Cost Of Living In Thailand

[bikerlou47]

Is Thailand Really an Inexpensive Place to Live?

Many people from around the world consider moving to Thailand some come here looking for work others come here to retire, since I have retired here I will limit this discussion to the expenses I have experienced during my 30 month stay. I will use baht through out this document leaving the conversion to you.

Cost of Housing

Rent

I found rent can range from very little to very expensive depending on your location for a nice place in the Pattaya area I paid about 25,000 baht. But it is possible to find a place for 3000 baht a month and you would get what you paid for a very sub standard living condition. Also keep in mind rents can go up and they certainly will go up if the baht gains strength and your home currency weakens as the case of the USD.

Buy

After living in Pattaya for 6 months it became apparent that this was not the place for me and I began to search for a new location. I found a very nice place about 2 hours north east of Bangkok and rented there about 3 months to make sure it was to my liking during this time I paid 20,000 baht a month for a substandard house in a very nice development

At the end of these 3 months a 3 year old house came up for sale and I purchased it for 3.4 million baht which included furnishings.

There are advantages to buying in Thailand as there are in many countries, but in addition there are no property taxes in Thailand.

I feel very lucky to have found this house in this development, because I have looked at other houses that are extremely expensive and you still would not have a home like you would find at home. For instance I looked at a place for over 11 million baht and it had no kitchen and no place to park your car! In general a Thai house is not what you would expect to find in your home country and yet you can easily pay much more!

When buying there is also an important issue it may be difficult to purchase a home in your name. Thailand has strict rules about foreign ownership of property.

Cost of Food

Thai food

Thai food for the most part is quite inexpensive especially if you are cooking at home and buying from a Thai market. I find this to be a very small part of my budget.

Foreign food

Buying food that you would find in your home country is a completely different story, food can be very expensive and most probably you will have very little choice. Also if you live in a remote area of Thailand as I do you will have to travel to get to a market that sells food from other countries. This part of your budget will be more than you will find in your home country.

Alcoholic Beverages

If you are like me and enjoy a good beer you will have a problem Thailand’s brewery families have such a control on this market that they have imposed a hefty tax on beer from other countries for instance you can easily pay 5 or 6 USD for a Budweiser in a grocery store if you can find it! So what are you left with? No real choices. Near where I live I can buy a German beer for 150 baht. Singha will cost about 70 baht. Buying the local beer is still expensive when compared to USA. Where it might be cheaper is when you go to a bar since there is very little markup in most places.

Wine can also be expensive it is difficult to find a decent bottle of wine for 600 baht.

Transportation Costs

Car

I bought a truck here and paid about 800,000 baht which may be lower than you would pay in the USA but there are factors to consider. I have no air bag on the passenger side, I have no seat belts in the rear seating area and who knows what other safety features are missing when compared to a car bought from a car in Europe or USA? As an example are the doors reinforced? I doubt it!

Used cars and trucks just don’t seem like a good option here because the resale value is very high, after making comparisons I found it a much better idea to buy new.

Car rental

You can rent a used pickup for about 20,000 a month.

Gas

It is more expensive here than in the USA by about 40 cents a gallon but it is cheaper here when compared to Europe. For high test it is about 30 baht a liter.

Train

You can go many places by train and it is very inexpensive.

Bus

The same is true for bus.

Safety Issues

In all modes of transportation you will be putting your life in more danger here than in a developed country. There may be safety standards but if there are they are not enforced. Drivers on the road have no training and for the most part anything goes. Truck drivers and bus drivers are probably the worst. So it may or may not be cheaper here for transportation but there are many traffic deaths!

Medical Care

Hospitals and Doctors

The cost of medical care in the USA is the highest in the world so of course it is cheaper here, so the real factor to consider is the quality of care received.

If you are in a hospital you may receive quality care but it is dependent on the hospital. The quality of care can differ greatly between a government hospital and a private hospital and the same is true for doctors.

There is the Bamrungrad hospital in Bangkok and I believe it is the only certified hospital in Thailand. People come to this hospital from all over the world for its excellent care and reasonable cost. There are other very good hospitals in Thailand but they are few and far apart.

