How can you afford to live in Thailand?

[BritManToo]

21 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

I think expats would participate in sharing their common monthly expenses with the idea that it could become a useful tool in helping retirees see if they can qualify and maintain their visa status here...????

It wouldn't work as many of the expats posting here seem to have no idea how to control their spending, live in homes with air-con on 24/7 and eat/drink only imported food cooked in restaurants and bars owned/run by white foreign men. Married to gold-diggers charging a large commission on every household item they buy or arrange to buy.

 

I'm cooking myself roast pork and baked potato for lunch with onion gravy and fried mushrooms.

Cost about 30bht (pork was 1/2 price 15bht, large potato 8bht, 5bht of mushrooms)

Edited November 4, 2019 by BritManToo

[Skallywag]

2 hours ago, Eye4you said:

I hear many young people here with Visa problems and yet so desperately want to stay in Thailand, and many who have been living here for years without a proper visa indicate that they were without a job. Understand Thailand is an affordable living compare to developed countries, but there still are living expenses to pay. 

 

Am a retiree, have investment income, rental income, and will also have social security income soon.

Pretty much a fact of life, you need to earn and invest for your future. 

“The problem for a lot of people is that they don't really know what they want. They have vague desire: to 'do something creative' or to earn more money or 'to be free', but they can't really pin down what it is precisely that they want or how to achieve it."

[Skallywag]

5 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

I think expats would participate in sharing their common monthly expenses with the idea that it could become a useful tool in helping retirees see if they can qualify and maintain their visa status here...????

 

Maintaining Visa status is easy for Non-O.  Keep 800,000 baht in a Thai bank and dont touch it

Beyond that, food, rent (if you don't own) utilities, extracurricular activities all cost more.  

How much more depends on what type of lifestyle you want or can afford, discussed here before and seems anywhere from 25K to 100K baht a month.

Many factors involved, such as: are you single, married, married with kids, wife work, wife take care of mother, do you buy a new car every 2 years, travelling every month or 2, restaurants, city, country living,  etc...

[Eye4you]

Thank you for all your replies. It's always interesting to hear how others are managing their lives. Please keep sharing your stories. I am in my 50' and retired comfortably as well.

 

My original post was about young foreigners who are in Thailand between 20'-40', the prime working age to build their career. Seem many here are without a job.

How can anyone afford life in any country without income sources?

What about the future?

It is unimaginable for me and that is the reason I am asking this question.

[Skallywag]

18 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

It wouldn't work as many of the expats posting here seem to have no idea how to control their spending, live in homes with air-con on 24/7 and eat/drink only imported food cooked in restaurants and bars owned/run by white foreign men. Married to gold-diggers charging a large commission on every household item they buy or arrange to buy.

 

I'm cooking myself roast pork and baked potato for lunch with onion gravy and fried mushrooms.

Cost about 30bht (pork was 1/2 price 15bht, large potato 8bht, 5bht of mushrooms)

+1.  Food prep/cooking is something I find myself doing more as miss the basic meat, potato, vegetable fare I grew up on.  And of course the cost is very reasonable when preparing your own.  

 

[Skallywag]

7 minutes ago, Eye4you said:

My original post was about young foreigners who are in Thailand between 20'-40', the prime working age to build their career. Seem many here are without a job.

In the U.S. there used to be a lot of "trust fund" kids living off their parents income.  Not sure that would be enough to live in Thailand and as you said earlier, would have Visa problems likely

 

7 minutes ago, Eye4you said:

What about the future?

"The future's uncertain and the end is always near" The Doors, Roadhouse Blues

Edited November 4, 2019 by Skallywag
mis-quote

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, Eye4you said:

My original post was about young foreigners who are in Thailand between 20'-40', the prime working age to build their career. Seem many here are without a job.

How can anyone afford life in any country without income sources?

What about the future?

It is unimaginable for me and that is the reason I am asking this question.

The west has changed,

There are no more company pensions, jobs for life have gone, housing costs so much nobody can save (not that it's worth saving with interest rates so low). White women don't want us, unless it's to leverage a house, sex is infrequent, relationships are more like begging women for scraps, and hoping they don't change their minds after the event (and they nearly always change their minds).

