40k Baht Lifestyle

[Gaudente]

I bought chicken thighs last week at Carrefour for 45 Baht a kilo. Pork loin was 65 baht a kilo.

Are you sure of those prices ? In Pattaya Carrefour pork chop is 130 baht/Kg and a whole chicken (about 700gr) is 82 baht.Anyway for sure food expenses will not broke you in Thailand....unless you eat salmon caviar and lobster each day.

[Boo]

As others say your lifestyle will be a major factor. When living in Samui I easily spent 30-40k baht a month by myself but I smoked & was out every night drinking with the girls. When we moved to issan to be near my husbands family we spent less than 20k a month between the 2 of us, as well as the added costs from his family, elect bill for mum, treat money for kids etc (& I rarely cooked) as we didn't go out for than 1 time per week, our rent was down from 10k a month to 2k a month, I had no cable tv & we went to bed at 9pm (like everyone else in the town).

Look honestly at your lifestyle & decide what things, if need be you can sacrifice. (UBC tv, wine??)

[DragonQuest]

you get also get about 20-30 bar girls with 40k a month, but dont count me in on that lol,

honestly though, if thais can live on 6k a month, then i dont see why a farang can live on 30 to 40 to even 50k per month, it all depends on what kind of lifestlye you want.

[jimmy5L]

Thanks for all those interesting posts, I’m similar case (but alone and 10 thousand more baht or so). I think there are many who have around a thousand euros p/m in Europe (US etc.) and thinking of moving to the Thailand for a better life style! In Europe surviving with 1 thousand is a disaster!

So thanks again!

[ProThaiExpat]

I bought chicken thighs last week at Carrefour for 45 Baht a kilo. Pork loin was 65 baht a kilo.

Are you sure of those prices ? In Pattaya Carrefour pork chop is 130 baht/Kg and a whole chicken (about 700gr) is 82 baht.Anyway for sure food expenses will not broke you in Thailand....unless you eat salmon caviar and lobster each day.

Yes I am sure. I bought 10 kilos of each as I had not seen the prices this low in a long while on pork, chicken thighs are often in the 55 baht a kilo range and do dip to 45 as a promotion, Tops calls it a member discount.

I submit that pork chops, for some reason, always cost more in Thailand than loin of pork. I have no idea why as a pork chops with the bone removed is a loin.

Whole chickens costing more than thighs is understandable as you are getting breast meat with all those bones and perhpas there is not as much demand for the whole bird. I rarely see that many whole birds offered for sale in Carrefour as other cuts.

Also, I suspect that overall, grocery prices are more expensive in Pattaya than in Chiang Mai. BKK has to be the most expensive.

As an aside, I spent a year in Australia recently and ate a lot of beef as the price of pork and chicken per kilo was almost the same as beef. Cost conscious shoppers in Australia pay about 10AUD a kilo for beef, chicken and pork on sale, thats roughly 300 Baht a kilo. Beef in Chiang Mai, and we are speaking Thai beef, runs 250 a Kilo minimum and Oz beef is 450 and above.

The point, perhaps obsucured in my writing of my my first post was to suggest that if one were willing to alter ones lifestyle to accomodate the bargains available in Thailand as compared with western countries, much savings could be had. I don't mean going native, just eating, drinking and enjoying the less expensive goods that are readily available.

Example, I rarely buy vegatables at any supermarket, local market vegatables are always less expensive, especially when you have a Thai do your vegatable shopping for you. Buy unrefrigerated and fly covered meat in a local market, I don't think so. In that regard, I freeze all my meats because I think it gives me a small measure of safety, although I have used supermarket meats without freezing and without consequences.

Another savings tip is to buy your bread by special order and in quantity and freeze it. Example: I like high quality bread and found an italian baker who supplies the hotels and better supermarkets. Called him on the phone and made a deal for monthly purchases of his rolls at 25% less than I can get the same role in the supermarkets when they are not sold out of them. He is always trying to get me to try some of the other things he pridefully makes such as foccia, baguettes, etc and he loves to customize his recipes to include imported ingredients, etc. A godsend of a supplier.

Every little bit helps in budgeting, as we all know. As a former COO. overhead management or cost control is in my bones and I just naturally do it in my personal life. My motto these days is that I am not retired, I have a job and that job is getting all the things I need and want, at the least cost.

[johnny7634]

Why not come out on the basis of trial and error.

There is only one sure way to find out if it is within your financial capabilities and that is to give it a go.

Adjust accordingly and look around different areas away from the major tourist places where costs are more reasonable.

We can all offer you good advice based on our experiences but at the end of the day only living here will answer your questions as per your own personal circumstances and expectations.