A month ago I was visiting a friend at a government hospital and watched the rats playing in the water as it flowed from the washing machines.

Medical Insurance

This can cost about 40,000 baht a year and will cover many expenses incurred in Thailand and other countries with the exception of the USA.

Emergency services

For the most part there are none if you don’t have anyone to take you to a hospital chances are you are not going to get there unless you are extremely lucky. There is a 911 type service here 1669 but if your condition is critical you will probably die waiting for help!

Utilities

Electricity

We average about 1000 baht a month which is very cheap but this is with very little air conditioning, we use fans mostly. Asia in general uses many energy saving devices such as fluorescent bulbs and on demand hot water units.

Water

Very cheap just don’t drink it! You will have to purchase potable water and it is quite inexpensive when you buy it in 30 liter bottles it is about 20 baht.

TV

If you receive every option via SAT the price is 2100 baht, but the TV is not very good HBO and the other movie channels are all edited you can not receive and unedited version, words are changed and scenes are eliminated for sex and violence. For the same money TV is much better in USA

Internet

For 512k ADSL service you will pay 769 baht, and you will never receive 512k maybe average about 300k. So far this year we have lost internet service for several days on 3 different occasions, do not even think about asking for a prorated bill you will have to pay the full amount every month whether you received the service or not.

Police and Fire Protection

Almost non-existent, I have to relate this story to give you an idea of what you might expect for police protection. A few years ago they passed a helmet law for motorbikes and my girl made sure that everyday we put on our helmets. This one evening we went out and I put on my helmet and she asked why was I putting it on she said the “police don’t work in the night”. In most cases this is true unless you live in one of the tourists areas.

I have another friend who owns a bar and a fight broke out between some farangs the police were called and they did arrive but only watched, when my friend asked why they did not help to break up the fight they said they did not like to get involved when it comes to farangs!

As far as fire protection is concerned for the most part your house will burn to the ground and again forget any emergency services.

If you live in Bangkok, Pattaya or a tourist area you may find better police and fire protection.

Entertainment

This varies greatly depending on what you are looking for, we all know the reputation of Thailand when it comes to this subject and again when in Bangkok or a tourist area you will find that it will live up to the reputation. But when you are away from these areas it can be a completely different story.

Here are a few examples of G rated entertainment:

Movies- 200 baht -English sound tracks are only in tourist areas.

Tennis court rental – 50 baht an hour

Bowling - 80 baht a game

Horse Racing 10 baht minimum bet 20 baht admission

National Park entrance fees 400 baht (with Thai driver license 40 baht)

Zoo -100 baht admission

Horse Riding 500 baht an hour

Elephant Riding 400 baht for 30 minutes

Banks

I can not say enough bad things about the Thai banking system. If you are not at the exact bank location where you opened your account you are will not have complete access to your monies. Every time you use the ATM you will be charged 20 baht. And maybe there are some farangs that receive interest in their accounts but I know of no one.

In conclusion the answer to this question really depends on your life style, one can stay here for very little money if you want to live as a Thai person, your housing will be Thai style your food will be Thai food and your life will be as a Thai person would live.

If you come here as a retired person that means you are over 50 years old and as we know the older you get the more important it becomes that you have good medical care. The average life expectancy of a Thai male is about 68 which is shorter than most developed countries. The lack of emergency services and good medical care in most parts of the country can certainly have a detrimental effect on your length and quality of life.

As an example take a look at a conservative sample monthly budget of a retiree who does not keep a house or vehicle in his home country. If you travel back home once a year the cost of a roundtrip ticket could add about 5000 baht a month to the following budget.

Housing 20,000

Car- 20,000

Food – 15000

TV – 1700

Electricity -1000

Internet 650

Medical Insurance – 3000

This comes to over 60,000 a month does not include alcohol, clothes, entertainment, travel etc.

Thailand visa requirements state that you must show at least 65,000 baht a month income which translates to about 1800 USD a month. Can you live on this amount? The answer is probably you can, but will your life style be better than in your home country? When everything is considered including the lack of choices of food and drink, the lack of quality parks and public recreation, the lack of police and fire and emergency services, the dangerous road conditions you just may be better to stay home!

