How can you afford to live in Thailand?

[richard_smith237]

27 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.

 

It all depends on your standard of living and where you live, school costs (if you have kids).

Mostly electricity costs (if your place is bigger and you like AC), transport costs (car / motorbike etc)

 

Example : Bangkok

 

House (mortgage) 50,000 baht per month

Car: 30,000 baht per month

Electricity: 8000 baht per month

Internet & TV: 2000 baht per month

Food: 20,000 baht per month

Petrol: 8000 baht per month

Toll way: 8000 baht per month

Maid: 10,000 baht per month

School: (650,000 per year) 54,000 baht per month

Family medical insurance: 10,000 baht per month

 

Total: 200,000 baht per month - before other expenses such as meals, general shopping, holidays, flights home etc...

 

240,000 baht per month - easy.

 

Living off 40,000 baht per month wouldn't even see my son in a decent school - I'd move back to the UK and put him in a decent comprehensive school. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skallywag]

38 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.

Seen some high numbers before, yet was "only" $1500 a week ($6000 a month)

You have now moved into the #1 position in my book 

Believe at 230,000 baht a month, to save "face" you should "employ" 3 consorts as well 

[SteveK]

If you've got over $7000 a month coming in, then what the hell are you doing in Thailand?

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, SteveK said:

If you've got over $7000 a month coming in, then what the hell are you doing in Thailand?

 

Why not? I know loads of people with way more than that coming in per month and living in Thailand.

 

Simple answer: People enjoy being here, over time 'some' have built up a strong network of friends (both Thai and Western) here, moving to a different country would mean starting over again with friendships etc... which are much harder to make in middle age. 

[tabarin]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

In Thailand I pay 1,100bht/month for electricity, water 350bht, internet 631bht.

How on earth do you manage to only pay 1,100 baht for electric in a family house, 3 bedroom wasn't it? 
I pay at least 3,000 baht a month, up to 4,000 on a hot month and this is in a small 2 bedroom house. You never use AC at all?

[observer90210]

Booze and hookers can cost quite a bit...inflation caused by all the dummies agreeing in paying US$ 150 - US$ 200,-- for LongTerm therapy sessions for one night !!!

Edited November 4, 2019 by observer90210

[BobBKK]

Get a pension, sell your house = great life here 50+

 

Come here 50-, not have a good pension = the **** will hit the fan down the road

 

[Tayaout]

5 minutes ago, tabarin said:

How on earth do you manage to only pay 1,100 baht for electric in a family house, 3 bedroom wasn't it? 
I pay at least 3,000 baht a month, up to 4,000 on a hot month and this is in a small 2 bedroom house. You never use AC at all?

I pay 1,500 but only have AC in main bedroom.

[richard_smith237]

10 minutes ago, tabarin said:

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

In Thailand I pay 1,100bht/month for electricity, water 350bht, internet 631bht.

How on earth do you manage to only pay 1,100 baht for electric in a family house, 3 bedroom wasn't it? 
I pay at least 3,000 baht a month, up to 4,000 on a hot month and this is in a small 2 bedroom house. You never use AC at all?

Many people here don't use the AC, either through choice or financial limitations. 

Some don't even need AC at night, others use the AC only at night. 

 

For me, I find it way to humid and hot when sat at home, so the AC on most of the time.

 

Also different types of building and AC models impact the monthly electricity bill. 

Our bill was 16,000 baht per month in a Condo we used to live in (government rate)

It was about 10,000 baht per month in our last Apartment (charged at 6.5 baht per unit)

Current place (3BR house with an open plan ground floor) is about 7,000-10,000 baht. 

AC is only not running when we are not there (at night AC is running in 2 bedrooms - in the daytime 2 AC's running in living-dining-kitchen area and TV area)... 

 

That all adds up... We'd safe a lot if we had all the windows open, but then we'd have the pollution & dust, the noise and of course the humidity. 

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by richard_smith237

[SteveK]

I think it might be the hookers pushing people over their carefully planned budgets.

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, tabarin said:

How on earth do you manage to only pay 1,100 baht for electric in a family house, 3 bedroom wasn't it? 
I pay at least 3,000 baht a month, up to 4,000 on a hot month and this is in a small 2 bedroom house. You never use AC at all?

I only use air-con a couple of hours a night or in the afternoons of the hottest season.

