Cost of living for a single person in Bangkok?

[In the jungle]

5 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Hi! Thank you for the info you shared ((: I had an estimate of 10k-15k for rent. Do you have any neighborhoods you recommend? As in, average cost and general safety? Thanks again! 

I think try and get somewhere near a BTS Skytrain station. 

 

In 22 years in Thailand I have never been to an area in Bangkok where I felt unsafe.

[FritsSikkink]

54 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

do not tip... EVER (they think you're a pr*ck when you do big anyway)! ????

 

They would think that if you don't tip.

[ChaiyaTH]

28 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I have a farang friend who once told me that he just can't understand how some people can live here with less than 100,000 THB per month. Like: How do they do that?

He has wine for every dinner, gets 20k each time he walks to the ATM, buys the finest fish and cheese in Emporium, etc. He doesn't think he has a fancy lifestyle, just living an ordinary life.

What you describe is not ordinary at all, we just got used to it being normal.

 

but yeah lets say rent decent for 20-25k incl bills, spend 30k a month living ordinary, 5k insurance and small bills, 5k for entertainment and 20k savings, the total is 80-85k already. 
 

A cheap wife and child would easily add 20-30k more costs to school or other fees too.

 

But these are choices and luxuries.

Edited February 25, 2023 by ChaiyaTH

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

30K plus rent would do it.  You can have a decent life on that amount. 

Define "decent". IMHO that amount is good enough for a step better than just surviving. 

[OneMoreFarang]

11 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Do you have any neighborhoods you recommend? As in, average cost and general safety?

Safety is no problem anywhere in Bangkok.

 

And the best neighborhood depends on your job. If you don't want to spend hours every day in traffic, then better live somewhere near to where you work.

[LionM00]

10 minutes ago, Woof999 said:

30k plus prostitutes. Avoid rent.

Hahaha big question huh? Prostitutes or no prostitutes? ???? only time will tell! Your comment made me laugh, thanks! 

[LionM00]

12 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I agree.  30K plus rent would do it.  You can have a decent life on that amount.  Anything more is a bonus.

 

On the subject of transport my advice is only consider a scooter if you have a fair amount of experience on such a bike already.  Bangkok is not the place to learn.

Thank you! 30k plus rent seems to be the most common answer so I’ll use that for calculating my savings and expenses. 
 

And really thanks a lot for that advice, I have zero idea of how to ride a scooter so yeah, I’m definitely not going with that idea now! 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Hahaha big question huh? Prostitutes or no prostitutes? ???? only time will tell! Your comment made me laugh, thanks! 

Let's say you want to avoid obvious prostitutes. But you still like to go out with girls. Maybe buy a nice dinner, go somewhere for a few drinks, and maybe buy her a present from time to time. That adds up. And with all those pretty girls around it will be challenging to avoid those temptations. 

[LionM00]

16 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Whatever advice you receive, don't forget to factor in 'lady drinks'........they could amount to 20% of your expenditure........managed to run up a 2800 baht bar bill the other night on soi 8.....and I was only there a couple of hours.

“Lady drinks” as in drinks you pay for your female friends or drinks you pay for a lady you fancy in a bar? Haha I’m a little confused! ????

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Thank you! 30k plus rent seems to be the most common answer so I’ll use that for calculating my savings and expenses. 

I must ask: Did you ever visit Bangkok or any other part of Thailand?

Do you have an idea what to expect - and not just about the cost?

 

Reading your comments, it seems you found Thailand with the finger on the map and maybe seeing some pictures. That looks nice. I will work and live there...

 

 

[Hummin]

24 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Hi! Thank you for the info you shared ((: I had an estimate of 10k-15k for rent. Do you have any neighborhoods you recommend? As in, average cost and general safety? Thanks again! 

Im sorry, did a quick resarch now in popular areas, Silom, Bangna and most small studios seems to become a little bit more expensive since last year. 15k and up

[OneMoreFarang]

5 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

“Lady drinks” as in drinks you pay for your female friends or drinks you pay for a lady you fancy in a bar? Haha I’m a little confused! ????

