Moving to Thailand

[Sparktrader]

Visa ...

Health insurance ...

Food 10,000 baht 

Beer 10,000 baht

Car/motorbike ....

Activities.......

Other ...

 

Do a bit of research and fill in the blanks

 

But 30k to 40k is doable.

 

 

[Hummin]

30k for monthly expenses include housing, maintenance, gasoline, shopping electric, and add your insurance, traveling, holiday, bar and restaurant expenses on top of that, and you will have steady comfortable budget. There is really no good answer to that question, since it dependes on where you live and who you support and how many, and also your own lifestyle. 
 

Living one place in Thailand can be boring after awhile, but really up to you and how creative you are to keep yourselves busy hopefully in a healthy way. From my experience I have seen to many bored to death, and become slow suiciders.

[Sparktrader]

"My monthly expenses are around 5K thb per month unless there is a one off expense such as medical, car repair or the like."

 

You cant be eating meat on that budget nor driving much as fuel isnt cheap.

[Sparktrader]

2 minutes ago, Hummin said:

30k for monthly expenses include housing, maintenance, gasoline, shopping electric, and add your insurance, traveling, holiday, bar and restaurant expenses on top of that, and you will have steady comfortable budget. There is really no good answer to that question, since it dependes on where you live and who you support and how many, and also your own lifestyle. 
 

Living one place in Thailand can be boring after awhile, but really up to you and how creative you are to keep yourselves busy hopefully in a healthy way. From my experience I have seen to many bored to death, and become slow suiciders.

I agree. Boring in one spot. Im bored in Oz in one spot.

 

I think u need a holiday every 3 to 6 months.

[Adumbration]

2 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Yes I spend most of my pension of 300k, and I don't have an extravagant lifestyle. I guess on can be thrifty for a while, probably when young. But once you age you'll want western style comforts and health care. Children are also entitled to the future of their dreams

.

I don't drink, smoke or take drugs.  I also have no kids here or back in Australia.

 

Please explain to me what "western style comforts" are...

 

I have a beautiful GF some 20 years younger than me, she works and has her own money, I live in a nice little split level house in a quiet flower filled soi with no through traffic. I paid a total of 270K baht for it with the vendor paying all taxes and transfer cost on the sale.  I eat premium seafood daily including squid, and top shelf fish such as spanish mackeral, red snapper, and coral trout.  I have pets, two cars, two motorbikes, two boats.  My neighbors are all lovely and keep and eye on my house.  I have a number of Thai friends in my village that would help me with anything I ask.  One of them came round just a few hours ago to help me measure out the new garage I am building.  My internet is faster than anything I had back in the west.  Our little farms have pineapples, mangoes, mulberries, longan, coconuts, durians, satore, lemongrass, watercress, eggplants, ginger, galangal, bananas, papaya, lemons, limes, aloe vera, bok choi, long beans, cucumbers, pak bong, all plated out as well as lots of other Thai herbs and plants with edible leaves.

 

I do whatever I want whenever I want and spend most of my time on, in or near the ocean.

 

What are these coveted "western style comforts" I am missing out on.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[Adumbration]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Hey Chris, straight out of Sydney in 2015.

 

So from my experience, also married to my Thai wife 15 years, it goes something like this and sorry, it is long, but it does cover things others might not have picked up.

 

1} Don't tell the banks you are moving overseas, just tell them you are going on an extended holiday and make sure your cards have at least 2 years on them before the dates on your cards expire.

 

Make sure the bank makes a note that you will be overseas so you can access your account and make transactions, they will need your mobile number to be able to send you a code each time for certain transactions, so make sure you get that right first up.

 

Have more than one account in Aus and also set up a Wise account for any future fund transfers you want to send her to Thailand, i.e. from your bank in Aus to your Wise account, then onto your bank in Thailand, note Wise will charge you if you leave more than the threshold amount in that account, I think it's 20k and they charge something like 1.65% a month, yes a month, so only put money in there when ready to transfer to your Thai account.

 

2} Retain an Aussie address and make sure everyone has it, banks, Medicare, etc, an address like a good mates address and a PO Box for all your mail to go to, your mate can have a key and you can make your annual fee payment online provided you register and provide your email address, also get your mate to be a signatory with the post office for any parcels that may come your way while you are over here.

