Thailand on 170,000 baht a month

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, MrMilk said:

Your budget is not going to be a problem, but you are likely to be set straight by some drunk Thai guys unless you leave your attitude at home

Or sober farang

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

Wha? Where am I?

 

Is this a thread about Burmese women? I donn' unnnerstannn'.

 

Or do I? Not unnnerstann'ing is my self presentation to the world. I hope it's passing for piercing wit.

 

My attitude is that I am grateful for falling into dumb-posterior luck with a hot housing property and ready to live some version of the high life to whatever level I can. And looking for a little advice, or at least humous you-know-what-taking.

 

Not the usual bitterness of jaded skinflints.

 

Would def like to hear about the incremental diffs between 170, 200, and 250.

Have you  considered counselling? I suspect self esteem issues

[LaosLover]

I read the book, Very Bangkok, 3 times. And that guy's other book Very Thai, like six times. I even bought the expanded second edition. I wrote a book about the folkloric votive Buddha statues of Laos and got an award from their government. I also meditate in their vipassana style 3 times a day (I'm not a Buddhist). Not everyone is in Thailand for a girlfriend and a cheap plate of noodles.

 

Some people really are fascinated by Thai culture specifically and Southeast Asia in general. I wouldn't live in Spain for free. My wife is white. Yeah, I can still pull white. I promise not to rub it in.

 

To be in Thailand, pursuing my interests -with language skills, and the connections and opportunities that will come with being attached to a university- is a life long dream. I'll get an air purifier for my apartment. This forum has been very helpful with recco's.

 

Buying a car and going into the uber biz with someone I don't really know is the 100% opposite of what I'd consider useful advice. But thanks anyway.

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

You can't spend 80K a month, but 170K aint nothing?

 

Driver-wise, I'm looking to find an English-speaking driver who I'd use a lot on a regular basis and would pay said driver a premium for that. I don't expect him to be on call, 24 hours a day or wear a uniform, or open the car door for me. Do people come to arrangements like this and if so, how?

 

We just left Mexico where we spent about $2,500 a month for the life I just described. Obv, on $5K a month, I could live in most places in the world pretty well. Thailand is my passion.

 

Google searches only take me to 100K a month, where I am assured of 1%er lifestyle bliss. Looking for idea's instead of dour cheapskate naysayers offering zero anything. The English/Aussie class hangups are strong here.

 

But.....but... is this about Mexico or Thailand? I don' unnnerstannn. -Just to save someone here a post.

Alas money doesn't buy class. But when you get here you will  make lots of friends and they will you.

[LaosLover]

8 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Do you wish to be taken seriously?

If a low information, pointlessly argumentative poster likes to follow me around sniffing my you know what soi-dog style, than no, I can live without being taken seriously.  You can go find some one else to haunt too.

[Hummin]

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

Maids cost 9,000 a month

Can get one with car and licence who massage, gardening, help wife and do shopping. One in all for 15 a month package price. 

 

Ignorance is bliss they say

[The Hammer2021]

31 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I've had the experience of getting a good driver in Bangkok and getting his phone number and tipping him up so he responds. One time, he took me out to an amulet market out in the burbs. We took a holy man out to Burger King.

 

In Mexico, you have to be careful that your new best friend driver doesn't become your burglar up the road. Which is my second question: how do you vet people? How do you hide your wealth? How much notice does a 170K person draw from the locals? Should I downgrade to a 30K apartment to avoid problems? 

You might consider laying off the Columbian nose candy or maybe staying in Mexico

[Baron Samedi]

I don't even comprehend how you can spend more than 40,000THB a month in a country like Thailand.

That's 4 times what a Thai person would usually spend.

Edited June 11, 2022 by Baron Samedi

[The Hammer2021]

Something doesn't ring true about this post.

The OP claims to  be retired but apparently knows little or nothing about very basic  things- politeness and diplomacy for example.

He claims to  have experience of living in Mexico but can't seem to link that to living here in terms of getting things done.

He goes out of  his way to insult people having asked them for advice.

He targets British and  Australian  people for some reason.

