How much money do you need to live comfortably in Bangkok?

[1fortheroad]

Lived in Phuket for 4 years but want a change of scenery.

 

I want to try Bangkok for 1 year.

 

Speaking to friends they said they thought Bangkok was more expensive than Phuket

 

I disagreed and think I could live there for the same amount as I spend now.

 

15,000 rent
4,000 bills, internet, water, electric
15,000 eating out, nights out 
2,000 transport??

 

I am sure there are other costs too.

 

I spend between 40 and 50k per month now.

 

I already have health insurance and money in the bank for visa set aside. 
 

[OneMoreFarang]

13 minutes ago, 1fortheroad said:

15,000 rent
4,000 bills, internet, water, electric
15,000 eating out, nights out 
2,000 transport??

That's 500B per day for eating out, nights out.

How much for food when you don't go out?

[Why Me]

16 minutes ago, 1fortheroad said:

I spend between 40 and 50k per month now.

Perfectly good in Bkk too for a comfortable existence. Rent, food, transport, etc., are the biggies, especially the etc. depending on kind, quality and frequency.

[alianware]

If you cannot live comfortable in your country now, how can you get more comfortable in Thailand ?? ,since living cost in your current country should be much more expensive than in Thailand.

[tonray]

Rent depends a lot on size and location. 15K gets you a failry small place in most of Bangkok and a tiny closet in prime areas

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, alianware said:

If you cannot live comfortable in your country now, how can you get more comfortable in Thailand ?? ,since living cost in your current country should be much more expensive than in Thailand.

He is in Phuket...

[lovethai123]

lot of people in bangkok earn about 15000 and they also live comfortable. 

it is all about how much comfort u want  and ur liabilities .

 

do u have a wife/ gf? r u paying her an allowance also. are u paying for her kids? are u occassionally sending money for her parents , grands parents, sick buffalo , gambling debts etc

 

lets assume u r single but u might want someone occasionally. consider 2000/1000 for that occasional encounter. 

 

condos in bangkok are expensive. try a  place where thais live? they will not have all that luxuries but u will make lot of thai friends. male /fem/ladyboys.

 

avoid place with lot of ladyboys. 

 

bangkok has a traffic problem. 

 

Might i recommend pattaya. try naklua, jomtien etc.. lot better than pattaya beach. 

 

 

Dont forget to get ur address changed with I/O. 

 

[metisdead]

A post attempting to bring the cost of prostitution into the discussion has been removed:

 

17) You will not discuss the specifics of prostitution. Though Thailand has a visible sex industry, and acknowledgement of that fact is not forbidden, ThaiVisa is not the place to seek or give information on this topic, regardless of your sexual habits, preferences or orientation.
 

[Appu]

I live in lower Sukhumvit, 3 minutes walking distance from Asok bts. Paying 45k for 70 sqm condo with large swimming pool and double gym. 5k for electricity, platinum true cable, 100 mb/s internet and water. I have 3 girlfriends that I support (them and their families in isan) Total average they cost me around 30k when I do not have time for them, or up to 60k when I meet them frequently. Once per week I go out, not huge spender but mostly I go at "Levels" and that is 5k per night when you go there solo or with one girlfriend. That is 20k per month. I like to go to cinema , especially empty ones like in BKK, high profile with perfect sounds and sofas- emporium it is, minimum ticket 400 baht up to 1000 per person. I do that once per week, not alone, and I use that time to purchase nice steaks and groceries from gourmet in emquartier. That all cost around 3-4k per visit. That is 15k on average. Twice per week I dine out with one of girlfriends, whole wine and dine experience is on average 2500, that is 20k monthly. And on empty days, sometimes I do not spend anything, sometimes I spend 1000+ on grab or food panda. Let's say that is 10k reserved. Add all this and you will get around 135k-165k per month. For me this is COMFORTABLE living. Everybody is different. I have 54y, I earn passive income on my crypto above 400k baht monthly, have elite visa, and my divorce in Europe costed me more than 1.8M EUR 3 years ago so I could say I am saving money here (which is actually true- I cannot spend more than half what I make, for type of living that I currently live). 

