I'll be working at a job. I'm currently working at a job in the US but once I've got about $50,000 cash saved I'll be heading back to Thailand.

That is plenty of money. Ignore these other troll posts. They are blowing their funds on bargirls and expensive restaurants. A Thai(and most other people in developing countries)can live on 10,000 baht a month(which is probably the median wage) and be happy. So can you.

Have these people ever heard of banks?

Um, shouldn't this guy have thought this out before he moved to Pattaya?

I can get by in Thailand on 100 baht per day and have many times in the past when I was broke and living on an expired visa in Pattaya on the beach(half homeless). 1,000 baht/day is plenty trust me!

Won't devalue so numbers will keep getting worse..

Most of us did spreadsheets when we moved here with our home currencies. Despite having transferred significant AUD parcels at anything from 29.8 to 27.5 baht over the last 10 months, my 'cut and run' figure was 23.5 baht when I did my crystal balling in April 2014. The Aussie dipped below 77 US cents yesterday and the TT rate at my Thai bank is below 25 baht - I'll give it a couple of days to settle down but right now that 23.5 figure is a lot closer than I thought it would be this quickly, if that makes any sense.

I am under no illusions re Cambodia or anywhere else in the region - it's often swings and roundabouts when you start looking at prices - but at least if I'm buying USD I should be buying into a currency that's on the way up. I guess the continual doomsaying re property and household debt here have eroded my confidence in the baht. Still, at this point in time 100K baht will get me ~3K USD and that's looking awfully good right now.

Of course, said doomsayers are heppy to predict the demise of the world economy, but if that happens we're all screwed anyway. Think happy thoughts.

Heheh. Just wait 'til AUD goes to 15 baht(coming soon to a theatre near you thanks to the surging $USD). Won't see many Aussies in Thailand after that..

Living i Thailand you really don't need a car or motorbike.Most people who have these things are "bloody lazy " i walked 15 Km every day (and that was just taking it easy...) if you don't like walking then invest 500 baht in a secondhand bicycle.Great climate and good for you! i haven't watched TV in 25 years either! (what a waste of time...) i only shave once a week (it keeps my overheads nice and low ) The world is full of materialistic people who don't realize that living as a Minimalist can make you a happier and better person!

Greetings to you all viewers (Sitting in my Porsche 911 Turbo....)

F.J x

Great idea. A little bike is all a guy needs to get to bigc. I personally walk 100% of the time everywhere in Pattaya from my 3000 baht/month fan room. I prefer not to use motorbike taxis as they like to overcharge me thinking I'm a 2 week millionaire.

I have never been with a farang lady. Only Asian ones. Some reasons..

Farang ladies would probably want me to have a huge income(I don't)

There are very few young farang ladies where I live in the US or they are hiding somewhere. Maybe it is due to the aging demographic(don't know)

Lots of fat and older farang ladies but few young slim ones(see above)

The young ones who are pretty have thousands of men competing for them and they are super picky

I'm visiting home at the moment (Belgium). Every time I go to an Aldi or Lidl I get reverse sticker shock. A kilo of cheese for 5 Euros, wine starting at 2 euros a bottle and very decent ones at 4-5 euros, a kg of apples for 2 euros, etc. Yesterday I saw a coffee maker for 7 Euros. Had a pair of shoes completely resoled and looking like new for 16 Euros by a real shoemaker with professional pride (he's in his 80s and been doing this for 70 years -- no shoddy work for that guy). Annual checkup at the dentist is 25 Euros and sometimes he treats me for free (OK, that's not the norm even here but unthinkable in Bangkok). I had a small medical procedure done by a physician for 50 Euros where in Bangkok I paid 5,500 Baht for the same last year. Rent in Brussels would be fairly similar (I pay 42,000 Baht for a 2-bedroom condo -- 1,000 Euros in Brussels would get me something of a similar standard).

In the near term I like living in Bangkok and not everything in life is about money, but there's no doubt that my financial situation would improve vastly by moving back to Belgium or elsewhere in Europe. I recognize we all have very different personal living situations, but this is mine as a middle-aged guy in a professional job in Bangkok, living a Western lifestyle.

Sounds like Belgium is very expensive. I can find a nice 2br condo where I live in my country for under 700 euros/month. Entire houses can be rented for 400 euros/month. US is quite cheap. Probably cheaper than Thailand in many cases.

150 pounds. That's 7,500 baht. Apartment I'm currently looking at is 3,500 baht a month for a studio flat and it's in a non-touristy area. That figure gets tv, aircon, fridge, everything. I'm guessing India is not so cheap since I can get cheaper apartments in Thailand.