 

3} I return every 2-3 years, note, don't go over 4 years, I haven't gone over 4 because you will will need to use your Medicare card before the 5 year mark otherwise they will cancel it and for you to get that card back, you need to re-establish your residency, and that can take up to 6 months living in the land of slavery.

 

So make sure your Medicare has at least 5 years on it before you come, you can say you lost it and they can send you a replacement before you leave, remember to tell them of your new address, i.e. your mates address and your PO Box.

 

I once renewed my card from here online as it was about to expire....lol, I said I lost it and they sent me a new one to my PO Box and I picked it up from my mate when I went back and used it to see the Dr, the 5 years starts again each time you use it.

 

4} Vodaphone have a $20 365 day recharge card where you can use that for the banks to send you the code to, that is what I do, make sure you turn on roaming and make a note when to renew the $20 365 day card online and you will be fine, remember to put on roaming and have it charged daily, whatever you do, don't answer it if it rings and don't make any calls from it or you will run out of credit real fast....lol. There is no charge for reading your text messages that the bank sends you with their code for you to use.

 

5} Let the electoral roll know you won't be voting unless you intend on keeping your Australian Residency for tax purposes, otherwise you can't vote as a non-resident and if you are going to be a non-resident for tax purposes let them know otherwise try getting out of the $1,000 fine for not notifying them, I went through this, fortunately they tried it on me, but I had copies of everything, so stuck it right up them.

 

6} If you have a property, talk to your accountant as there have been some recent changes to the tax laws regarding Capital Gains Tax and that may cost you more than you think, trust me, it's very ugly.

 

7} Renew your drivers licence because you cannot renew it from here online, although I do believe different states have different rules, in NSW you can't, so make sure you get as many years on it that you can, it all depends on your age, under 44 is 10 years, over 44 is 5 years, again that's for NSW.

 

Next will be to get your Thai drivers licence here, pretty straight forward.

 

8} If your on any prescription meds, get 12 months worth if you can as they are expensive here compared to Aus

 

9} I did mention to you to talk to an accountant regarding property, if you don't have any, but have super or money laying around, you want you accountant to tell you how best to invest so you earn some $'s on it, if you retain residency, you will pay tax, if you become a non-resident for tax purposes and invest it in the ASX you won't pay any tax on fully franked shares and there is no Capital Gains Tax, so you may want to cover this area

 

10} If your not old enough to get the pension, you would be aware that you need two years in Aus to make it portable, i.e. to receive it here, i.e. if your looking to receive the pension in a few years time. If your already getting it, disregard what I said.

 

11} Cost of living all depends on how many of you there are and who you want to support, if it's just you and the Mrs, you should be ok on 50k baht a month, eating good foods and imports excluding any holidays, and private health cover policies. This will assume your house will be debt free and your car paid off.

 

11} Others might have mentioned private health cover here is expensive and goes up with age, so if you do decide to get one, maybe look at one that has deductibles, the higher the deductible (you pay) first in the event of hospitalisation, the lower the policy.

 

I am sure you will work it all out when it comes to building, just remember, the golden rule, only invest as much as your prepared to walk away from, I say that with respect to your wife. You see a lot of guys lose a lot of money here because they wear their hearts on their sleeves and trust their wives with their finances, huge mistake in my opinion, love is one thing, finances is another.

 

Anything more you need to know, let me know and best of luck on your new home, sooner or later you will find out how much the Australia you left behind will hate you, because you escaped the slave trade IMO.

 

 

 

 

Nice list, good advice and very axiomatic.  However I must disagree with item 8). regarding prescription meds.  I buy a great deal of meds here that back in Australia would require a prescription and thus a visit to a doctor.  A trip to a doctor in Aus to get your prescription will cost you both time and money.  Here I just go to the wholesale pharmacy and buy my drugs straight over the counter.  No money or time wasted on visiting a GP.

[Adumbration]

3 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

sounds nice for you I'm glad you enjoy it. me, I'm a city slicker. I see a bamboo but or a padi field and I run! ????

