Cost Of Living

[keepwalking]

A single person renting an apartment, paying the bills, buying food for one month in a suburb of Bangkok - nothing fancy, just one room - how much would you say the cost of living is a month?

Thanks.

[ercorn]

25000-35000 baht

[KireB]

farang or Thai?

Edited May 1, 2007 by KireB

[mittheimp]

depends on the apartment!

anywhere between - 8000 - 80,000 baht

[chanchao]

Agreed.

Though if you're a newbie to Bangkok then you would take a while to learn how to get things cheapest. And you won't be donig much partying on that.

[uptou]

if your looking for a cheap apartment then you could try the ping klao area (over the bridge from banglamphu).there was decent apartment blocks there.large room with fan,bathroom 2800 baht.air con 3500 baht.water & electric could be 300+ baht a month.

not sure what price range youre looking for.

[Jimjim]

Really depends, especially on your apartment. I used to get buy on 15,000 a month or so, maybe 20,000, but my apartment cost 3000 only. I'd say 25,000 a month would be good if you're not a spendy person, and you can still have plenty of fun on that.

The last poster suggested Pink lao area, but that's not a good area, don't go there. Stick to the main side of the river.

[mmushr00m]

Like the answers above it depends on the area. The further away from BKK CBD, the cheaper. You can get a house in the Pra Khanong-On Nut area for B$6000

Even in BKK CBD, you can find places for around B$3000, Thai style aprtments no a/c.,Around B$8000 for single room with a/c 40sqm. not including utilities. Food depends on how you wish to eat. A bowl of noodles cost $20-30.

[jeebusjones]

I would say you need at least 1,000,000 baht a month.

No, but seriously cost of living in Bangkok can vary enormously from person to person. If you only eat and sleep, don't go out and rent a tiny apartment, you could scape by on 20-25k.

But what kind of life would that be?

[kmart]

Is that drinking or non-drinking?

Shagging / non-shagging?

Insufficient data to compute ball-park *snigger* figure .....

[chanchao]

Sorry, but if you truly don't go out then you would not spend more than 10,000 baht total. On 25K you will have 25K - 6K room - 4K food = 15K baht left to spend on 'something' or another. With that you can go sit on a beach every single weekend.

I know many people spend more, they want to drive a car, they want UBC, they want to buy cheese & weird breakfast cerial at Foodland, and suddenly it SEEMS like it's ludicrous to get by on 25K. But don't for a second think that this isn't a regular lower middle class income in Thailand on which you can perfectly manage when you're without vices..

Edited May 2, 2007 by chanchao

[LoveDaBlues]

70K

[DP25]

25-35k is enough for housing, food, and entertainment in Bangkok. Lots of people will tell you can't have fun on that little money, but its not true at all. At many Thai clubs in Bangkok you can get a large bottle of beer for 100 baht or an entire bottle of whiskey for 400. Thai restaurants are also very cheap, most items are under 100 baht, and many of them under 50. If you want to go to foreign bars and restaurants everyday though, you'd need to double or triple that amount.

[chrismangel]

My wife,2 children and me are living about 32 km from the inner city in our own house.We have an income(Thai) of 64.000 baht/month.

We pay montly: electricity-> 3200 Baht We pay yearly :car 21.000

water -> 180 Baht school fees 84.000

internet -> 1420 Baht health care 50.400

gasoline -> 7000 Baht

school(van,lunch,etc ) ->10.000 Baht

Every year I go back to my homecountry .The money needed is coming from my overseas bankaccount.

When nothing happened,we can live with it.

To keep a low profile,living between Thais is the best suggestion I can make.

I like to have comments on that.

[jeebusjones]

Sorry, but if you truly don't go out then you would not spend more than 10,000 baht total. On 25K you will have 25K - 6K room - 4K food = 15K baht left to spend on 'something' or another. With that you can go sit on a beach every single weekend.

I know many people spend more, they want to drive a car, they want UBC, they want to buy cheese & weird breakfast cerial at Foodland, and suddenly it SEEMS like it's ludicrous to get by on 25K. But don't for a second think that this isn't a regular lower middle class income in Thailand on which you can perfectly manage when you're without vices..

Actually, this is true. If you eat pure Thai food, you surely could live on 10k a month. Fried rice/pad thai/etc.. go for 20-25 baht a piece, so you could possibly live on 100 baht a day for food.