Sitting in the living room today, feeling a bit cold at 28c.

Haven't used air-con this month.

Edited November 4, 2019 by BritManToo

[MarleyMarl]

I came to Thailand with minimal savings as a 20yr old. Couldn't find any job opportunities in Bangkok, despite have good skills in my field. I also did not want to teach English, so I started my own company. My plan was if it didn't work out, i'd just <deleted> off back home. That was 10 years ago, thankfully things worked out rather well. I should be able to retire in a couple of years, If I want to.

 

Now I earn a good income from my business, I have decent amount of return on my investments back in my home country, and I am currently in the process of getting into some rental properties as a long term plan support myself financially. 

 

Having no car, no children, no vices, a girlfriend from decent family, and no rent/mortgage payments due to owning real estate out-right has been essential in saving 90% or more of my earned income.

[tabarin]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I only use air-con a couple of hours a night or in the afternoons of the hottest season.

Sitting in the living room today, feeling a bit cold at 28c.

Haven't used air-con this month.

Wow ok, I can't get my wife to that really. Specially at the peaks this year. Even we try to use it moderate, guess it adds up quickly with 2 units running regular. 
AC is the first I would slash on in worser times financially though, easy savings, but would be the last of wife (after food). 

Edited November 4, 2019 by tabarin

[tabarin]

23 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

I pay 1,500 but only have AC in main bedroom.

That makes sense, even a bit high then compared to me. I am running 2-3 units for like 18 hours per day aside of many house electronics. 
Guess it helps a bit that I changed to energy saving lights etc, 400B monthly less compared to regular bulbs.

Edited November 4, 2019 by tabarin

[MarleyMarl]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

House (mortgage) 50,000 baht per month

Car: 30,000 baht per month

Electricity: 8000 baht per month

Internet & TV: 2000 baht per month

Food: 20,000 baht per month

Petrol: 8000 baht per month

Toll way: 8000 baht per month

Maid: 10,000 baht per month

School: (650,000 per year) 54,000 baht per month

Family medical insurance: 10,000 baht per month

 

Total: 200,000 baht per month - before other expenses such as meals, general shopping, holidays, flights home etc...

 

240,000 baht per month - easy.

 

Living off 40,000 baht per month wouldn't even see my son in a decent school - I'd move back to the UK and put him in a decent comprehensive school. 

 

 

 

 

 

30k/month for car repayment? Is that for 2 cars? Or you driving around in a Merc lol?

I run a home office with 12 computers, multiple aircons, other equipment that's on 24/7 and your power bill is the same as mine. Is your bill being marked up?

[tabarin]

2 minutes ago, MarleyMarl said:

30k/month for car repayment? Is that for 2 cars? Or you driving around in a Merc lol?

I run a home office with 12 computers, multiple aircons, other equipment that's on 24/7 and your power bill is the same as mine. Is your bill being marked up?

With a 50K mortgage? 8K electric is like nothing, I pay near half of that in a tiny 2 bedroom house with AC usage on local rates + not old AC's.
Just a small pool could jack up the costs with 2-3K already.

Edited November 4, 2019 by tabarin

[MarleyMarl]

3 minutes ago, tabarin said:

With a 50K mortgage? 8K electric is like nothing, I pay near half of that in a tiny 2 bedroom house with AC usage on local rates + not old AC's.
Just a small pool could jack up the costs with 2-3K already.

Yea true didn't think about a pool, still I feel like we use a load of power, more than a house hold would.

[Kwasaki]

6 hours ago, Eye4you said:

I hear many young people here with Visa problems and yet so desperately want to stay in Thailand

Well they can get a work-permit to stay teaching the one you post about don't want to do what Immigration want them to do,  so good riddens.

[richard_smith237]

25 minutes ago, MarleyMarl said:

30k/month for car repayment? Is that for 2 cars? Or you driving around in a Merc lol?

I run a home office with 12 computers, multiple aircons, other equipment that's on 24/7 and your power bill is the same as mine. Is your bill being marked up?

 

1 car... didn't want to spread out the finance over too long (0% interest so it made sense to go finance instead of just buying it). 

 

Our electricity is the government rate - our last bill was about 8k (2 AC's running at night and another 2 running in the day time for most of the day (whenever we are not out)) - we usually keep the AC at about 24 deg C. 