Too be clear, Life in Bamboo is NOT my YouTube Chanel.

 

I live in a little cement rendered split level house about 3 minutes walk from the ocean on the outskirts of a mostly Muslim fishing village.

 

I could never live in Isaan because there is no ocean.

[Adumbration]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

OK, I guess I will challenge. This is for 2 people 5k?

So, you live on 170 b a day?  Food, electric, internet, insurance, water, gas, ¨ÿour home"repairs, phone, other essentials, etc.  You never travel or do anything accept stay home?

 

Since you brought it up, I would sure like to see your monthly budget sounds like a miracle if you can really pull it off.

Many days of the week I do not spend a single baht from my wallet.  Today is a relevant example.  Every possession I have I own outright.  I have no debt whatsoever and neither does my GF.  Neither of us has any kids.  I do not smoke or drink.  Nor does she.  I do however gamble occasionally.  Tomorrow I am off to the cock fights with one of my Thai friends.  

[Adumbration]

6 hours ago, gearbox said:

Great stuff, looks like good lifestyle on minimal outlay. Thumbs up.

My lifestyle is not for everyone.  I grew up dirt poor in Australia and my idea of fun and freedom was to be able to go fishing, spearfishing and surfing.  I now fill 90% of my time with those activities.  My GF has 7 brothers and she grew up in a fishing village (next to a huge fresh water lake).  So she is very comfortable living with a fisherman.  When I come back in from sea she does all of the work to scale and clean the fish, or clean the squid ready to put in our big freezer.  She just got back home from work (she had some OT) and has made herself a big bowl of suki with some big squid out of our freezer that I caught several weeks ago.

 

My life is not perfect, nobody's is, but I simply could never afford to live like I do here in Thailand back in Australia. I would also probably be living alone or with a horrid 50 + year old woman, who, I am damn sure, would not scale and gut the fish that I catch.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

OK, I guess I will challenge. This is for 2 people 5k?

So, you live on 170 b a day? 

I can only imagine the diet; rice with water for breakfast, water with rice for lunch, and supper is what's left of lunch...

Edited May 6, 2022 by StayinThailand2much

[Adumbration]

37 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I can only imagine the diet; rice with water for breakfast, water with rice for lunch, and supper is what's left of lunch...

Settle down and call up the basement stairs for your mum to bring you down some pop tarts.

 

For breakfast today I had a Malaysian black tea, fresh dork mai mangos with home made probiotic yogurt, and two poached free range eggs on home baked bread.

 

For lunch I had roast chicken with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, onions and hand made gravy.  I had sliced pineapple for afters and another cup of tea....I like my tea.

 

My GF had OT tonight so I made myself dinner.  I cooked squid fried rice and did a amazing job if I say so myself.  I am just having another cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit as I watch the live stream of the Johnny/Amber trial.

 

One of my Thai mates in the village has green lip mussel farm.  He gave me a couple of kilos of big ones today.  GF loves them but did not have time to cook them up tonight.  But she will be all over them tomorrow like white on rice.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[RafPinto]

3 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

"My monthly expenses are around 5K thb per month unless there is a one off expense such as medical, car repair or the like."

 

You cant be eating meat on that budget nor driving much as fuel isnt cheap.

Private school 750k a year.

 

[RafPinto]

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

Too be clear, Life in Bamboo is NOT my YouTube Chanel.

 

I live in a little cement rendered split level house about 3 minutes walk from the ocean on the outskirts of a mostly Muslim fishing village.

 

I could never live in Isaan because there is no ocean.

There is an ocean:

The ocean of tears from farang who lost it all 555

[Adumbration]

6 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

There is an ocean:

The ocean of tears from farang who lost it all 555

My GFs family has a lovely big piece of land that is on the shore of a very big lake.  There are boats and fishing but it just not my beloved ocean.  No other farangs in that village, but it has been a number of years since I have been up there so things might have changed.

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[Adumbration]

9 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Private school 750k a year.

 

I have already posted that neither I nor my GF have any kids.  Why would I be spending money on a private school?

[Onerak]

9 hours ago, Adumbration said:

If you live self sufficiently, have no kids, do not use drugs or alcohol, and do things like house and vehicle maintenance yourself you can live remarkably cheaply here in Thailand. 