 

Hard to see why any young guy would bother building a career these days, better to come to Asia and bang as many as you can before feminism and women's rights ruins the whole world IMHO.

Edited November 4, 2019 by BritManToo

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, SteveK said:

Live in my wife's house. Eat local foods. Ride an old Honda Wave. Happy days.

There's a lot to be said for the simple life. Stress levels are much lower for a start.

[clarky cat]

12 minutes ago, Eye4you said:

My original post was about young foreigners who are in Thailand between 20'-40', the prime working age to build their career. Seem many here are without a job.

How can anyone afford life in any country without income sources?

What about the future?

It is unimaginable for me and that is the reason I am asking this question.

i'm mid 30's, teaching for 30k a month, wife is a government worker so I get all the benefits including free health and life insurance, and she's on a salary that never stops rising.

 

rent and bills is about 5000 a month which I pay as the wife is still supporting her family, she has a car/bike use for free

 

next plan is to build a house and pay outright with savings money, no more renting

 

should something go wrong with the teaching job there is the option to work online and go onto a marriage visa

 

I still manage to save money at the end of each month and have no debts from back home

 

not being able to afford red wine is the biggest issue for me

[SteveK]

15 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Hard to see why any young guy would bother building a career these days, better to come to Asia and bang as many as you can

YES!

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Work in your home country for over 30 years.

Get a fantastic retirement.

Come here and live a great life with plenty of dough to spare.

Seems life trying to work here and not or barely getting by, is not a good plan or a good life.

There are great jobs here if you have the knowledge and experience, tax is a lot less than in my country.

[Hank Gunn]

Easy, when I met my wife in 2006 I was working a good job in Silicon Valley. Although I considered it, I didn't come here to take a job as an English teacher at 30,000 baht a month. Being in my mid-40s and still in my prime earning years, I brought my wife to the US and continued to work and save for another dozen years or so and built up my assets. I was able to then retire early (mid-50s) about two years ago. Moved here because of the very low cost of living compared to the US (especially Silicon Valley, which is different from and even more expensive than San Francisco).

[SteveK]

The problem with farang women is that one who is above 6 out of 10 knows it. They won't speak to anyone who doesn't look like Brad Pitt. Oriental women are slimmer, prettier, know how to treat a man properly and aren't up themselves. When was the last time a farang woman cut your toenails?

[Hank Gunn]

56 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

It wouldn't work as many of the expats posting here seem to have no idea how to control their spending, live in homes with air-con on 24/7 and eat/drink only imported food cooked in restaurants and bars owned/run by white foreign men. Married to gold-diggers charging a large commission on every household item they buy or arrange to buy.

 

I'm cooking myself roast pork and baked potato for lunch with onion gravy and fried mushrooms.

Cost about 30bht (pork was 1/2 price 15bht, large potato 8bht, 5bht of mushrooms)

So when should I show up for dinner? ???? 

 

Actually, the wife and I mostly eat at home too. Because of dietary needs, I have to eat a lot of fiber so I eat a lot of salads (good hydroponic lettuce at Makro for about 45 baht lasts about 10-15 salads). I make a great vinigerett dressing with some herbs de Provence that I brought from the US and some fresh garlic. My wife makes great fried and grilled chicken and sometimes I'll grill up some burgers on my Weber (another item brought from the US).

 

[Harveyboy]

3 hours ago, SteveK said:

Live in my wife's house. Eat local foods. Ride an old Honda Wave. Happy days.

Exactly same here mate except i have a very old scoopy 

[PatOngo]

Marry a local girl, put 400,000 baht in the bank and in 2 months you'll be ready to roll!

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

It wouldn't work as many of the expats posting here seem to have no idea how to control their spending, live in homes with air-con on 24/7 and eat/drink only imported food cooked in restaurants and bars owned/run by white foreign men. Married to gold-diggers charging a large commission on every household item they buy or arrange to buy.

 

I'm cooking myself roast pork and baked potato for lunch with onion gravy and fried mushrooms.

Cost about 30bht (pork was 1/2 price 15bht, large potato 8bht, 5bht of mushrooms)

You really should thicken the gravy!