T.Visa members have already posted some good positive information and being a member yourself will only enhance you stay here along with a multitude of forums at your fingertips on all and sundry

The 2 things that stand out after your Visa requirements that several posters have observed are your rent and your style of living.

If you live in moderation first of all and possibly improve it accordingly later on when you,ve had time to judge for yourself, if you are living beyond your means or not.

Baring in mind there are 2 of you to consider, will it all be compatable relating to culture and possible life style changes to BOTH of you ?

You can rent a reasonable property outside and away from the Bangkoks, Phukets and Pattaya,s for 4-5K with no problem, possibly less if you look around and rent privately.

Short term:-

Stay in a reasonably priced apartment / hotel and take a ride around the area where you should find properties with signs on the gates ( possibly in Thai ) which usually indicate they are available for rent, jut take the Tel.No. and get someone trustworthy who can communicate in Thai and English to help you.

Communicate with the local expats / T.Visa for further assistance and advice, but do not take it at face value / without checking it out.

Theres one option by the way, an apartment which can be low rental and may suit your needs.

Regarding the hidden extras the biggest threat could be medical and it is essential you get a good health insurance to cover this area. ( good doesn,t have to mean to expensive by the way )

Also if you are going to drive any mode of transport, again make sure you get adequate ins. cover and don,t take chances as this could also be really costly should anything happen.

I think you will do O.K. from your O.P. info and will not have to many problems once you adjust and settle in as you are sensible and realistic enough to think before you leap and planning for tomorrow shows good judgement..

Welcome to Thailand and good luck in the future, which ever part you finish up in.

marshbags

P.S.

If it doesn,t work out you can always go back, having been there and done that, as the saying goes, and keep an open mind to all the possible outcomes

Thank you for your good advice and all others on this forum. We will be going to HH. I am sure that the apts we have seen for rent on the net are are showing only the more expensive ones. Once there I am sure we will find more apts to view at a more sensible rent.

Would be nice to meet some members on this forum on a one to one basis. Anyone out there HH?

[johnny7634]

800k Baht at current exchange rate is about 12k GBP. That leaves 28-38k GBP from your lump sum. I would leave that in UK to deal with expenses arising from your property plus you'll need to return occasionally to check up on the property and maybe catch up with friends and family. Also you really must arrange health insurance, you may be in fine fettle now but nobody can predict the future. I don't recall you indicating your age as this will be a major concern but you don't mention state, or private, pensions so I assume you are below the retirement age of 65.

You'll need to bring a reasonable sum with you to cover set up costs. You'll need to cover hotel and I would budget for two weeks. I don't know the rented property scene in HH wrt furnished/unfurnished but you should budget for at least a minimal amount of furniture plus cooking/eating utensils.

Thank you for your reply. We will bear your advice in mind. Innteresting that you are in KL. Some months ago I was looking at Malasyia. No problem with freehold property and a 10 year visa on their MM2H scheme. I would have to sell my property here to do that.

If you can rent a place for under 10k per month that will leave around 30k of which you should aim to put aside at least 5k for unexpected expenses. From the 25k remaining has to come utilities, cable TV, internet connection, phone but these costs will depend largely on your lifestyle.

Say you end up with 23k per month (a figure grasped from the air) that works out at over 750 Baht per day. This is a perfectly feasible sum for two people to live on provided you don't go mad. But you won't be living a western level lifestyle and boredom can quickly set in. There was another thread about budgetting, on there I advised make a plan and stick to it. I would suggest being stingy for five days of the week and allow yourselves two nights out, believe me you'll need them.

You make no mention of travle within Thailand. Do you intend to spend you entire retirement in HH? It would be a pity to do that when the country has so much more to offer. This will knock a hole in your finances, unless you dip into the lump sum.

As I said, it's doable but for how long? A week is a long time in politics and it's a bluddy eternity on limited finances.

Good luck and enjoy Thailand.

[johnny7634]

Some specifics might be helpful.

I bought chicken thighs last week at Carrefour for 45 Baht a kilo. Pork loin was 65 baht a kilo. You do the conversion into your familiar currency and you can then compare with your current costs.

It seems to me if you budget conscious you would eat chicken and pork in Thailand rather than beef, which is far more expensive and not very deliciious. Making these choices as one goes through the budget makes your projected budget doable and enjoyable if your self intertaining.

Clearly your rent will be your biggest expense and the budget consious would opt for a nice home within walking distance of the beach rather than a condo on the beach.

Thank you for your reply. Where in LOS are you?

