1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

OP, the only thing that could make a big difference would be buy rather than rent. A chunk of your savings now and eventually live rent free etc. If you are dipping into savings (earning 3%) every month to pay the rent, maybe those savings are better off in a property here that indirectly pays your rent forever. I have a condo I bought 3 years ago and what I have not spent in rent so far, adds up to half the condo purchase price, For the last 3 years I haven't been dipping into savings.

 

If you want to feel good about your expenses, join a couple of the pattaya sexpat/2 week millionaire facebook groups, regular discussions going on about 10,000 baht a day budgets.

Along the same lines but decided to buy the GF a guesthouse / café. I know, don't even start. Actually worked out well, spent 1.2M on the biz and went from out of pocket 100K/month to zero. It's been one year so I cracked the nut and the GF has a place she works hard and she is proud. If I decide to leave she will be better off than when I arrived which is cool. Everything is better with her working so no reason to not hang out here since it basically costs me nothing while my passive income/retirement ends up reinvested each month. Don't understand all the bitterness directed toward Thai women. My GF is the hardest working female I have ever been around and I have had a few who worked hard. If you end up with a dud guess who's fault that is?

I'm living here on 75,000 baht/month. I could probably cut back to 40K-50K baht a month if I cut out some of my more extravagant outlays. However, I don't see why I should - my income matches my expenditure, without loss in capital.

I do know one American who was living here on about 4000 baht a month while he waited for his Social Security pension to come through. He did say he was licking up ants from the floor for the protein.

24 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

I was just thinking about this topic again while i had my coffee.  I think its up to you, what you can live on.  No one can tell you what is the correct amount.  Perhaps you can live in a hut with a fan and out door toilet and eat mama noodles 3 times a day and go without health insurance and the like.  I was trying to break down my budget as it would be for a single guy.  If i was in bangkok or pattaya. 

 

15K Rent

30K food

30K whores and beve

10K snuss

10K health insurance

4K electric

900 baht my post paid AIS phone

900 baht internet

300 water

10K other stuff visas, transport etc etc.

 

Hope this helps you out. 

 

Where are you signed up for health insurance @ 10K, mine is abit more, thanks?

 

Mine is:

   12,000 baht rent for a 3 floor townhouse in a gated community at what will be E21 (about 5 stops after Bearing) stop on the green line (Bangkok).

   1,100ish for highish speed internet. (I think it is maybe 100/30)

   5,000 - 6,000 baht electricity

   80 - 100 baht water

   pay as you go for phone

   and usually about 3,000 to 6,000 baht on food a month (depending on street food vs cooking mix).  

 

I don't feel I live overly frugal, I just decided I never took advantage of living right down in the heart so moving out was more logical.  I live about 15 minute walk to large malls, 15 minute walk to downtown market or downtown.  And once the line starts operating about 12 minute walk to the skytrain and about maybe 25 to 30 minutes to where I use to live.

12 hours ago, Psimbo said:

My budget is none of your business but how about reading one of the MANY threads on this subject?

 

It's been done to death.

If you have nothing of value to contribute....don’t contribute 

4 minutes ago, JAZZDOG said:

Where are you signed up for health insurance @ 10K, mine is abit more, thanks?

Its an estimate, right now i pay 7000 USD to CIGNA out of Ireland.  But that covers me and the three kids zero deducable.  I figure 4000 USD of that is me, it could be less, i don't really know.   so yeah 10K baht a month.

House Rent have car and motorcycle usually 38000-55000 per month

3 bed, 3 baht house rental 14k

3BB 631.30, TV 400, AIS 400  = 1831.30

Elec + Water 3k with air running

Food is biggest expense, have 2002 CR-V and new Aerox 155

 

I am topping out at 65,000 baht expenditure a month but the new bike was dipping into capital. Medically self insured mostly. Yank drawing $1250.00 USD Social Security and draw an additional $1250.00 from retirement funds.

36 minutes ago, JAZZDOG said:

1 hour ago, jimmyyy said:

30K whores and beve

10K snuss

10K health insurance

4K electric

900 baht my post paid AIS phone

900 baht internet

300 water

10K other stuff visas, transport etc etc.

 

Hope this helps you out. 

 

Where are you signed up for health insurance @ 10K, mine is abit more, thanks?

Where are you signed up for whores (with bev) @ 30K, mine (no bev) is a bit more, thanks?

Being in the wrong currency an the wrong time has been the single biggest expenses in the last 2 years and continue relentlessly with each uttering from the millionaire politicians ugly mouths.? 

sounds like you are living pretty inexpensively... how much would a similar lifestyle cost you back home?

8 hours ago, johnmell said:

Wow, all these people who dont drink or smoke. Im impressed.

What about the third vice? 

It's me my wife and 2 children. I don't drink or smoke.  I just do as I please. We have a car and a pickup plus a car that I have been rebuilding [hobby]. We eat out most of the time and if we want something we just usually buy it. We go through B75,000/mo.  Easily...

13 hours ago, Psimbo said:

My budget is none of your business but how about reading one of the MANY threads on this subject?

 

It's been done to death.

Flippant, rude and useless replies have also been done to death.

Edited July 29, 20187 yr by ColeBOzbourne

I am single, live alone in Naklua

Don’t smoke, drink rarely

Rent 10,000

elect 2,000

housekeeper 4,000

immigr 800

fuel for car 4,000

no health insur (can’t get it)

food eat in 8,000

food eat out 10,000

gym 3,500

 

9 hours ago, dallen52 said:

I was simply asking for an insight. 