Hmm. I can live remarkably cheaply in USA also if I am self sufficient, eat only rice as my staple food and do my own vehicle maintenance and no health problems. Of course not for 5000BHT ($150 USD). 

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, Adumbration said:

My lifestyle is not for everyone.  I grew up dirt poor in Australia and my idea of fun and freedom was to be able to go fishing, spearfishing and surfing.  I now fill 90% of my time with those activities.  My GF has 7 brothers and she grew up in a fishing village (next to a huge fresh water lake).  So she is very comfortable living with a fisherman.  When I come back in from sea she does all of the work to scale and clean the fish, or clean the squid ready to put in our big freezer.  She just got back home from work (she had some OT) and has made herself a big bowl of suki with some big squid out of our freezer that I caught several weeks ago.

 

My life is not perfect, nobody's is, but I simply could never afford to live like I do here in Thailand back in Australia. I would also probably be living alone or with a horrid 50 + year old woman, who, I am damn sure, would not scale and gut the fish that I catch.

I can guess roughly where are you living ????

 

I was cycling in the same area around a week ago. Great place, great people.

 

True, not a lifestyle for everyone, but pretty good in my eyes. Being close to the ocean is the main thing, it opens a lot of options. Although the water is a bit murky there ????

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, Adumbration said:

For breakfast today I had a Malaysian black tea, fresh dork mai mangos with home made probiotic yogurt, and two poached free range eggs on home baked bread.

 

For lunch I had roast chicken with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, onions and hand made gravy.  I had sliced pineapple for afters and another cup of tea....I like my tea.

 

My GF had OT tonight so I made myself dinner.  I cooked squid fried rice and did a amazing job if I say so myself.  I am just having another cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit as I watch the live stream of the Johnny/Amber trial.

And all this with a daily budget of 164 baht! I'm impressed.

[Adumbration]

34 minutes ago, Onerak said:

Hmm. I can live remarkably cheaply in USA also if I am self sufficient, eat only rice as my staple food and do my own vehicle maintenance and no health problems. Of course not for 5000BHT ($150 USD). 

I don't eat a lot of rice.  The GF does of course.  Sure you can live cheap in the US.  But you are not going to share you life with a beautiful girl 20 years younger than you.

[Adumbration]

26 minutes ago, gearbox said:

I can guess roughly where are you living ????

 

I was cycling in the same area around a week ago. Great place, great people.

 

True, not a lifestyle for everyone, but pretty good in my eyes. Being close to the ocean is the main thing, it opens a lot of options. Although the water is a bit murky there ????

I am on the west coast not east coast ????

 

Amazingly the water is still clear here and we are still catching squid and pelagics.  Wet season is very late to arrive.  Went diving just a few days ago in about 20 meters.  Viz still very good.  

Edited May 6, 2022 by Adumbration

[Jotnar]

Mandatory monthly (home, car, mb - free & clear) - Home - yearly tax < 100

2 Adults 1 dog (12kgs)

food < 10k (no alcohol)

electric < 100 (off grid solar) - prior to solar 1500-3000

water < 150

car < 3000

mb < 50

healthcare & vitamins < 2000

Total < 16,000

 

[Lemsta69]

4 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Too be clear, Life in Bamboo is NOT my YouTube Chanel.

 

I live in a little cement rendered split level house about 3 minutes walk from the ocean on the outskirts of a mostly Muslim fishing village.

 

I could never live in Isaan because there is no ocean.

salaam w'alaikum brother. you got a spare bedroom for when I come visit? ????

[The Hammer2021]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

You may be right, my impression is it is difficult to get doctors to prescribe them, a holdover from when the Thai government was trying to stamp out the opium trade in the Golden Triangle.

When my GF's father was dying of kidney failure a couple of months ago, the only medication he got from the provincial  hospital was paracetamol.

AFAIK oxycodone is a no-no.

I am quite aware if the rationale behind the policy on so called opioids but morphine  and oxy etc and fentanyl are all available under the  authority of a doctor.  Although  illegal 30mg codeine and tramadol is easily  available under the counter.  I'm sorry  to hear about the suffering  of your FIL but also  surprised.