Cooking at home is the key as your food costs for self prepared food is a third or less than the same thing in a restaurant.

As far as entertainment, we are all different. Many find retirment boring and go back to work as they can't entertain themselves. Many retirees are very busy and do not have a great deal of spare time, all without spending money.

If you don't drink or smoke, your expenses will be considerably lower than for those who do.

If you don't cook, a thai cooking class should be a must do in your first few months. Not only are the ingredients less expensive but you might enjoy learning to cook this way.

As with most things, its up to you to make it work and be happy doing it.

[johnny7634]

As others say your lifestyle will be a major factor. When living in Samui I easily spent 30-40k baht a month by myself but I smoked & was out every night drinking with the girls. When we moved to issan to be near my husbands family we spent less than 20k a month between the 2 of us, as well as the added costs from his family, elect bill for mum, treat money for kids etc (& I rarely cooked) as we didn't go out for than 1 time per week, our rent was down from 10k a month to 2k a month, I had no cable tv & we went to bed at 9pm (like everyone else in the town).

Look honestly at your lifestyle & decide what things, if need be you can sacrifice. (UBC tv, wine??)

Thank you

[November Rain]

As November Rain posted, you might rent in Hua Hin for well under 20K rent per month, away from the beach, etc. Hua Hin's cost of living, however, may be double the cost in some parts of rural Thailand, so it depends on your lifestyle. Don't base your retirement plan upon teaching English in Hua Hin; there aren't many jobs compared to the number of teachers.

Agree totally, PB. Hua Hin isn't the cheapest place to live, I would imagine that any tourist resort is quite a bit more costly than rural Thailand. Also, you're right about not too many jobs for teachers, there are only a couple of schools which employ English speaking teachers (and a TEFL course organisation, so more teachers getting their TEFL than there are jobs). Some hotels occasionally employ English teachers to teach staff. As for your partner's NNEB, johnny 7634, I'm afraid I can't see her getting any nannying or nursery nurse job, here. Maybe teaching young kids at a kindergarten??

Sorry, I'm not trying to be a party pooper, Hua Hin is a nice place to live, but you are going to have to cut your cloth according to your budget. Good luck, though.

[jinjok]

dont beleive anyone that tells you that you must have some huge amount of money to enjoy life in south east asia. prices have indeed jumped - but id been living off b18500 a month incl visa runs for years.

to do this...

modest electricity consumption

live in a small/older flat in pattaya

eat only thai food

drink on the beach, balcony of flat

rarely go out an dput on the dog

never pay bar fine

visa runs are kept under b1700

buy whisky in cambodia

smoke very little if at all

travel these days is minimal unless i up and leave the flat for month/s at a time

horizontal refreshment about eery 5-6 days.

-you have to try it out and see what works for you. always challange yourself to cut expenses. ask...do i NEED that? live simply.

fyi: yeah, i do without. but its this or the workworld. im VERY content despite the small money and even lower rates on usd (although i dont plan to spend long periods of time in thailand for a few reasons anymore).

================

i have heard there are cheapish homes other side of hh for as little as b6000 a month. you have to go and LOOK, find it and see if it works for you. there are 2 nightmarkets to eat in HH.

also you can try prachuap if you can go more rustic/thai. hh is not all that great. its the germans that have driven prices up there. its not so hot and east facing beach, horse poop, jellyfish -but eats are good!

Edited January 28, 2007 by jinjok

[DavidOxon]

My Girlfriend say that we can have a very good life in Thailand on 40k, although we will buy (build) somewhere rather than rent which will mean no rent, but other expenses! We currently live in central London, and if you take our rent out of the equasion then we probably live on 40k here. That includes eating out a couple of times a week, a bottle of wine most nights, travel to and from work, running a car etc.

Her sister is a probabtion officer and earns 10k.

I am lucky in that I can work anywhere with an internet connection, so will hopefully be able to work

in Thailand till my 'nest egg' is sufficient to generate the magic 40k figure (5 years I estimate)

An average decent Thai wage is about 15k, so if you can get your rent costs down, you should have plenty.

Some one once sai to me (in Thailand) there UK pensioners in Thailand living the life of Riley, simply on their stae pensions.

So go for it, just cut your cloth according to your budget.

David

[Ijustwannateach]

My first year in Thailand, I lived on an average of 23K Thai baht A MONTH (excluding the costs of various visa runs). I was living in a suburb just outside of Bangkok in a nice-ish Thai condo (typical 4K a month large aircon bedsit with bad furniture). I had no insurance (and luckily no major medical problems that year) and lived fairly simply (mostly Thai food, exercised at my school field, drank about one bottle of spirits per month, didn't make any major purchases other than a small stereo, fridge, & used computer).