I have tried to limit this discussion to cost and money and you may get the impression that I am looking to leave Thailand and you could not be more wrong!

In the next article I will talk more about the affairs of heart and less about the wallet!

[67 CHEVELLE SUPER SPORT]

Bikerlou47,

Good information, thanks.

67 CHEVELLE SUPER SPORT

Edited June 27, 2007 by 67 CHEVELLE SUPER SPORT

[Fred Sanford]

Man your electric is cheap pal.

[wileycoyote]

Is Thailand Really an Inexpensive Place to Live?

You have also to budget for visa fees (all in that involves for visa-run)

Wiley Coyote

[mittheimp]

er.....

[bikerlou47]

You have also to budget for visa fees (all in that involves for visa-run)

Wiley Coyote

This budget is for a retiree, the visa fee per year is 1900 baht. No visa runs.

[bikerlou47]

Man your electric is cheap pal.

Yes it is and it got a lot cheaper when I got a real meter! I have rented in places where the landlord would double my electric bill.

I think it was because he did had his own meter? I am not sure, all I know it is quite common for a landlord to double the bill and he will let you know and not hide this fact.

[Luckydog]

This is an excellent article for anyone thinking of coming to stay in LOS and should be Pinned.

Mods?

[Jockstar]

:D

[thaicurious]

bikerlou, that was really interesting & informative. thanx for sharing.

[lazeeboy]

bikerlou, that was really interesting & informative. thanx for sharing.

great post ,enjoyed it ,some really good points thanks

[ThaiPauly]

Just a few things I beg to differ with.

You only pay 20B to withdraw from an ATM if you do so outside of the City or Town where the branch of your bank is.

I get interest on my SCB account...not much , but it is interest.

20,000 Baht a month to rent a truck sounds expensive, while 1,000 baht a month for Electicity sounds very cheap. I have a 3 bed house and pay around 4,000 a month, and I THINK I am economical, we only have one A/C unit runnng at night, and never use it during the day.

Having said that I enjoyed reading your post and am looking forward to your next one

TP

Edited July 1, 2007 by ThaiPauly

[thaicurious]

20,000 Baht a month to rent a truck sounds expensive, while 1,000 baht a month for Electicity sounds very cheap. I have a 3 bed house and pay around 4,000 a month, and I THINK I am economical, we only have one A/C unit runnng at night, and never use it during the day.

i'm currently in a ~1300 sq ft house in south florida u.s.a. which i a/c all day & for 8 hours of sleep i drop the temp to 69 degrees f. my electric bill here averages just a little over us$100/month ($3157 baht) but the house is a well shaded, well built, old southern house built for this climate. either price you or the op mention sounds quite reasonable to me for electric in a developing country.

my annual budget (for a single person) here is easily us$40k (105,240 baht/month) (though i can pretty easily drop that by us$5k or more), all that with a paid-up car, small mortgage and excellent yet expensive health insurance but without travel figured in.

so it sounds that for me living in thailand offers opportunity to reduce my expenditures quite nicely and still live fairly well. i'm becoming more thaicurious by the day.

[Fred Sanford]

My living expenses when in FL:

food and beer: $200/mo. (coupons, 2 fers, freebies, rebates)

gas: $100

uts: $200

taxes $150

misc: $100

rent: own

car: own

health ins: free

total: $550 or 17,500 baht

in thailand

rent: $1700

uts: $125

food: $250

beer: $200

transport: $100

visa runs: $125

misc: $100

health ins: 0

total: $2600 or 83000 baht

So I'm spending in excess of 65000 baht more to live the way I want to in Bangkok over what I'd be shelling out in FL. I live in 4 star accomodations in FL and want the same in Bangkok. I want to be in the heart of sukhumvit, I dont want thai boonies, tenements, one room Apts, On Nut type locations, Pattaya, chang mai or whatever. This is what I want so I pay. Anytime someone comes up to me (and boy they do) and tells me how cheap it is to live here, I tell them, not for the lifestyle I want. When they tell me that I can live here cheaper than the US, I tell them they're off their rocker. I can live in the US for next to nothing usig super specials, coupons and freebies you can't get in Thailand. It all depends on where you want to live and here is where I choose but cheapness don't come into my equation, at all

Edited July 2, 2007 by Fred Sanford

[nidge]

Just a few things I beg to differ with.