[Why Me]

3 hours ago, Appu said:

I live in lower Sukhumvit, 3 minutes walking distance from Asok bts. Paying 45k for 70 sqm condo with large swimming pool and double gym. 5k for electricity, platinum true cable, 100 mb/s internet and water. I have 3 girlfriends that I support (them and their families in isan) Total average they cost me around 30k when I do not have time for them, or up to 60k when I meet them frequently. Once per week I go out, not huge spender but mostly I go at "Levels" and that is 5k per night when you go there solo or with one girlfriend. That is 20k per month. I like to go to cinema , especially empty ones like in BKK, high profile with perfect sounds and sofas- emporium it is, minimum ticket 400 baht up to 1000 per person. I do that once per week, not alone, and I use that time to purchase nice steaks and groceries from gourmet in emquartier. That all cost around 3-4k per visit. That is 15k on average. Twice per week I dine out with one of girlfriends, whole wine and dine experience is on average 2500, that is 20k monthly. And on empty days, sometimes I do not spend anything, sometimes I spend 1000+ on grab or food panda. Let's say that is 10k reserved. Add all this and you will get around 135k-165k per month. For me this is COMFORTABLE living. Everybody is different. I have 54y, I earn passive income on my crypto above 400k baht monthly, have elite visa, and my divorce in Europe costed me more than 1.8M EUR 3 years ago so I could say I am saving money here (which is actually true- I cannot spend more than half what I make, for type of living that I currently live). 

I often find those with a need to impress with claims of wealth are secretly English teachers.

 

[Why Me]

4 hours ago, tonray said:

Rent depends a lot on size and location. 15K gets you a failry small place in most of Bangkok and a tiny closet in prime areas

True that. But the OP has all of the BTS to go out on and still be within 30mins. of the CBD. E.g., at Saphan Khwai or Ekkamai 15k should get a decent 1-BR.

[Appu]

41 minutes ago, Why Me said:

I often find those with a need to impress with claims of wealth are secretly English teachers.

 

Greetings from "English teacher" who is not so perfect in english at all. I did not want to impress with claims of wealth, I just shared my opinion that comfortable living is different term from person to person. Someone are comfortable with 10k per month, someone with 100k, and for someone even million is not enough. I am just happy to live here the way I want, and I shared expenses that I find comfortable for me. No hard feelings.

[bkk6060]

Some description of  "comfortable" does not always meet others.

A nice apartment in a good location, Golf, lots of dating, quality meals, travel, a good gym membership.

100,000 b a month was pretty much average when I lived in Bangkok.

[chicowoodduck]

All depends on your life style.....for my brief stay in the Big Mango.....needed a size LARGE pile and more.....????????????????????????????

[teacherclaire]

Escort services are expensive. 

[luckyluke]

19 hours ago, tonray said:

Rent depends a lot on size and location. 15K gets you a failry small place in most of Bangkok and a tiny closet in prime areas

Depends. 

I stay regularly in Thonglor. 

I used to pay 90000 Baht (Rent/35m2-Electricity-Water-Internet) for 3 months. 

I will pay now 57000 starting next month.

My place is situated Alley 8/Sukhumvit 55.

There is a Foodland next door (in Eight building). 

Prices in Foodland Thonglor are the same than in Foodland Pattaya. 

 

[tonray]

34 minutes ago, chicowoodduck said:

All depends on your life style.....for my brief stay in the Big Mango.....needed a size LARGE pile and more.....????????????????????????????

You know...there are bum guns in the toilets so you never need that much paper

[luckyluke]

Sorry Tonray, I know my English is not that good. 

What confuse you? 

I will try to explain myself in a better way. 

[ExpatOilWorker]

You are good to go and welcome to Bangkok. 

I would recommend you to live central or at least in the area your prefer to frequent.

Chitlom is a good choice and yes, you can find 15k condos around 60 m2 in the center. 

You will soon discover Bangkok is full of good deals, like eating at 50% through apps like eatigo. 

 

[Solinvictus]

Don't listen to that Richard Cranium every time things get hard, and you should be all right there good chap!

 

15K! Will get you a pretty good house for rent. I suggest renting a house! Bigger than a condo or some apartment. Regarding comfort, trust me, renting a house is the way to go.

[luckyluke]

1 minute ago, Solinvictus said:

renting a house is the way to go.

Not that easy to find a house in Bangkok.

Of course when one say Bangkok, it is very relative.

I stay in Sukhumvit 55 ( Thonglor ).

Nong Chok is Bangkok too.

Usually houses are " far" away from the real center, and thus transport needed. 