I made a sanity trip into Bangkok once a week, when I would usually eat a nice buffet meal with friends and go to a gym or have a massage.

I was dating one or two guys who didn't make any significant financial demands on me- I paid for meals and movies. Obviously that kind of budget doesn't permit dating the dodgier types.

I even had enough money left over for a few small luxuries, like expensive English language books, real CDs, and so forth. If I hadn't bought these items, I could have saved a couple thousand baht a month.

After the first year, I realised that things couldn't go on this way- for a year as charity work, ok, but further than that without any other kind of financial resources to depend on was just kidding myself. However, I did survive in the manner that I have described, and not unpleasantly.

"Steven"

[lotus eater]

I bought chicken thighs last week at Carrefour for 45 Baht a kilo. Pork loin was 65 baht a kilo.

Are you sure of those prices ? In Pattaya Carrefour pork chop is 130 baht/Kg and a whole chicken (about 700gr) is 82 baht.Anyway for sure food expenses will not broke you in Thailand....unless you eat salmon caviar and lobster each day.

high quality bread and found an italian baker who supplies the hotels and better supermarkets.

I live in Chiang Mai too and would really appreciate knowing where to locate this italian baker - whether or not it turns out to be possible to special deals.

[t.s]

dont beleive anyone that tells you that you must have some huge amount of money to enjoy life in south east asia. prices have indeed jumped - but id been living off b18500 a month incl visa runs for years.

to do this...

modest electricity consumption

live in a small/older flat in pattaya

eat only thai food

drink on the beach, balcony of flat

rarely go out an dput on the dog

never pay bar fine

visa runs are kept under b1700

buy whisky in cambodia

smoke very little if at all

travel these days is minimal unless i up and leave the flat for month/s at a time

horizontal refreshment about eery 5-6 days.

-you have to try it out and see what works for you. always challange yourself to cut expenses. ask...do i NEED that? live simply.

fyi: yeah, i do without. but its this or the workworld. im VERY content despite the small money and even lower rates on usd (although i dont plan to spend long periods of time in thailand for a few reasons anymore).

================

i have heard there are cheapish homes other side of hh for as little as b6000 a month. you have to go and LOOK, find it and see if it works for you. there are 2 nightmarkets to eat in HH.

also you can try prachuap if you can go more rustic/thai. hh is not all that great. its the germans that have driven prices up there. its not so hot and east facing beach, horse poop, jellyfish -but eats are good!

what a life to envy.

[londonthai]

not every farang is a millionaire - and we are talking now about those who are not

[DisainaM]

I would start with a house like this,

http://www.bahtsold.com/detail.php?id=18617

6.500 bt. near Pattaya is ok for the beginning.

If you move to Thailand, don`t invest in moving costs,

leave everything behind, and save the money,

you only need your memories on an external harddisk.

Ask for a second UK passport, should be no problem, if you speak about trips to israel and Syria,

couse may be, you will need it.

Edited February 1, 2007 by DisainaM

[Khun ?]

What about interest on your cash savings, this should come close to paying your rent.

At least you only have a few tears till pension so you do have a viable plan for the future.

It is almost becoming the over 30, on a budget retirement plan now days. You'll just have to fit in and live a bit younger for a few years. Heard Chang Mai is one of the better climates and value for money places without being in the sticks.

Ocean views are nice but a pool with clean unsalted water are much more refreshing for swims.

Get some books on roughing it in the world with a backpack and stay away from the golden years and how to invest for retirement books.

I guess we are turning the clock back to the 40's and 50's where sitting around the porch and not working

was considerd as being re-tired. Good Luck

[johnny7634]

My Girlfriend say that we can have a very good life in Thailand on 40k, although we will buy (build) somewhere rather than rent which will mean no rent, but other expenses! We currently live in central London, and if you take our rent out of the equasion then we probably live on 40k here. That includes eating out a couple of times a week, a bottle of wine most nights, travel to and from work, running a car etc.

Her sister is a probabtion officer and earns 10k.

I am lucky in that I can work anywhere with an internet connection, so will hopefully be able to work

in Thailand till my 'nest egg' is sufficient to generate the magic 40k figure (5 years I estimate)

An average decent Thai wage is about 15k, so if you can get your rent costs down, you should have plenty.

Some one once sai to me (in Thailand) there UK pensioners in Thailand living the life of Riley, simply on their stae pensions.

As I am computer literate ( to a point) it would be interesting to know how you make a living from any internet connection.

So go for it, just cut your cloth according to your budget.

David