 

[LionM00]

18 minutes ago, sscc said:

Calculation per Year may make more sense as there are once-in-a-while items popped from time to time outside the monthly budget.       Causal on alcoholic drinking and nightlife,   650,000 B per Year for a single in Bangkok is certainly doable.   Less if you stay in Pattaya/Jomtien. 

Thanks a lot! Didn’t consider doing the calculations on a per-year salary, this is great info to have an estimate too. ????????

[In the jungle]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Define "decent". IMHO that amount is good enough for a step better than just surviving. 

I have actually kept a detailed record of my outgoings over the last six months (181 days to be exact)

 

Total spent = 115,907.90 Baht

Daily spend = 640 Baht

Monthly spend = 19,200 Baht

 

That is upcountry.  I spend only a small fraction of my income.  If I needed or wanted to spend more I would do so.  I run a car and bike in that budget but I use the bike for 90%+ of journeys.  I eat a good quality healthy diet and eat very little meat.  My main extravagance, and one of my biggest expenses, is going to the swimming pool five times a week.

 

Add 50% Bangkok premium to that budget and you have 30K.

[LionM00]

20 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

I think try and get somewhere near a BTS Skytrain station. 

 

In 22 years in Thailand I have never been to an area in Bangkok where I felt unsafe.

Thank you so much! This is great information to know! I greatly appreciate it. Also is a relief to know directly from someone that has lived in Bangkok for more that 20 years that is , in fact, a safe city ????????. 

[LionM00]

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Let's say you want to avoid obvious prostitutes. But you still like to go out with girls. Maybe buy a nice dinner, go somewhere for a few drinks, and maybe buy her a present from time to time. That adds up. And with all those pretty girls around it will be challenging to avoid those temptations. 

Totally agree with you on this, I’ve heard Thai girls are really beautiful so avoiding dating would not be really smart haha ???? I’ll take your advice into consideration! 

[swm59nj]

I live in Bangkok for almost three years.  Rent will depend on the size of the rental.  If it’s in a condo or apartment building.  The closer to the BTS and more conveniences the more expensive it will be. For your price range. Don’t expect too much in Bangkok. 
And you should consider what you expect living like a local.  Because it’s very different from what you are accustomed to.  And one thing to remember. As an outsider you will never be accepted as a local.  Your prices will usually be different.  No matter how long you live here. You will be looked at as a tourist by the locals.  A foreigner living in a cheap room,  eating cheap local foods does not make them Thai. 
 

[In the jungle]

2 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Thank you so much! This is great information to know! I greatly appreciate it. Also is a relief to know directly from someone that has lived in Bangkok for more that 20 years that is , in fact, a safe city ????????. 

I only lived in Bangkok for four years but I travel there reasonably often.  I prefer the countryside but job opportunities there are much more limited.  Fine for me as I am firmly in old fart territory. 

[LionM00]

10 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I must ask: Did you ever visit Bangkok or any other part of Thailand?

Do you have an idea what to expect - and not just about the cost?

 

Reading your comments, it seems you found Thailand with the finger on the map and maybe seeing some pictures. That looks nice. I will work and live there...

 

 

I have a close friend that worked in Thailand for 2 years and we have talked extensively about it. I’m just asking questions to know more and get a bigger picture. I’m also planning to visit Bangkok for a few months before making the decision to live there. 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Thank you so much! This is great information to know! I greatly appreciate it. Also is a relief to know directly from someone that has lived in Bangkok for more that 20 years that is , in fact, a safe city ????????. 

In that way living in Bangkok for 20 or 100 years doesn't mean much.

Bangkok is so big that many people who live here will "know" maybe 10% of the city, or more likely 1%.

 

This guy has lots of videos about the different districts. And he knows what he is talking about.

Bangkok Pat - YouTube

 

 

[KhunLA]

Everyday living/necessities, I'd say minimum ฿20k & up, depending on vices & health.  Comfy & safe rental, ele/water/int.

... ฿10k rental & utilities

... ฿10k food (฿300 a day should be plenty)

 

I could easily live on that, non drinker (couple  a month), non smoker.

 

Daughter (@22 yrs old) needed 30k a month.  Though higher rent than needed, and enjoy eating out/social with friends once a week.  Non drinker/non smoker.