My Wife likes to Cook a lot (oven and electric hob) I'm not sure how much that impacts the electricity bill. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Man Who Sold the World]

"How can you afford to live in Thailand?"

 

Well, the answers pretty simple actually. Figure out how much money you have coming in, then make sure it exceeds the money you have going out. In the simplest terms "Live Within Your Means"

 

 

For myself, USA citizen, married to  my Thai wife, we have a nice nest egg held by a stockbrokerage firm in the USA. I have a $3k/month distribution sent into a Bangkok Bank account which satisfies Thai Immigration. Our actual expenditures per month are a bit less.

 

Very detailed budgetary analysis provides that I/we are spending approximately 75% by living in Thailand in comparison to our expenditures in the Northeast USA.   

 

 

[FarFlungFalang]

56 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I only use air-con a couple of hours a night or in the afternoons of the hottest season.

Sitting in the living room today, feeling a bit cold at 28c.

Haven't used air-con this month.

Dude you've been here way to long but then so have I had to get under the doona last night bloody freezing got down to 21c nearly time to put on the jumper in the morning! 

[wgdanson]

5 hours ago, wgdanson said:

I wish I had had YOUR Financial Advisor, mine lost me loads !  

Sorry I misunderstood what samsensam was meaning....he is his own IFA, as I am now.

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, lkv said:

Total transportation cost 46,000 baht??

 

That's why i love the BTS/MRT/taxi bike/grab.

 

Yeah, you do get some money back when you sell the car, but still.

 

But yeah, family with kids vs single guy is also a factor.

 

Still sounds high though imo (as a percentage of total spending).

 

Definitely - we couldn't even get my son to school or travel around safely without a car (and car seat)

My Son's school is 20kms away (25mins using the express way). 

I wouldn't want to live anywhere without the freedom of a car, only use a taxi when I have to (i.e. evenings when I want a drink with friends)

 

And yes, kids cost a lot, school, medical care, toys, clothes etc etc... all part of family life. 

 

 

Compare the transport costs to a taxi. 

Taxi from Ekammai to Patana (about 300 baht one way) 

There and back in the morning + there and back in the evening = 1200 per day / 6000 per week

24,000 baht per month.

 

The car is suddenly not so much more expensive. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by richard_smith237

[wgdanson]

27 minutes ago, The Man Who Sold the World said:

Well, the answers pretty simple actually. Figure out how much money you have coming in, then make sure it exceeds the money you have going out. In the simplest terms "Live Within Your Means"

Exactly what my parentes did, and instilled in me. I wish I could do that with my sons.

[Orton Rd]

My wife is a popular Bangkok prostitute who pays all the bills ????

Edited November 4, 2019 by Orton Rd

[intheheartoftheheart]

Worked my way up to a very stressful job managing 100+ people back in NYC. Left it after 10 years to start a start-up. Got very very lucky and sold in less than 2 years.

 

Never need to work again, but at 40, am far too young to retire. Have no desire to return to the States to be tax-farmed until my death.

 

It is a different kind of problem. Burnout and lack of motivation. Thailand makes it almost too easy. 

 

 

 

[Momofarang]

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Some don't even need AC at night, others use the AC only at night. 

Wonder how their bedrooms smell..

[thequietman]

Came here with 1 million baht equiv. Here 15 years no, money has grown to 1,600,000.

 

Have house, truck, 3 bikes, all paid for. Nothing fancy in our life, but we are ok financially. 

 

Lecturing in a uni for bout 40 k a month, then add online teaching, bout 8000 baht, then blogging brings in bout 12-14 k. 

 

Generally, don't need to touch the uni money. ????

[ExpatOilWorker]

1 minute ago, thequietman said:

Came here with 1 million baht equiv. Here 15 years no, money has grown to 1,600,000.

 

Have house, truck, 3 bikes, all paid for. Nothing fancy in our life, but we are ok financially. 

 

Lecturing in a uni for bout 40 k a month, then add online teaching, bout 8000 baht, then blogging brings in bout 12-14 k. 

 

Generally, don't need to touch the uni money. ????

"Here" as in Dubai?

 

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[thequietman]

Just now, ExpatOilWorker said:

"Here" as in Dubai?

 

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nah, that's just to throw off the Thai retards that are tracking this site. ????