Rural Thailand

[Gary A]

Do farangs make a difference as far as the cost of living in a given area? My wife and I live in Loei and could get by very nicely on about 15,000 baht per month. A couple of months ago good friends of ours moved from Jomtien to Phan which is located between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. They recently got their new house built so we went up there for the house warming and a little holiday. I was surprised to see that things there were quite a bit more expensive. Land is REALLY expensive. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the food prices but my wife sure took notice. I only noticed cigarette and beer prices.

The exceptions were the local fruit which was quite cheap and the local moonshine was 25 baht for a big beer bottle full. I DO mean moonshine. It seems like every neighborhood there has a still. Every day the locals came by to collect our empty beer bottles. Ed and I supplied them with a LOT of empty bottles while I was there. I asked Ed's wife why they wanted those bottles. She grinned and told me they use them for the Thai whiskey. Maybe the locals are more law abiding here in Loei because I seldom see moonshine. The locals here drink Lao Kao.

[stament]

TILAPIA

Now hows that, well no beer no steak then lol

I would have prefered blue, but I guess red will have to do

And you are back on the beer-list again, we will get some chang-girls to serve, I have noticed that the beer taste much better when they are around, and the wife is on family visit, "somewhere far away"

Tilapia

Sounds good to me. Is this an open invitation?

[Tilapia]

TILAPIA

Now hows that, well no beer no steak then lol

I would have prefered blue, but I guess red will have to do

And you are back on the beer-list again, we will get some chang-girls to serve, I have noticed that the beer taste much better when they are around, and the wife is on family visit, "somewhere far away"

Tilapia

Sounds good to me. Is this an open invitation?

Sure it is, if you can find the way if not the Mac have a motorbike with GPS installed

Cheers

Tilapia

[TBWG]

Sure it is, if you can find the way if not the Mac have a motorbike with GPS installed

Cheers

Tilapia

Hi Tilapia

So thats what a GPS system looks like, I have often wondered and all the time i've had one of my own and not known it. Mind you its a bit short on detail, maybe I need a larger version?

Anyway, just add my 2 pennoth about costs of living in Isaan. I've stuck to facts which I know to be correct through either my own or friends personal experiences.

House rental in a small town of about 25,000 people 10 kms from Buriram airport. 2 bed bungalow 3,500 baht per month.

Electricity bill for large house 2 air con units 800 - 1200 baht depending on air con use.

Broadband Internet TT&T 1 meg Baht 1070 per month

Eating out for 3 at my favourite restaurant (table plus chairs by side of road) cooked fresh on stall, Baht 200 for a big blow out incl soft drinks.

Hope that helps

TBWG

[macb]

Great Post Mac Thanks in advance

Here is some of my questions...maybe you fellas can help me with your best approximations.

1. Money how much.

Yea this is the big one isn't it! I assume from what i have read that it is all about how much you spend. But lets face it you MUST have money in the bank to move to Thailand. So how many American dollars are we talking about? Maybe you can answer that after I tell you more about my expected life style in Thailand.

2. Where will I live.

My wifes family lives 50 minutes outside Ubon Ratchathani. I feel that her moo ban is too rural for me. I will need to be closer to the city of Ubon for the weekly KFC, Big C and movie night at the cinema (God I hope they get English language films soon.) Initially I want to rent something...when i am sure of where i want to live I will build a 4 bedroom house with a pool and air. Oh and a smaller building on the other side of the pool just for me.. my computer, air and snoozing sofa for some alone time.

3 How big is the Family

Right now just the two of us but we hope for more....two kids would be great! I understand that kids schools can be a big expense. My wife has a bachelors degree and she went to the local school system of Ubon. That kind of education and additional home schooling education from me is what I expect to do for my kids. When they are older they can move to the USA and join the National Guard etc. and get a western education for free if they want to.

4 Are there any debts

I don't understand this one? I don't intend to have any debts when I leave the USA. I won't borrow money when I live in Thailand.

5 How much is land

6 How much to build

Number 5 & 6 I expect will be 2.5 million baht if I have it built myself. I expect that will change with my time horizon.

7 How far is the nearest town/City

I want to live within 20 minutes of Ubon

8 Will I have electricity and water

I expect too!

9 Mosquitoes

Nothing I can do about this.

10 A car

I expect to buy a new Camry or Accord when I arrive

11 Alcohol and Cigs

I don't smoke or drink. My wife and I are pretty much home bodies.

12 Air-con usage

I expect to use the air quite a bit at least in the portion of the house that I am in at the time.

13 Medical Insurance

Got to have it! But only for major coverage. I expect to pay the doctors visits out of pocket

So what do you think? How much money do I need in the bank and what will my monthly expenses likely be?

Thanks

Mike

Hi Mike45:

well I think some of your questions are already answered either by me or some of the other posters with regards to prices for monthly bills etc :

I will run through your questions in Chronological order as I see fit to reply to to the best of my knowledge :

1. I think if you are talking about building a 4 bedroom house with pool etc, then monthly income will not be a problem to you look at some of the info provided on here about utility expenses: It really is down to the individual and lifestyle ;

2 If you think your house will cost 2 million then add another million or so there are the hidden extras (There are a lot of topics on house building and costings on the Forum.