 

Others need ฿50k & up

[LionM00]

12 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Im sorry, did a quick resarch now in popular areas, Silom, Bangna and most small studios seems to become a little bit more expensive since last year. 15k and up

Oh snap, well can’t have it all haha thank you so much for taking time from your day to search that. I appreciate it a lot! I’ll consider it on the expenses, also it’s great to know some of the popular areas for future reference. Thanks again Hummim! ????????????????????????

[In the jungle]

A 'lady drink' is a drink bought at a vastly inflated price so that a prostitute will sit and talk to you.

 

I describe it explicitly for fear that you might unwittingly offer a civilian a lady drink!

 

 

Edited February 25, 2023 by In the jungle

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, swm59nj said:

I live in Bangkok for almost three years.  Rent will depend on the size of the rental.  If it’s in a condo or apartment building.  The closer to the BTS and more conveniences the more expensive it will be. For your price range. Don’t expect too much in Bangkok. 
And you should consider what you expect living like a local.  Because it’s very different from what you are accustomed to.  And one thing to remember. As an outsider you will never be accepted as a local.  Your prices will usually be different.  No matter how long you live here. You will be looked at as a tourist by the locals.  A foreigner living in a cheap room,  eating cheap local foods does not make them Thai. 
 

I agree you will never be one of the Thais. But you can live and eat like them and get the same prices.

I go regularly, mostly with my Thai gf, to Thai markets and food stalls. I do that since years and many locals will have seen me before. I pay the same as the Thais.

And even if those markets and food stalls are maybe one or two kilometers away from lots of tourists very few tourists go there. One area with few tourists is the Klong Toey fresh market. 

 

 

[kingstonkid]

54 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Thank you so much! I wasn’t as lost as I thought, apparently the job position I’m looking for pays an average of 64k-89k per month so it’s great to know that I can actually have a life with that! 
 

Haha thanks for the advice! I was planning on arriving with enough savings to do exactly that ????????????????????????????

The other alternative if you like quiet is move out to Pathum Thani rents here are 6k a month al in. Close to BTS so you can transit back and forth to BKK at will.

LIfe is quiet but friendly.  It would help to know where your job is located as that usually determines where someone lives.

 

I also know of places around 5k in Wongwian area 

[OneMoreFarang]

11 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

I have a close friend that worked in Thailand for 2 years and we have talked extensively about it.

So what motivates you to come here? 

Is it the food or the temples? Or might there be any other ideas? ???? 

[In the jungle]

8 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

The other alternative if you like quiet is move out to Pathum Thani rents here are 6k a month al in. Close to BTS so you can transit back and forth to BKK at will.

LIfe is quiet but friendly.  It would help to know where your job is located as that usually determines where someone lives.

 

I also know of places around 5k in Wongwian area 

Rangsit might be a decent choice now the Skytrain runs to there.

[LionM00]

40 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Im sorry, did a quick resarch now in popular areas, Silom, Bangna and most small studios seems to become a little bit more expensive since last year. 15k and up

Hey Hummin, I did some research for studios on rent in this areas but I think the pages I found are not very legit? I mean, beautiful photos and ridiculously low prices? So I don’t think I can trust that. Do you have any sites you recommend that are trustworthy? Thanks in advance ((: 

[LionM00]

19 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So what motivates you to come here? 

Is it the food or the temples? Or might there be any other ideas? ???? 

Oh definitely the food, culture, religion, people and spirituality. May sound childish but I’m in my quarter life crisis so I need to reconnect with all of that hehe ????. I’ve already lived in Europe for a while so I’m in for the eastern experience of life. Also, doesn’t hurt that Thai girls are known to be so beautiful huh? Overall I’m looking to fully immerse myself in a culture and language completely different from mine ((: 

[Hummin]

19 minutes ago, LionM00 said:

Hey Hummin, I did some research for studios on rent in this areas but I think the pages I found are not very legit? I mean, beautiful photos and ridiculously low prices? So I don’t think I can trust that. Do you have any sites you recommend that are trustworthy? Thanks in advance ((: 

Sure you do not get day prices? Best tip is to do Airbnb search, and then check a few other rental pages. Rent airbnb and do the search when in bkk, and you can find more choices.

 

My friend rent long time rent in Silom for 12500 in the middle of center few minutes walk to everything.

Edited February 25, 2023 by Hummin