But the  stream of consciousness  teenage style questions combined with use of long distorted words to represent a sound is a also very high school style derisory insult. It indicate a troll - possibly someone with a duplicate account

[Scott]

Posts removed.  Continued trolling and baiting will earn suspensions.  

 

[dj230]

170k is probably too little to live the life you're describing for 2 people in Bangkok, high end life with a personal driver, 4 star restaurants, a nice condo, personal trainers, thai tutors, medical cannabis, etc.

 

Just good food would cost near 1000-3000 baht a day, so 2000 baht on average each and 30 days thats 120,000 baht. 

 

If you went to a different province you might be able to live that life for 170k baht. 

 

A relaxed, basic life, going out a few times a week, some shopping, costs around 100k baht a month in central Bangkok for 2 people, at least it did for me. no personal driver, no fancy condo, no personal trainers or thai tutors or medical cannabis, no 4 star restaurants either. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by dj230

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, LaosLover said:

I.....I.....donnnn' unnnerstannddd.

 

He posits a situation, generally invites comments, and then he asks a question. At the end. Why?

 

I....I....don' understannnnddd.

"We like to eat at a 4* restaurant" Michelin best restaurants only have 3 stars. Why do you need a holiday and education for 31 days? Ari is an expensive area, 170K will not be enough, save some more money.

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by FritsSikkink

[LaosLover]

A four star restaurant in Bangkok to me means a $100 check for 2, not dining at at roof top bar and ordering caviar. I never ate in a Michelin starred restaurant that was worth the money. I'd be most frequently eating in shophouse restaurants or at home. We grow our own Thai basil and even made a foray into home made padaek; the thought of making my own food from the market excites me.

 

I'm looking for a one bedroom apartment with a pool and good furniture in a decent neighborhood, say 5-7 BTS stops from downtown, not a penthouse in Thong Lo. Suggestions would be welcome. What's the new Ari? I spent a couple of weeks a little north of Banglaphu and liked it.

 

I see gyms on line where you can get a block of training sessions for $10-20 per session. Private Thai lessons seem to run about $10 an hour. As explained, I do not need a dedicated, round the clock driver. Medical pot is not essential, but posts here lead me to believe it's around $150 a month, after the doctor charge.

 

We've travelled a lot in SEA and usually spend about $100 a day for the two of us, or $200 if we're eating large, which I hardly would want to do every day. I'd like to do the pricey tour to the Myanmar Himalaya's  but, most of my traveling around would be of the Pai-variety. Not a beach person at all. And yes, I know going in that the Myanmar Himalaya's are probably going be a bit of a rip off and a letdown.

 

I've also read here that barring rent, costs in the provinces are not that much diff; a trip to the western-style grocery store costs the same and so does a cab or a bowl of noodles.

 

The 100K a month lifestyle described above sounds fine to me, and if I went berserk and tossed in another 30K for fine dining, it looks like I'm still in range.

 

Simply presenting what I've researched so far does not constitute trolling or not listening to the advice so graciously given here.

 

It seems to be a very split message here: you can live very well on 60K, but 170 not so much. And I could also def. stretch to 200K

Edited June 11, 2022 by LaosLover

[Boyn]

More money than sense comes to mind, not sure if this post is true

[pomchop]

Give me 70 k a month and i will teach you how to live on 100 k for a month....problem solved.

[LaosLover]

As I understand it, you can just gas on and offer nothing and I can't make fun of you. Works for me.

[dj230]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

A four star restaurant in Bangkok to me means a $100 check for 2, not dining at at roof top bar and ordering caviar. I never ate in a Michelin starred restaurant that was worth the money. I'd be most frequently eating in shophouse restaurants or at home. We grow our own Thai basil and even made a foray into home made padaek; the thought of making my own food from the market excites me.

 

I'm looking for a one bedroom apartment with a pool and good furniture in a decent neighborhood, say 5-7 BTS stops from downtown, not a penthouse in Thong Lo. Suggestions would be welcome. What's the new Ari? I spent a couple of weeks a little north of Banglaphu and liked it.