3 I mean how many in your wifes family (How close will you live to them)

4 I do not mean your debts I mean your wifes family ( Iam not saying they have debts but there have been so many stories about large debts that Farang has had to clear)

5 Land purchase again difficult question depends on location and if you are buying from the family etc, rural prices can be cheaper and negotiable nearer the towns the prices escalate

6 Building your house Get three estimates and normally they will show you houses they are building or have built. (Dont forget the hidden extras) Find out whats included in the construction price get on a contract.

8 Water well again plenty of Topics on the Forum about making bore holes etc this can vary an idea (7000 bht including piping and pump )Electricity take this into consideration when you look at land where is your nearest supply pole

10 Toyota Camry about 1.3 million I think or more (No good if your living off the beaten track in the rainy season)

11 Air con depends on how many units your going to have

12 Medical Insurance depends on your age ? look at the mkt some ask for really high prices. www.thaihealth.com have some good packages

well not sure if any of this will help or not, keep asking and we see what we can do to help :

[JASON THAI]

Hi I have just finished building my house in Korat here's a breakdown of the cost including buying the land

LAND (brought in 2006 was 140,000 baht which was about £2000 land size is 300sq metres and is not on a rice field in the middle of nowhere but on a side road which has electric, water & a telephone box about 50 metres up the road)

BUILDERS COST (242,000 baht which is about £3500 this included all electric & plumbing work)

BUILDING STUFF (603,000 baht which is about £8800 this includes all the normal stuff like bricks, cerment, tiles and so on and also includes windows, kitchen cabinets & sink, toilet, basin & shower unit, taps & fans around the house)

SHOP ( 25,000 baht for a 2 door fridge, 7,000 baht for shelves for shop & 33,000 baht for stock for shop so this works out at about £950 the shop is 12.5 sq metres)

WALL AROUND THE HOUSE ( this is still on going but nearly finished so far the cost is 49,000 baht builders cost & 62,000 baht for pillers, bricks and so I still need a metal fence & gate for the front enterance and I have budgeted myself 40,000 baht for this so this should work out to about 151,000 baht about £2200)

GARDEN ( still needs to be done, Lawn, plants & trees I have a budget of 30,000 baht for this about £440 )

so overall you looking at about 1.23 million baht which is about £18,000, remember you will still have to buy beds, tv's and other bits but in the long run this is far cheaper than building in Pattaya/Bangkok you would be looking at about 2 million bahtif not more due to land prices being high and builders cost !

BILLS ( electric bills are 1400 baht a month including shop cost, water is about 95 baht a month so about 1500 baht a month in total, as the shop makes about 3000 baht a month profit this still leaves my GF with 1500 baht a month which she buys food from the market to last her & the family a month)

MONTHLY BUDGET ( 40,000 BAHT, but I only spend about 20 - 25,000 baht a month so I just save the rest for the following month which will give me a budget of about 55 - 60,000 baht enough for me to go to Pattaya for a month then I go back to Korat for a month and do the same )

SCHOOL COST ( My son is only 2 so no cost yet, but when he is 4 I will be sending him to school in the city, the cost for the is about 50,000 baht for the year, this is for an English Program school)

Here's some photo's of the house (ENJOY )

[macb]

Jason THAI :

Thanks mate for the input great stuff nice pics Cheers

[jayenram]

GARDEN ( still needs to be done, Lawn, plants & trees I have a budget of 30,000 baht for this about £440 )

If this is any help, I had my old garden dug up and re-landscaped three years ago. The area is about 300 sq m and cost Bht 35,000 including turf, plants and one tree.

[stament]

Hi I have just finished building my house in Korat here's a breakdown of the cost including buying the land

LAND (brought in 2006 was 140,000 baht which was about £2000 land size is 300sq metres and is not on a rice field in the middle of nowhere but on a side road which has electric, water & a telephone box about 50 metres up the road)

BUILDERS COST (242,000 baht which is about £3500 this included all electric & plumbing work)

BUILDING STUFF (603,000 baht which is about £8800 this includes all the normal stuff like bricks, cerment, tiles and so on and also includes windows, kitchen cabinets & sink, toilet, basin & shower unit, taps & fans around the house)

SHOP ( 25,000 baht for a 2 door fridge, 7,000 baht for shelves for shop & 33,000 baht for stock for shop so this works out at about £950 the shop is 12.5 sq metres)

WALL AROUND THE HOUSE ( this is still on going but nearly finished so far the cost is 49,000 baht builders cost & 62,000 baht for pillers, bricks and so I still need a metal fence & gate for the front enterance and I have budgeted myself 40,000 baht for this so this should work out to about 151,000 baht about £2200)

GARDEN ( still needs to be done, Lawn, plants & trees I have a budget of 30,000 baht for this about £440 )

so overall you looking at about 1.23 million baht which is about £18,000, remember you will still have to buy beds, tv's and other bits but in the long run this is far cheaper than building in Pattaya/Bangkok you would be looking at about 2 million bahtif not more due to land prices being high and builders cost !

