zierf1

Yeah, it's gotten way too expensive. Too many mass package tourists, too much crime and too much traffic. It's overdeveloped. I can't even imagine what it must be like now with all the Chinese tourists all over the place. I think I'll give it a miss on my next trip to Thailand.

That's more money than I've made in my entire lifetime(I'm 34 now). I guess I could make it last the rest of my life if I spent about 30,000 baht a month. I currently only spend about $10(300 baht) per day.

There are a lot of expats out there who would kill to have a job offer that pays 65,000b/m.

I'm guessing a lot of westerners would kill for that in their own countries as well.

Are you in IT? Are you a "westerner" or just spouting off?

You realize how 65,000 baht breaks down. 65k/34k baht to the dollar = 1,911 baht per month. Divide that say 40 hours a week at 4 weeks = $11.94 an hour.

Do you know that you can work stock shelves at a Home Depot for that much.

I know not a single decent developer that would work for those scrappings. Even freelancers on sideline gigs would be around that with no deadlines or promises how the code would look.

I think his employer is a fool for paying him that much. 30k a month would be a good amount for that line of work considering most Thais will work very hard for 7-8k a month. Not hard at all to learn how to write a few lines of code. That stuff can be learned in a few months tops. In fact, you could hire some unskilled monkeys off the street and teach them how to code. Start them off at 7-8k a month and then pay them 20-30k after a few years on the job. His employer is flushing baht down the drain. Must be another dumb foreigner who thinks 65k a month is a good deal.

are you a coder now ? as if you inspire to be in just 2 years ? or you mean one of them out of a ten thousands that makes silly websites that all look the same ?

work permit might be an issue and all you need is one angry (thai) customer or a jealous neighbor or friend and it is all over

Easy to take some classes / learn some code. NOT so easy to get a first job. That takes serious connections. If you don't 'know' anybody, you're out of luck. I'd imagine getting a software type job is not an easy thing to do. Similar to getting a job on an oil rig.

Comeon man. Stealing good jobs from Thai people. Shame on you! And I'm sure a Thai would work for less money than that.

I don't know why people are so afraid to return to their home countries. Your home country is not going to bite you if you return(unless you have some sort of serious legal problem).

I cannot be a teacher. I simply don't have the personality. Wanted to live in Thailand just like you. Took me several hard years to figure out how to earn a living 100% online. I was eating 5 baht noodle packs and living in a sweaty fan room while I worked from sun up to sun down on my laptop. Hardest part is getting to that $1,000 a month figure. If you can reach just half of that, you can live in Thailand as a digital nomad, albeit not luxuriously.

Are you that guy that asked a question about overstaying his visa 10+ years?

I don't even spend that much in the US, which is a VERY expensive country to live in. I've always figured that about half of a typical net wage in the West would be enough to live on in Thailand due to the lower living costs. That would be about US$1250 a month. Remember, it's only "cheap" when you're spending a western currency. If you have to make a living in Thailand, it's not so "cheap".

Which bar did you find her?

I'm making money selling services/digital products. Not on ebay though.

Speaking just for Chiang Mai...

• It's cheap
• It's warm
• People smile at you
• You can get by speaking just English
• The food is excellent
• Thai massage is like $4 for an hour
• The laws are lax
• Visas are easy to get
• The girls are pretty
• The expat community is large and fairly diverse

If Chiang Mai don't make you happy, probly ain't nowhere gonna make you happy.

Just for comparison:

I can live in the US for about the same. I can live in a warm area. People smile at me. Virtually everyone speaks English. Food is varied and excellent. Can't outdo the Thai massage, but I don't like massages anyways. The only "lax" I see about laws is that if anything happens, you're always at fault. Oh, and you can speed. I don't need a visa. Maybe not quite as many, but still a lot of pretty girls. The expat community is pretty much everyone I meet. And let's see, you can actually walk down the sidewalks, people stop at red lights, the geographical scenery is much more diverse (really, when I travel through Thailand it's pretty much rice fields, corn fields, a village, repeat as needed). So although I agree with you, I point out that much of what we have here we can have in other places, and perhaps in many areas even better.

What are you smoking, sir? You can only polish a turd so much. America has a lot of pretty girls? That's ridiculous! Unless you are into "BBWs"..

In Thailand I feel truly free. In America, it's just a bunch of political rhetoric.

In America I don't even bother chat up a female. It's as if I don't even exist to them. I get to Thailand and the girls are all over me. It's an upside down world.

Look at it this way. You can get a one room flat for 2k a month in CM so do the math. 10-15k a month is doable for a single person. Add another 10k for each family member. 15k + 10k + 10k = 35,000 baht x 12 months = 420,000 baht p/m or US$12,500 /year. Add school fees on top of that.

Why don't these idiots just stay home? Instead, they run the dumbest scam ever and inevitably get caught.

Stayed at a place on Soi Bongkot opposite Nick the pizza a long time ago. Had aircon and internet. Pretty basic room. Think I paid about 4,000 baht for 1 month there. There is a 7/11 just outside and a mini tesco on that road now that they recently built. Only problem is its a bit away from the action so you will need a motorbike.

Cheers Xtra is good stuff and cheap. Alcoholics love it.

Red Horse is really nasty but it's great if you're on a budget. I have drank it and could barely finish a single bottle.

Get a wife or live in to handle the finances.

Is Switzerland a US colony? Their behavior suggests so.

You don't need a car I walked everywhere in Pattaya for many years. Lived in a fan room ate sticky rice with chang beer daily. Total beach bum lifestyle but didn't waste money on transport. Wrecked my motorbike (drunk driving)before so I stopped riding them.

Problem is, we need those poor people to keep the cost of living low. Imagine if the cheapest apartment you could find was 25,000 baht a month and a meal at a cheap restauarant was 400 baht. The problem we have in the West is that the cost of living has run out of control(i.e. 100k baht amonth apartments, 150k baht hospital visits, etc.) due to all the rich people inflating everything. It's why I cannot afford to live in the US anymore.

basically 20'000 baths a month.

that should cover

room or small condo

food

health insurance

visa

and some pocket money to buy cigarette , candies, and a few toys

20,000

You will be pinching pennies.

I live on less in America. Could do it on half that in Thailand(10k/month). 2k for a room, 4k for food, etc.

Freelance work aka "digital nomad".

Easy to get a job in the US now. But the pay will be lousy. I recently came back to my home in rustbelt Ohio and scored a $700/week job at an auto plant assembly line. No job experience required. Apartments here are about $450 a month which is a lot more than I was paying in Thailand. Winters are bleak in the midwest so ideally we'd come just for visits and to eat some American food . I really miss the food and don't want to leave just yet. I'm staying to save up some money for us to buy a nice condo when I return to Thailand. My wife could work in the US but no reason for that. Our basic living expenses are paid for.

I'm in a similar situation as you are. Chiang Mai is not only lower cost but there's less temptation to waste money at the bars. In Chiang Mai, I can find a nice studio(brand new with airconditioning) for 3,500 a month. Can't do that in Pattaya. Pattaya is a ripoff! On the other hand, Chiang Mai is a rather dull place. So pick your poison.