[Mac98]

Figures: My monthly SS (no savings, divorce in USA took that) is 63,500B. My standing debts are 24,000B per month, leaving 39,500B for everything else. With that I lease a furnished ocean-view condo, 1 bdrm, 2 bath, 2 balconies, with pool for 8,500B a month. Quiet neighborhood on Pattaya hill. Before that I rented a 4-bedroom furnished house outside Chiang Mai for 5,000B a month. Wifi is free with the condo (good enough for my Kindle). Electric 850B, water 150B, phone 100B. Prescriptions 3500B. That leaves 25,000B for food, transportation, clothing, massages, DVDs, pipe tobacco, a few nights out with visitors from home and date nights with local girlfriends. When my debts are paid I will be living on easy street, even at 25B to the dollar.

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by Mac98
clarification

[BritManToo]

25 minutes ago, Hank Gunn said:

So when should I show up for dinner? ???? 

 

Sorry, it's all gone.

But I've still got plenty of after dinner Irish Cream liqueur left.

(Hong Thong rum + condensed milk + Mocha 3 in 1 coffee, in equal measures, shaken not stirred)

[z42]

A lot of older guys here on this forum made their money and investments when stuff back in the west was actually affordable and when pension schemes were much more generous.

 

I do fine on the money i make here, and i have plenty saved back home.. but my UK pension which i pay for with voluntary NI will be pitiful when i get it at age 68 haha.

 

Here in Thailand, expenses are minimal and if you don't just blow your money like a fiend on vices it is possible to save a good old chunk of it each month quite easily

[SteveK]

Just now, z42 said:

I do fine on the money i make here

Hope you've got a work permit!

[Puchaiyank]

38 minutes ago, SteveK said:

The problem with farang women is that one who is above 6 out of 10 knows it. They won't speak to anyone who doesn't look like Brad Pitt. Oriental women are slimmer, prettier, know how to treat a man properly and aren't up themselves. When was the last time a farang woman cut your toenails?

I walk to the mall almost everyday to get a little exercise and eat lunch.  There are a fair amount of farangs that bring their wives with them to Thailand so I get a reminder of what is waiting for me back home.

 

 Most of the time their wives are obese...200-300 lbs easy.  Contrast that with Thai women of all ages walking around the mall with bodies to die for...on average 100 lbs.

 

I never get tired of admiring these long dark-haired bronze skin petite beauties...????

 

[Chivas]

4 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

I get paid shed loads, so it's easy ????

Yeah the Cornish always do............????????

[CNXexpat]

I own lots of dividend stocks which are my financial base for a good life. The cherry on top are some good stock trades I make during the year.

[cornishcarlos]

1 minute ago, Chivas said:

Yeah the Cornish always do............????????

 

Only when they get out of Cornwall ????

[Momofarang]

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I plan for $3,000 USD a month, but will budget for $4,000 a month, and will be able to live without even touching my equity principle.

Won't work if a family comes into the picture, with two kids I am struggling on 7800 USD a month. We are all different, but without my family this is the last place I'd stay for retirement.

[SteveK]

6 minutes ago, Momofarang said:

Won't work if a family comes into the picture, with two kids I am struggling on 7800 USD a month. We are all different, but without my family this is the last place I'd stay for retirement.

There's nothing to do or buy in my village. I would struggle to bury $7800 a month in the garden.

[BritManToo]

18 minutes ago, Momofarang said:

Won't work if a family comes into the picture, with two kids I am struggling on 7800 USD a month. We are all different, but without my family this is the last place I'd stay for retirement.

240,000bht/month!

I also have two kids and spend around 40,000bht/month, including the monthly wage to pay a woman to be my gf (10k), the mortgage repayment (11k) and one kid at university.

Edited November 4, 2019 by BritManToo

[Beggar]

16 minutes ago, SteveK said:

There's nothing to do or buy in my village. I would struggle to bury $7800 a month in the garden.

Try to make the hole deep enough. 

[Skallywag]

1 hour ago, Harveyboy said:

Exactly same here mate except i have a very old scoopy 

•  

  4 hours ago, SteveK said:

Live in my wife's house. Eat local foods. Ride an old Honda Wave. Happy days.

So your saying you can only afford to live here if you have a Thai wife who owns a house! 

OK, guess I have to bite the bullet and go for marriage #3 

Joking, not happening, glad you have found your Happy Days though