 

I see gyms on line where you can get a block of training sessions for $10-20 per session. Private Thai lessons seem to run about $10 an hour. As explained, I do not need a dedicated, round the clock driver. Medical pot is not essential, but posts here lead me to believe it's around $150 a month, after the doctor charge.

 

We've travelled a lot in SEA and usually spend about $100 a day for the two of us, or $200 if we're eating large, which I hardly would want to do every day. I'd like to do the pricey tour to the Myanmar Himalaya's  but, most of my traveling around would be of the Pai-variety. Not a beach person at all. And yes, I know going in that the Myanmar Himalaya's are probably going be a bit of a rip off and a letdown.

 

I've also read here that barring rent, costs in the provinces are not that much diff; a trip to the western-style grocery store costs the same and so does a cab or a bowl of noodles.

 

The 100K a month lifestyle described above sounds fine to me, and if I went berserk and tossed in another 30K for fine dining, it looks like I'm still in range.

 

Simply presenting what I've researched so far does not constitute trolling or not listening to the advice so graciously given here.

 

It seems to be a very split message here: you can live very well on 60K, but 170 not so much. And I could also def. stretch to 200K

I think it was all the extra's you added in that will rack up the costs, in central Bangkok, from what I experienced at least, the prices for services are actually relatively the same as any 1st world country, I know, it shocked me too.  For example a haircut at the cheapest big chain salon I could find was 600 baht, which is about $20 USD, some hair salons were asking me for a few hundred dollars for hair colouring, I thought I wasn't living in Thailand. Now that I moved to a different city, haircuts at a small salon are like 100 baht, money goes a lot further when you're not in central Bangkok. 

 

Some of the prices of things are actually ridiculous in central Bangkok, especially apparel, none of the prices made any sense to me. Most of the clothes I saw were 2-3x more expensive than it was in Canada.

 

I lived in Ploenchit, not a super nice condo, had a gym and pool but all condos basically have that in Bangkok. A 1 Bedroom condo at Life One Wireless was costing me about 18,000 a month with the electric bill+internet, I think a 2 bedroom would be around 20,000-30,000. If you want to look at condos I use propertyhub, usually you can negotiate the price as well. I personally like AP thai or Sansiri developed condos, but I haven't been living in Thailand all that long. 

 

I am not sure what a 4 star restaurant is but as ridiculous as it sounds, some restaurants are charging around 1000 baht a person and they aren't even "nice" restaurants. Typical all you can eat shabu/korean barbecue places are charging upwards of 1000 baht a person and I wouldn't call it great food. For example a restaurant like Blue Elephant costs around 1000-2000 baht a person, I am not a restaurant guru but I saw some Kpop idols going there so I figured I'd go, I wouldn't even consider this a 4 star resultant so I am assuming it would cost more at something nicer. Eating at home is quite cheap, with grab you can order fairly good food and get around 25-50% discounts on food, delivery is practically free (30 cents to $1). I'd say an average meal costs 100-200 baht after the discounts. 

 

Not too sure about gyms to be honest, I always used the condo gym but I remember I met a girl who worked at a gym in Bangkok and it was quite expensive compared to a first world country, this was for a gym in central Bangkok it was a fairly big gym, I'd say it was more like 'fitness center with a muay thai area, cross fit area, lots of machines, etc. not a typical gym. I think she told me it was like 2000-3000 baht a month for a membership. 

 

If you just take a grab taxi, they cost around 100-300 baht for a 1km-25km trip, one way, which is actually really reasonable. Not sure about a personal driver.

 

I just saw thailand legalized cannabis so maybe you're in luck there, probably the cannabis at stores isn't medical grade though, I never looked into cannabis to be honest so I have no clue about prices or anything. I went to Bangkok Hospital for all my medical needs and they only charged me like 2000 baht for a doctor appointment and prescription (wasn't cannabis).

 

So with 170k you could probably live a great life with splurging a few times a week, I am just not sure about the extra's you mentioned and how much that would cost. When you mentioned things like a 50k apartment, 4 star restaurants, fitness trainer, personal driver, thai lessons, cannabis,  it made me think you were looking for a higher end lifestyle. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by dj230

[orchis]

1 hour ago, LaosLover said:

We like to eat at a 4* restaurant about twice a week.

this shows your boorishness. restaurants are not hotels. 3 stars is the highest level.