You only pay 20B to withdraw from an ATM if you do so outside of the City or Town where the branch of your bank is.

I get interest on my SCB account...not much , but it is interest.

20,000 Baht a month to rent a truck sounds expensive, while 1,000 baht a month for Electicity sounds very cheap. I have a 3 bed house and pay around 4,000 a month, and I THINK I am economical, we only have one A/C unit runnng at night, and never use it during the day.

Having said that I enjoyed reading your post and am looking forward to your next one

TP

I get interest in my SCB bank account too.

My last electric bill was 350 baht but we have no ac. My wife was not happy paying so much. In the village living with mum and dad we paid on average 250 baht per month. Save money, be sweaty

[sgunn65]

My living expenses when in FL:

food and beer: $200/mo. (coupons, 2 fers, freebies, rebates)

gas: $100

uts: $200

taxes $150

misc: $100

rent: own

car: own

health ins: free

total: $550 or 17,500 baht

in thailand

rent: $1700

uts: $125

food: $250

beer: $200

transport: $100

visa runs: $125

misc: $100

health ins: 0

total: $2600 or 83000 baht

So I'm spending in excess of 65000 baht more to live the way I want to in Bangkok over what I'd be shelling out in FL. I live in 4 star accomodations in FL and want the same in Bangkok. I want to be in the heart of sukhumvit, I dont want thai boonies, tenements, one room Apts, On Nut type locations, Pattaya, chang mai or whatever. This is what I want so I pay. Anytime someone comes up to me (and boy they do) and tells me how cheap it is to live here, I tell them, not for the lifestyle I want. When they tell me that I can live here cheaper than the US, I tell them they're off their rocker. I can live in the US for next to nothing usig super specials, coupons and freebies you can't get in Thailand. It all depends on where you want to live and here is where I choose but cheapness don't come into my equation, at all

You might want to do your maths again Fred. Florida is not so cheap!!!

[teddy_bare]

My last electric bill was 350 baht but we have no ac. My wife was not happy paying so much. In the village living with mum and dad we paid on average 250 baht per month. Save money, be sweaty

Hot and sweat is great if your with your lady, bad if you're trying to work!

""""(@

[damian5000]

I'm amazed at the amount some people pay in Thailand...Especially for buying houses or renting apt's. I spend not more than $1500 a month living in LAS VEGAS. This includes rent, food, car insurance, a movie or some form of entertainment once or twice a week. Eating out once in a while. In Thailand over 8 months I spent on the high end $1200 a month and on the low end $350 a month. I rarely drink and eat simply from the market or from thai food stands. I don't have a family, and am happy living simply so this may have something to do with it...

Edited July 2, 2007 by damian5000

[thaicurious]

Florida is not so cheap!!!

agreed.

where in florida are you fred sanford? south florida has gotten a bit pricey.

just insurance, trash/water & tax on my house (& i'm protected with an early version of homesteaded value much to the dismay of many of my newer overtaxed neighbors) is about us$5k/yr.

insurance & gas for car another almost us$4k/yr plus oil, tires, etc. (granted i still like to play with those 300 ponies under the hood).

so if i sold here i thought i'd be able to rent fairly well in thailand. of course, i'll have to get me a muscle car version of one of those tuk-tuks. didn't james bond have one you could pull a wheely on?