Not your own personal lifestyle. 

 

Thanks I will look into it for ideas..

Well your expenses are reasonable except your rent I would say, you could have a good ask about and get something at half what you pay.

Little bit tricky for me to say, I've been here 9 years now, when I first moved here, it was tough as I didn't move on retirement funds or pension but savings of a 20yr old... but thankfully the hard work on the business has paid off.

 

3 years ago I bought my house with my fiance, so we don't have any rental costs, and no mortgage. Business is also run from home so power/net is a bit high.

 

12k groceries / month

25k eating out /month

8k power / month

3k internet / month

2k health insurance / month (first year buying)

3k transport, taxis / month

10k misc / month

total: 63k /month

 

Every 3 months i travel out and have a short holiday 3-5 days generally, that costs 50-100k

 

Since I am fortunate to earn well over that, i don't really budget, and anything that I want, I usually just purchase it, but mostly investing and saving for retirement as i don't think in 30 years time I will get a pension.

 

 

You will find a big scale of budget here in the LOS, as you would in any other country. The more money you have, the better the quality-of-Life. Important that you have medical insurance. The replies to this post are plentiful. Good luck! You might apply these percents to your budget to see how it would work out for ya.

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

Where are you signed up for whores (with bev) @ 30K, mine (no bev) is a bit more, thanks?

Thank you Mr.Crab for my first laugh of the day!

12 hours ago, tropo said:

That will depend on where you're coming from. Australia is very costly these days.

Expensive is indeed relative to your "normal" expenditures; however, if your normal expenditures are high, almost anywhere else may seem cheap. 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, inThailand said:

What about the third vice? 

donuts.......5000 baht.

11 hours ago, My Thai Life said:

Biggest expenses

 

Fuel for cars - 12,000 pm

Alcohol - 0 to 20,000 pm

Books 100,000 in the last year

 

 

 

Have you considered going over to Ebooks? You can read them easily on a tablet or even a mobile if your eyesight is good and there are literally millions of books out there free and perhaps in peoples collections. You still have the option to read hard books.

 

 

9 hours ago, tropo said:

 

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Without the housing, about 15k/month. 

No health care, when I get to the stage of illness I can't fix myself (from the pharmacy), I intend to die.

 

"Anyone care to share any valuable tips for making ends meet?"

Avoid women and bars,

Once you dispense with women, living costs become very cheap

If you drink at home, double the booze for the same $$$$.

 

After reading your other posts in the thread, moving to 'her land' is ALWAYS a huge mistake.

It won't save you any money but will place you totally under her control.

 

 

It works OK for me and has done for the last 14 years on my wife's land and it will probably continue until I die.

 

It has NEVER been a problem for me and most of the friends I have here in Thailand who also live on land and in houses that their Thai wives own.

 

I quit smoking back in 1970 but I manage 3 or 4 SangSom, soda and ice a day.

 

If it doesn't don't expect any ex Thai bashing comments from me.

3 hours ago, starky said:

Get your self a kindle I've got over 350gb of books you can have for free about 10 lifetimes worth.

 

I am slowly editing 168 Gb of Ebooks and eliminating all the 2, 3 4, and 5 times of authors and books and eliminating all formats other than Mobi.

 

It is hard work but I have found a lot of interesting authors and books so far anlong with a headache most days after about 4 hours.

7 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

I think you could live cheap in a lot of countries if you are closer to the sticks than the metropolitan areas.

Plenty countries in Asia and South America offer cheap living.

 

surprised that you label healthcare as cheap in Thailand

in my view quality healthcare and medicine is easily available, but at a price

 

You're obviously not American then. ?

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I cook all my own food at home, drink all my beer at home, and all my entertainment comes over the internet for 631bht/month (Movies, TV shows, Books, Music, social interactions)

Without any bars, restaurants, street food, coffee shops, What else do you spend money on?

Yeah it's brag time thread ? 15,000 doable easily in Thailand but always depends on how you want to live and more importantly where !!  IMO. 

 

Initially to plan to settle in Thailand was expensive but all paid for more or less before living here in retirement.

I just budget savings for extension, health care & the vehicles insurances. 

 

A Thai teacher friend lives on 10,000 plus his fathers whopping 600 baht a month payment from the government.

I am surprised at the number of respondents who are spending more than a pittance to live here. In past TV forums, I saw far too many who claimed they lived well on B20k/mo or even less. As with any claim of little expenditure, I wonder what it must be like to not enjoy the things you want--within reason--just because they are expensive. Some say, they enjoy living on the cheap. I do not know if they see it as a challenge or simply have gotten used to living at minimum; however, I suspect for most it is because they have no more to spend. I wonder if their monthly income were doubled; would they spend or save the excess income?

1 hour ago, inThailand said:

10 hours ago, johnmell said:

Wow, all these people who dont drink or smoke. Im impressed.

What about the third vice? 

Masturbation? The Aussie neighbor is forever telling me 'a wank is money in the bank' 

But I think it, false economy.

am currently in the "even less" category.
i find the amount of money one spends determines the quality of people one associates with.
i find those who think that the sun shines out of their wallet to be among the vilest on earth and best to be avoided while the people i associate with being in the "even less" category are nice pleasant honest people.

I would imagine my average expenditure is around 120,000k a month, own house so no rent. Hard for me to compare cost of living to anywhere else as I have lived here so long, been "expat" for 40 years, retired 4 years ago. I know when I travel I do find some things far cheaper than Thailand especially western food.