 

[Damrongsak]

Last house I rented in BKK was a little free-standing wooden house in a nice compound right at Pratunam.  It's now been covered by the Palladium, at Petchaburi and Ratchaprarap roads. I think it was 1,000 or 1,200 Baht/mo.  3 rooms, no aircon, no hot water, can't recall if it had glass windows, but maybe screens and wooden shutters.  It was down an unpaved soi named after the landlady's family.  No one messed with the place. It was great, 40+ years ago.

 

Might be the house in the back, behind my landlady, Khun Ying Khrongkhao, who lived in the big house.

 

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

14 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Some description of  "comfortable" does not always meet others.

A nice apartment in a good location, Golf, lots of dating, quality meals, travel, a good gym membership.

100,000 b a month was pretty much average when I lived in Bangkok.

Sounds like Bangkok is twice the cost of Chiang Rai. I'm comfortable here on 50K baht/month. Admittedly I am past lots of dating, one GF is enough. Do gym work in my condo. Has a swimming pool, but it is very cold here at present.

Three best courses in Chiang Rai are Santiburi, Happy City and Waterford Valley. Green fee, caddie plus cart excluding tip 1300, 1000 and 900 baht respectively.

 

[whaleboneman]

19 hours ago, Appu said:

I live in lower Sukhumvit, 3 minutes walking distance from Asok bts. Paying 45k for 70 sqm condo with large swimming pool and double gym. 5k for electricity, platinum true cable, 100 mb/s internet and water. I have 3 girlfriends that I support (them and their families in isan) Total average they cost me around 30k when I do not have time for them, or up to 60k when I meet them frequently. Once per week I go out, not huge spender but mostly I go at "Levels" and that is 5k per night when you go there solo or with one girlfriend. That is 20k per month. I like to go to cinema , especially empty ones like in BKK, high profile with perfect sounds and sofas- emporium it is, minimum ticket 400 baht up to 1000 per person. I do that once per week, not alone, and I use that time to purchase nice steaks and groceries from gourmet in emquartier. That all cost around 3-4k per visit. That is 15k on average. Twice per week I dine out with one of girlfriends, whole wine and dine experience is on average 2500, that is 20k monthly. And on empty days, sometimes I do not spend anything, sometimes I spend 1000+ on grab or food panda. Let's say that is 10k reserved. Add all this and you will get around 135k-165k per month. For me this is COMFORTABLE living. Everybody is different. I have 54y, I earn passive income on my crypto above 400k baht monthly, have elite visa, and my divorce in Europe costed me more than 1.8M EUR 3 years ago so I could say I am saving money here (which is actually true- I cannot spend more than half what I make, for type of living that I currently live). 

Wow. I guess the OP will have to stay in Phuket then. 

[Pedrogaz]

It is not possible to live comfortably in Bangkok. It is smelly, the sewers don't work, it floods, it is humid as hell and you are soaking wet that your shirt sticks to you back; the traffic is awful as is the public transport, the Metro and BTS have too few carriages etc etc. If you like living in public toilets then your budget is fine.

[tonray]

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

Sorry Tonray, I know my English is not that good. 

What confuse you? 

I will try to explain myself in a better way. 

No need...your post seems to confirm what I posted...not important enough to worry about

[tonray]

32 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Sounds like Bangkok is twice the cost of Chiang Rai. I'm comfortable here on 50K baht/month. Admittedly I am past lots of dating, one GF is enough. Do gym work in my condo. Has a swimming pool, but it is very cold here at present.

Three best courses in Chiang Rai are Santiburi, Happy City and Waterford Valley. Green fee, caddie plus cart excluding tip 1300, 1000 and 900 baht respectively.

 

It's not..one can be quite comfortable on 50K monthly in Bangkok too. My guess is that poster would also spend 100K in Chiang Rai

[luckyluke]

4 minutes ago, tonray said:

No need...your post seems to confirm what I posted...not important enough to worry about

 

That's your personal perception, which of course you are entitled to express.

[Fairynuff]

1 hour ago, Solinvictus said:

15K! Will get you a pretty good house for rent

In Bangkok ? Not anytime this century!

[Damrongsak]

Loei - 3 bedroom house with a nice view over the swamp next door.  Private (owned) compound with 2 houses.  Chickens in the yard and a muddy pond if you fancy swimming.  2 km from downtown, 5 km from Big C.  5-10 minutes.  No dating, but wife of 40+ years is a great cook.  Too bad there's a noisy Wat 500 meters up the street.  Cheap but boring ...