[jerrymahoney]

I have lived near 2 oceans: The Atlantic and the Pacific. The west coast of Thailand is the Andaman Sea.

 

I also like to swim distances which does not require a sea or an ocean. This my current 30 meter salt waiter pool.

 

 

For me to live again near the ocean, I would need waves like these waves (stock photo) like when I stayed for a while off the west coast of Sumatra but I don't surf.

But this one actually IS my photo maybe 1995:

Edited May 6, 2022 by jerrymahoney

[Sparktrader]

6 hours ago, Adumbration said:

I am on the west coast not east coast ????

 

Amazingly the water is still clear here and we are still catching squid and pelagics.  Wet season is very late to arrive.  Went diving just a few days ago in about 20 meters.  Viz still very good.  

Trang?

[4MyEgo]

11 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Nice list, good advice and very axiomatic.  However I must disagree with item 8). regarding prescription meds.  I buy a great deal of meds here that back in Australia would require a prescription and thus a visit to a doctor.  A trip to a doctor in Aus to get your prescription will cost you both time and money.  Here I just go to the wholesale pharmacy and buy my drugs straight over the counter.  No money or time wasted on visiting a GP.

Thx.

 

But I have to disagree with you there.

 

The trip to the Dr back in Aus costs me $55 after Medicare pays me back around $35, it works out to be about $20 out of my pocket for me or 500 baht.

 

My Dr prescribes me with double strength meds, e.g. instead of 40mg, I get 80mg and cut them in half, that way I get 6 months worth which is the max he will prescribe me, but it works out to 12 months worth once I cut them in half.

 

I have done the math and it works out to be $403 cheaper or 10, 000 baht savings for me compared to buying them here.

 

Also when ordering here, I don't buy them over the counter, I do it on LINE or by email and buy 6 months worth which they courier to my address for 35 baht.

 

I got this down pat, trust me.

[4MyEgo]

13 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Yes I spend most of my pension of 300k, and I don't have an extravagant lifestyle. I guess on can be thrifty for a while, probably when young. But once you age you'll want western style comforts and health care. Children are also entitled to the future of their dreams

.

300k WOW, that must be a year ????

 

On a good month I can make 250k from day trading.

 

House paid off, car paid off, no debt, two kids that go to a private Catholic school, so no international fees there.

 

The entire family has private health care cover and we eat well, imports as well and I like my case of beer a month, not a big drinker, also my budget includes everything, except for annual domestic holidays and international holidays every 2 years.

 

What's my budget, 70,000 baht per month on average, and can be reduced to around 58,000 baht per month if I removed the private health care cover for the family which costs me 217,500 baht per year, not hard to put 250,000 baht aside a year.

 

300k baht you must mean a year because no one would be required to spend 300k a month, and using your words, you don't live an extravagant life.

[Sparktrader]

11 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Settle down and call up the basement stairs for your mum to bring you down some pop tarts.

 

For breakfast today I had a Malaysian black tea, fresh dork mai mangos with home made probiotic yogurt, and two poached free range eggs on home baked bread.

 

For lunch I had roast chicken with potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, onions and hand made gravy.  I had sliced pineapple for afters and another cup of tea....I like my tea.

 

My GF had OT tonight so I made myself dinner.  I cooked squid fried rice and did a amazing job if I say so myself.  I am just having another cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit as I watch the live stream of the Johnny/Amber trial.

 

One of my Thai mates in the village has green lip mussel farm.  He gave me a couple of kilos of big ones today.  GF loves them but did not have time to cook them up tonight.  But she will be all over them tomorrow like white on rice.

Where did the chicken come from? Did it cross the road?

Edited May 7, 2022 by Sparktrader

[sitta]

18 hours ago, chalawaan said:

I have re-structured my visa options so that I am merely a "tourist" now. 

So do you travel to Thailand on 60 day Tourist visa every time?

May be I can do that too!

[RafPinto]

8 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

salaam w'alaikum brother. you got a spare bedroom for when I come visit? ????

Please no aircon.
You will dramatically increase his monthly budget.