Good electronics, quality razors, wine, cheese, etc.. You know, stuff that's expensive to buy in Thailand.

I can't remember when I have heard so many cheap charlie tales. I wish all of you luck, and hope you keep thinking you are enjoying yourselves. I could not live that way and wouldn't 't want to.

Not everyone has 5000USD per month to retire on; It never ceases to amaze me when all the snobs show up on these threads saying they couldn't live on 1,500 USD per month in Thailand, etc...

It's not about being a "Cheap Charlie" it's about finances and not everyone will have several thousand a month to retire on.

Myself, I can live fine on 1,800 USD in CM since I don't drink or partake in bar girls.

Is that what these guys are spending their money on - booze and broads?

I spend just $300 USD a month in the US since house is paid for. I'm amazed people say you can't live on xx amount in Thailand. I could live on 100 baht a day in Thailand and have many times. I think most of them are blowing their funds on bargirls or overpriced cars/houses. $1500 a month in Thailand and I live very luxuriously on that with my wife. We eat out every day at Thai restaurants and have plenty for evenings on Walking Street, trips to Chiang Mai, etc.

By the way, nothing against the minimalist point of view, but how many of them actually qualify for retirement either by the 800K baht on deposit or the 65k Baht income method? I am suspecting many would not qualify. And since the 800K baht on deposit method is fairly straight forward to verify, I will assume that they are less than honest on the 65k/month part they are affirming at their embassy

Half of the people in my country(USA) don't even make 65k a month so isn't such an income requirement quite elitist? I personally get by on $10 a day in America(10k baht/month) since my house is inherited. I'm not starving at all.

What exactly is the connection between income levels in the US and miinimum income levels required of a foreigner to stay in Thailand? And why should be interested in how little you live on in the US? As far as I am aware this thread is about scraping along in dear old Pattaya or rather those who choose to scrape along in tramp-like fashion, like a friend of mine who walks around in threadbare shirts, you know the ones, tears, holes and rips and says in response to the accusation that they look awful that the said item is 'comfortable'.

Because 65k a month is beyond what many guys have. Simple as that. My wife gets by on 10k a month and she isn't starving so why does Mr. Foreigner need 65k a month?

By the way, nothing against the minimalist point of view, but how many of them actually qualify for retirement either by the 800K baht on deposit or the 65k Baht income method? I am suspecting many would not qualify. And since the 800K baht on deposit method is fairly straight forward to verify, I will assume that they are less than honest on the 65k/month part they are affirming at their embassy

Half of the people in my country(USA) don't even make 65k a month so isn't such an income requirement quite elitist? I personally get by on $10 a day in America(10k baht/month) since my house is inherited. I'm not starving at all.

Transport is cheap in that you don't even need a car to get around. There are many places you can just walk everywhere. Saves me a bundle. Do you realize the cost of car ownership these days? In America, I must use a car to get everywhere which is very annoying and expensive. The only places with decent transport are Manhattan and some dangerous inner city areas. In Thailand, I always walk or use baht buses or tuk tuks.

Right now I live with my mom, she is working here but she wants to go back in a couple of years and I go to school for free. At first I was super-motivated to be an engineer or something, but now I lost all that and I just want to learn some useful skills such as fixing autos, I don't have any passion left for school.

Somehow or another, you have to get a grip on yourself. I have Thai friends in Thailand who

would do almost anything to be in your shoes. It seems you don't fully appreciate the incredible

opportunity you are THROWING away. A couple years in Thailand and you will be kicking

yourself saying "what the HELL was I thinking??". The decisions you make now will affect

the rest of your life. You have the opportunity to get a computer engineering degree and

eventually make twenty times the money you would EVER make in Thailand. When things

get tough in this world and you are scraping by on a few baht here and there, you will HATE

yourself for abandoning this opportunity, especially if you want to have a family and kids some day. Think of that too. Sure, I realize America can be boring at times, but so can being at the bottom of the rung, scrounging for bits of food and shelter and depending on the kindness of others.

Get tough and force yourself to get through this. It will pass faster than you can imagine.

Somehow you have to find the inner strength to make this go right. Or would you rather

be working in some go-go bar in Pattaya, selling yourself to some fat farang for 500 baht?

Sure, you believe that's never going to happen to you. Just wait until things get difficult

in Thailand.... you might be whistling a different tune. Just remember all the people in

Thailand who would jump over almost any obstacle to trade places with you. Time to grow up.

"You have the opportunity to get a computer engineering degree and eventually make twenty times the money you would EVER make in Thailand."

OR he could have the opportunity to get himself into a mountain of debt with no job like more and more kids in his generation. A lot of people graduating college these days are working at Starbucks(!)