[SAFETY FIRST]

6 hours ago, LaosLover said:

Due to crazy a rental market

Rental market here in Thailand is pretty normal. 

 

You must be talking about Sydney, this is a crazy rental market. 

 

[LaosLover]

I'm talking about restaurants that would typically be rated 4 stars on Trip Advisor or Yelp.

 

And then I gave some named examples of popular such places in Bangkok.

 

As to ye olde Euro-snob ratings or Michelin or whatever, I have no interest or idea's.

 

Nor I'm guessing, do you. You're mad at something, but should mental clarity pass by your noggin, you will grasp that it aint me.

[SAFETY FIRST]

8 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

I'm talking about restaurants that would typically be rated 4 stars on Trip Advisor or Yelp.

 

And then I gave some named examples of popular such places in Bangkok.

 

As to ye olde Euro-snob ratings or Michelin or whatever, I have no interest or idea's.

 

Nor I'm guessing, do you. You're mad at something, but should mental clarity pass by your noggin, you will grasp that it aint me.

Are you talking to me? 

 

[LaosLover]

Actually, my property is in the rural south, adjacent to a big city. People would pay me 170K baht a month just to have it for weekends. We are in an area of world-famous natural beauty that is a major vacation destination. These numbers were confirmed by an estate agent. She called 5 prospectives and all of them wanted it at that price, sight unseen.

 

That's for the a long term lease and the security that that would bring. If I had the nerve to try Air BnB, tripling that amount on a pro rata annual basis would be doable.

 

I talk to Aus people a lot and I know that real estate is nuts there. I'd rather hav less and have a nurse or a teacher be able to afford to live a reasonable life. But I'm playing the happy cards that life has dealt me.

Edited June 11, 2022 by LaosLover

[LaosLover]

Just now, SAFETY FIRST said:

Are you talking to me? 

 

No I'm talking to the guy who called me boorish. Like the average American would even know what that meant.

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 minute ago, LaosLover said:

But I'm playing the happy cards that life has dealt me

You sound angry and sad by reading your previous comment. 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

2 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

No I'm talking to the guy who called me boorish. Like the average American would even know what that meant.

OK, try clicking 'quote' next time, it will reply to that members comment. 

 

Try not to be too sensitive, sadly lots of name calling at times. 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by SAFETY FIRST

[LaosLover]

I'm neither angry nor sad at the prospect of eating in very good restaurants, the likes of which are not available at any price where I live (let's just leave it at that), and having my money go 2-300% further, even if it doesn't involve helicopter transport instead of cabs.

 

If you're a person who moved to Thailand and likes it -for whatever reason- I view you with admiration. Even the boorish-yelling guy is someone I would probably like. 

[OneMoreFarang]

6 hours ago, LaosLover said:

How would I find such a person?

That is a good question and personally I don't know.

If you would work for a multinational company then likely they would look for such a person for you.

Maybe if you worked previously for such a company or you know people who do then you could ask them.

 

Otherwise I would look for a reputable HR company or job agency in Thailand, preferable multinational, to help you with this. It will be key person in your life and IMHO that person should be a not too young Thai person with a good professional and family background who lived also years in the western world.

I am sure they exist and I am sure multinational companies hire such people for their top management in Thailand.

They will obviously not be cheap but likely they will make your life and Thailand experience a lot better in many ways.

[Excel]

7 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

If that is the question you want answered , why did you put all that other info in your post ?

Just to post BS I suspect to get a few reactions

[OneMoreFarang]

5 hours ago, Baron Samedi said:

I don't even comprehend how you can spend more than 40,000THB a month in a country like Thailand.

That's 4 times what a Thai person would usually spend.

It seems your definition of "a Thai person" is very limited. There are lots of Thai people out there who spend a lot more than only 170k per month.

[Excel]

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems your definition of "a Thai person" is very limited. There are lots of Thai people out there who spend a lot more than only 170k per month.

Yeh but don't most of those people live in Dubai or Germany ? ????