[frikkiedeboer]

I'm amazed at the amount some people pay in Thailand...Especially for buying houses or renting apt's. I spend not more than $1500 a month living in LAS VEGAS. This includes rent, food, car insurance, a movie or some form of entertainment once or twice a week. Eating out once in a while. In Thailand over 8 months I spent on the high end $1200 a month and on the low end $350 a month. I rarely drink and eat simply from the market or from thai food stands. I don't have a family, and am happy living simply so this may have something to do with it...

i, too am amazed at what it seems to cost some people to live in thailand. i have some farang friends in isaan who have everything they need, do not count the pennies, and live well on less than 15000thb per month.(what's that in dollars?- about 360?)

it seems your cost of living depends on where you live in thailand. in isaan, visit the local (iso listed, clean and efficient) hospital and pay 30thb per consultation;. get a good meal,say, phad capow-30thb including a can of coke. 3 beer chang (quarts) for 100thb.-even in the "restaurant"; hospital stay for myself, 7days, included minor surgery, xrays, medication-5000thb all in;. schoolfees-400thb per year-included books. free (good) medical for my kids; vegetables are cheaper at the talaat than they would be if you grew them yourself. pork (i only eat pork fillet): 80thb/kg. whole chicken(farang-type, battery-raised chicken-not the scrawny, tough gai-baan):35thb/kg. water: my bill averaged around 30thb/month- i only used municipal water, and watered my garden each day,too!

use the municipal bus service long distance and it costs you about 2thb/km. electricity is cheap, gas is cheap, accommodation is cheap . here's what it cost me on average to live each month in isaan. ( includes myself and my two boys):

electricity......... ... <1000thb (do without the ac you soon get acclimatised)

water................ . .<50thb

accom.................free (owned my own) 000

food.................... <4000thb {5kg pork fillet/week=400thb, add veg and chicken-eat well for <1000/week

schoolfees and pocketmoney for kids...........<500thb

petrol/diesel............................................<1000thb (use the buses, rather. really cheap, and good fun)

beer....................................................... 3000thb (allow 3 beer chang quarts per day)

visa run: ................................................1200thb (take the bus,then minibus, fight with the cambodian officials and do not pay for exit stamp. do not pay bribes. 300km round trip, no agents 6hours.)

total.......................................................10750thb

that leaves another 4750 odd for other small expenses, including internet cafe (20thb/hour),adds up to 15000thb. i did it for less than half of that when i had to, but, yes, then you have to live like a thai, and ,know what? wasn't so bad!

a good quality of life can be had in isaan, on a shoestring budget. don't have to pay for entertainment, either- just look around and you will find something to make you laugh or smile almost every minute of the day. obviously it helps,too if you are not supporting the extended family, and are not going to the "cathouse" every night.

by the way, in isaan you can get a maid/housekeeper who will clean, cook, look after the kids, work from 7am to 6pm for around 3000thb/month, 7days a week. she supports her whole family on this, since mostly the husband won't be working. he manages to get pissed every day on what she brings home, so why can't we live on 15000 per month?

[madjbs]

I actually only spend 13000 baht per month in BKK, this doesnt take into acount flight costs though. I dont count the pennies (much) and dont really need anything else and I live like I did in the U.K.

I recon the reason why most people quote massive amounts is because they live like their on a year round holiday in Thailand (going out every night etc..).

If i take into account flights and visa cost then I would say you could love comfortably on 20000 very easily. If you are a stuck in your western ways farang then you might have problems though

Jake

[Lucifer]

My living expenses when in FL:

food and beer: $200/mo. (coupons, 2 fers, freebies, rebates)

gas: $100

uts: $200

taxes $150

misc: $100

rent: own

car: own

health ins: free

total: $550 or 17,500 baht

in thailand

rent: $1700

uts: $125

food: $250

beer: $200

transport: $100

visa runs: $125

misc: $100

health ins: 0

total: $2600 or 83000 baht

So I'm spending in excess of 65000 baht more to live the way I want to in Bangkok over what I'd be shelling out in FL. I live in 4 star accomodations in FL and want the same in Bangkok. I want to be in the heart of sukhumvit, I dont want thai boonies, tenements, one room Apts, On Nut type locations, Pattaya, chang mai or whatever. This is what I want so I pay. Anytime someone comes up to me (and boy they do) and tells me how cheap it is to live here, I tell them, not for the lifestyle I want. When they tell me that I can live here cheaper than the US, I tell them they're off their rocker. I can live in the US for next to nothing usig super specials, coupons and freebies you can't get in Thailand. It all depends on where you want to live and here is where I choose but cheapness don't come into my equation, at all

Wrong.