But if you want any sort of Western food, or if you want something nicer than street food once in a while, it's going to cost quite a bit more.

In my 2 1/2 years in Bangkok, I would say 50-60k allows you to have a very comfortable lifestyle with a decent apartment, good food, and nights out as often as you want.

Edited May 2, 2007 by jeebusjones

[jaiyenyen]

This is a question very close to my heart.

I've just moved to Thailand to be with my wife and children. We have our own home in Donmuang, Just bought a new car, and now have pretty much all we need for the home. My wife still seems to think we need about 50,000 a month to live on. I just don't see it, we just live an average family life. We don't go out partying every night.

I'm sure some of you will say i should have researched this question before i moved here, maybe you're right, but what's life without taking a few chances.

BTW I havn't been this happy in years !!!!!!

[viciouskitty74]

I know my Singapore Dollars $300 can stretch for a month, living in what we call a kampung, rustic village place.

And I still had aircon if I wanted it. Which I dont want. So I sleep with a mosquito netting over me and a fan blowing at me.

Bathing from a big pail of water, with a water heater nearby dripping the hot water to mix with the cold and providing just the right temperature relief from the heat, and not so chilling that I could develop a cold.

Eating the local EAT ALL YOU CAN SEAFOOD BBQ STEAMBOAT BUFFET for 100 baht. Thats about Singapore Dollars $4/- and USD$3.

And shopping at the local nite market/flea market/open air bazaar as you call it. Any pairs of classy expensive looking high heels for 99 Baht.....which is still USD3/-

Yup, I enjoyed life there in Phuket Kon Sire Village.

And ermmm....tourist rentals is possible too. At 3300baht per month for a run down air con apartment if you know where to look.

And you rent a Honda Wave small motorcycles to commute everywhere. To buy one, its USD1000/- brand new. Life cant be sweeter then that.

[Prakanong]

I know my Singapore Dollars $300 can stretch for a month, living in what we call a kampung, rustic village place.

And I still had aircon if I wanted it. Which I dont want. So I sleep with a mosquito netting over me and a fan blowing at me.

Bathing from a big pail of water, with a water heater nearby dripping the hot water to mix with the cold and providing just the right temperature relief from the heat, and not so chilling that I could develop a cold.

Eating the local EAT ALL YOU CAN SEAFOOD BBQ STEAMBOAT BUFFET for 100 baht. Thats about Singapore Dollars $4/- and USD$3.

And shopping at the local nite market/flea market/open air bazaar as you call it. Any pairs of classy expensive looking high heels for 99 Baht.....which is still USD3/-

Yup, I enjoyed life there in Phuket Kon Sire Village.

And ermmm....tourist rentals is possible too. At 3300baht per month for a run down air con apartment if you know where to look.

And you rent a Honda Wave small motorcycles to commute everywhere. To buy one, its USD1000/- brand new. Life cant be sweeter then that.

Kitty - you did well

300 sing is about the price of a half decent night out in Singapore!!!

I do not use aircon much and shower in cold water so my bills are quite low but my other spending is high (as is rent)

[viciouskitty74]

Food is cheap in Thailand, if you know where to eat or what to eat.

Picture was taken last year at the Celebrations of the Kings Reign in Phuket.

A stall selling roast pork.

[viciouskitty74]

And heh heh heh

The Thailand Macdonalds Pork Burger set.

Too bad they dont do 'brewed ice tea'. The 'brewed in a big container with teabags' kinda ice tea.

[Prakanong]

Food is cheap in Thailand, if you know where to eat or what to eat.

Picture was taken last year at the Celebrations of the Kings Reign in Phuket.

A stall selling roast pork.

I find food cheap in Singapore too - just had a lovely Indian meal in Suntec for just over 2GBP ;-)))

[viciouskitty74]

I find food cheap in Singapore too - just had a lovely Indian meal in Suntec for just over 2GBP ;-)))

Lets just say, I grew up in SG.

And Thailand is cheaper still. So to me....Thai food is CHEAP!

argh....Singapore Suntec foods is not considered cheap.

2GBP? dont tell me you are working for Daimler Chrysler?

[Prakanong]

I find food cheap in Singapore too - just had a lovely Indian meal in Suntec for just over 2GBP ;-)))

Lets just say, I grew up in SG.

And Thailand is cheaper still. So to me....Thai food is CHEAP!

argh....Singapore Suntec foods is not considered cheap.

2GBP? dont tell me you are working for Daimler Chrysler?

Well I suppose 6 SGD (or 2GBP - 140THB ) is more than I usually pay for lunch but I did have Chicken Tikka, Naan bread, bombay potato's, salad with raita and a daal for that - it would cost me 15-20GBP back home ;-))

Thailand is cheap but I must admit I like the variety here in Singapore

Nah - not in the car industry.

[viciouskitty74]

Well I suppose 6 SGD (or 2GBP - 140THB ) is more than I usually pay for lunch but I did have Chicken Tikka, Naan bread, bombay potato's, salad with raita and a daal for that - it would cost me 15-20GBP back home ;-))

Thailand is cheap but I must admit I like the variety here in Singapore

Well, now that you listed the items. Its a reasonable price then.

And Yes. I miss the varieties of Singapore foods. And their round the clock eateries.

A 8 minute ride on a motorcycle to anywhere to meet friends to drink 'Teh Halia' & eat prata, even at 3 am in the morning and chit chat till morn. The 24 hours Macdonalds outlet...24 hours Mustafa Shopping Centre for tolietries you dont find everywhere. The masala thosais, the walk in the middle of the night and not get molested streets...plus the good mobile phone networks which you can call anyone anytime, any day......

K....I miss Singapore, but I rather like to explore thailand for a while.

[Furbie]

How do you live now? If you are used to expensive meals, avoiding public transportation, sending your laundry out, etc., it will be hard to break these habits – you may be able to adapt for a week or a couple of months, but you will eventually fall back to your habits of a life time.

I would be hard pressed to find one person I am friends with living comfortably on anything less than 60k per month in BKK – in reality, this takes some serious compromises. Sure, there are plenty of English teachers making less, but lifestyle drops off dramatically and there is no way I could do it. I enjoy going out to decent restaurants, going to surrounding countries, etc. – anyone making less than 60k will not be up for these things on a routine basis, they do not have the funds.

If you want a good sized apartment (say 50sqm and above) along the BTS route along Sukhumvit (where a lot of Westererns live), be prepared to jump that budget up to 70k or 80k per month. If you want further out by Victory Monument or MawChit, you can lower it a little. It really depends on the sacrifices you are willing to make and how often you will go out in a Western environment. Are there OK studios you can get for 8,000 Baht, yes – but can you live with a lot noise, poor security, etc.?

Thai food can be very cheap, especially on the street – but are you willing to eat this way everyday? Can you give up pizza, burgers, steaks, etc. A cheaper Thai lifestyle has not gone up in cost much in the last few years – but a Western lifestyle has gone up significantly – rents, food, alcohol, etc. making it even more difficult to get by on less – unless you spend all your time tracking down free buffets and drink specials. You make think going to a Thai bar is great your first week here, but how long will that be fun when you can not communicate with those around you and your Western friends don't want to go?

What about medical costs – will you trust a very local Thai hospital, or do you want an international hospital – costs at them have sky rocketed. Do you need aircon, or is a fan enough – electricity in BKK is very expensive. Planning on having a mobile phone (300++ Baht per month), internet connection (ADSL 600-2000 baht per month or more), cable (500-2200 per month) – costs can add up fast.

Tell us how you plan to live, what you need at a minimum, how willing you are to adapt etc. - then a budget can be drawn up. Again, I know no one living comfortably and enjoying themselves on less than 60k per month, and this group has taken a real hit in the past couple of years.

Edited May 2, 2007 by Furbie

[pattayadave]

holy sh#t did'nt realise there were so many tight wads around,OP what happens if you fall sick i take it money is limited to you,if you cant afford to live in the same manner as you are acustomed at home why come here in the first place

[chanchao]

Dave, "Not having a lot of money to spend" is not the same as "being a tightwad". It's possible to be quite generous on 25K, and a tightwad prikc on 100K.

[pattayadave]

understand chan but would you seriously consider moving to a forieng land where the english language is limited and you would have to scrimp and save just to get by

[bendix]

Frankly, I can't understand why anyone would come to live here if they're worrying about budget. If you're asking how much is enough to live, you probably don't have enough.

Thailand generally and Bangkok in particularly is NOT the place for a foreigner to merely exist or eke out a living. There are enough 'walking dead' farang wandering aimlessly, making their 500 baht a day allowance stretch, already thank you very much.

It's much better to be poor in your own country.

[pattayadave]

well said bendix