You're comparing Bangkok with Florida.

From your post, you should be comparing Manhattan NY to Sukhumvit BKK. Or, Chiang mai to Florida.

Like for like. Don't mix them up.

[rsraleigh]

I agree with that ... let's say living in right out of the BTS in Sukuhmvit is like living in Manhattan, NY .... not exactly the same standards, but YES it is probably the most expensive place in the whole country....and that is the reason cause very few thais live around here...

[Fred Sanford]

My living expenses when in FL:

food and beer: $200/mo. (coupons, 2 fers, freebies, rebates)

gas: $100

uts: $200

taxes $150

misc: $100

rent: own

car: own

health ins: free

total: $550 or 17,500 baht

in thailand

rent: $1700

uts: $125

food: $250

beer: $200

transport: $100

visa runs: $125

misc: $100

health ins: 0

total: $2600 or 83000 baht

So I'm spending in excess of 65000 baht more to live the way I want to in Bangkok over what I'd be shelling out in FL. I live in 4 star accomodations in FL and want the same in Bangkok. I want to be in the heart of sukhumvit, I dont want thai boonies, tenements, one room Apts, On Nut type locations, Pattaya, chang mai or whatever. This is what I want so I pay. Anytime someone comes up to me (and boy they do) and tells me how cheap it is to live here, I tell them, not for the lifestyle I want. When they tell me that I can live here cheaper than the US, I tell them they're off their rocker. I can live in the US for next to nothing usig super specials, coupons and freebies you can't get in Thailand. It all depends on where you want to live and here is where I choose but cheapness don't come into my equation, at all

Wrong.

You're comparing Bangkok with Florida.

From your post, you should be comparing Manhattan NY to Sukhumvit BKK. Or, Chiang mai to Florida.

Like for like. Don't mix them up.

Actually I did live in a Beverly Hills type NYC suburb b4 FL. All numbers above were similar except taxes, which were double. Food was cheaper due to many more discounts and freebies. If I owned and lived in NYC itself, then the gas cost would be zero but taxes would double yet again

[barrysandal]

Thanks for this expense break down. I will send this to my retiring friends. However, your costs are for central Thailand, particularly around Bangkok. Rents drop quickly as you head north and into the country. Also, the car is a big luxury. I bought one and plan to sell it after the rains. My retired friends do without cars. Location, location, location

[lazeeboy]

I actually only spend 13000 baht per month in BKK, this doesnt take into acount flight costs though. I dont count the pennies (much) and dont really need anything else and I live like I did in the U.K.

I recon the reason why most people quote massive amounts is because they live like their on a year round holiday in Thailand (going out every night etc..).

If i take into account flights and visa cost then I would say you could love comfortably on 20000 very easily. If you are a stuck in your western ways farang then you might have problems though

Jake

13000 b dont go out ,drink smoke .eat.......................

[jefro]

Just a few things I beg to differ with.

You only pay 20B to withdraw from an ATM if you do so outside of the City or Town where the branch of your bank is.

I get interest on my SCB account...not much , but it is interest.

Test my new avatar

[lazeeboy]

name='jefro' date='2007-07-17 09:04:08' post='1422433']

name='nidge' date='2007-07-02 08:57:39' post='1395639']

name='ThaiPauly' post='1393305' date='2007-07-01 08:25:08']Just a few things I beg to differ with.

You only pay 20B to withdraw from an ATM if you do so outside of the City or Town where the branch of your bank is.

I get interest on my SCB account...not much , but it is interest.

Test my new avatar

the cost of living is going up daily .......

[sibeymai]

last monthly electricity bill I had was 73 baht.

[MaBiak]

It all depends what you standards are and what you are used to. Do farangs what to live in Thailand and be broke? If so, that is fine. It usually puzzles most Thais why a farang does this.

For myself, I am flexible with how much I spend and live off of. I have been on high end and low end. But, one thing I don't like to live without is Air Con. I will pay the extra 800 a month to stay cool and keep the mosquitoes at bay. But, I don't pay for UBC.

I would like to throw out the TV but if you have a Thai mia like I, that is very unwise.