BILLS ( electric bills are 1400 baht a month including shop cost, water is about 95 baht a month so about 1500 baht a month in total, as the shop makes about 3000 baht a month profit this still leaves my GF with 1500 baht a month which she buys food from the market to last her & the family a month)

MONTHLY BUDGET ( 40,000 BAHT, but I only spend about 20 - 25,000 baht a month so I just save the rest for the following month which will give me a budget of about 55 - 60,000 baht enough for me to go to Pattaya for a month then I go back to Korat for a month and do the same )

SCHOOL COST ( My son is only 2 so no cost yet, but when he is 4 I will be sending him to school in the city, the cost for the is about 50,000 baht for the year, this is for an English Program school)

Here's some photo's of the house (ENJOY )

Great house Jason

[coldcrush]

good replies, I tend to think after staying in rural Thailand that one should be of a certain disposition. It can be isolated and if your Thai isnt so good it may make your head go funny after a few months. However I think you should be willing to embrace the solitude and and learn more of the culture and language of the given area you are staying.

Goodluck to all who give it a go. I for one enjoyed my time in the village.

Edited July 15, 2007 by coldcrush

[Joe Walshe]

Are you thinking of making the move and living in Rural Thailand or maybe we need to re-phrase that and say live in the jungle :

If you are and your not sure what to expect or what preparations to make, feel free to post here and your questions will be answered :

Some points to start you off

1. Money how much. About 100,000 euro, and pension of approx. 800 euro per month.

2. Where will I live. Village outside Chumphae, Khon Kaen.

3 How big is the Family. Wife, one sister, one brother.

4 Are there any debts. No debts.

5 How much is land. Own 30 rai complex far, with ponds, cattle, fruit trees etc. Buying 200 rai eucalytus plantation. Will plant rubber after harvest.

6 How much to build. House already built.

7 How far is the nearest town/City. 5 KM approx.

8 Will I have electricity and water. Yes

9 Mosquitoes. Strange question.

[bruceboy]

Do farangs make a difference as far as the cost of living in a given area? My wife and I live in Loei and could get by very nicely on about 15,000 baht per month. A couple of months ago good friends of ours moved from Jomtien to Phan which is located between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. They recently got their new house built so we went up there for the house warming and a little holiday. I was surprised to see that things there were quite a bit more expensive. Land is REALLY expensive. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the food prices but my wife sure took notice. I only noticed cigarette and beer prices.

The exceptions were the local fruit which was quite cheap and the local moonshine was 25 baht for a big beer bottle full. I DO mean moonshine. It seems like every neighborhood there has a still. Every day the locals came by to collect our empty beer bottles. Ed and I supplied them with a LOT of empty bottles while I was there. I asked Ed's wife why they wanted those bottles. She grinned and told me they use them for the Thai whiskey. Maybe the locals are more law abiding here in Loei because I seldom see moonshine. The locals here drink Lao Kao.

Lao Kao is Moonshine. You get the taxed, watered down version in the shops, and the 'real' thing from back-yard destilleries. Can't avoid it on any village parties, it tastes awful.

Yes, rural life is cheap, but one has too make compromises. I wouldn't say it's 100 years back in time, but it is a different world, one has to go 'native' to some extent, which can be fun - at least it still is for me, fairly new here. I wouldn't have done this on my own, a local partner and family to share one's life qwith is essential, family best kept at arm's length.

Anyone had bad experiences with family members borrowing money?

[Tilapia]

Anyone had bad experiences with family members borrowing money?

Oh yes, been there done that, now I do like the chinise, so that kind of slowed the requests down. At times they think that we are living and breathing ATM machines, vith no limit.

Tilapia.

[roietjimmy]

Do farangs make a difference as far as the cost of living in a given area? My wife and I live in Loei and could get by very nicely on about 15,000 baht per month. A couple of months ago good friends of ours moved from Jomtien to Phan which is located between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. They recently got their new house built so we went up there for the house warming and a little holiday. I was surprised to see that things there were quite a bit more expensive. Land is REALLY expensive. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the food prices but my wife sure took notice. I only noticed cigarette and beer prices.

The exceptions were the local fruit which was quite cheap and the local moonshine was 25 baht for a big beer bottle full. I DO mean moonshine. It seems like every neighborhood there has a still. Every day the locals came by to collect our empty beer bottles. Ed and I supplied them with a LOT of empty bottles while I was there. I asked Ed's wife why they wanted those bottles. She grinned and told me they use them for the Thai whiskey. Maybe the locals are more law abiding here in Loei because I seldom see moonshine. The locals here drink Lao Kao.

Lao Kao is Moonshine. You get the taxed, watered down version in the shops, and the 'real' thing from back-yard destilleries. Can't avoid it on any village parties, it tastes awful.

Yes, rural life is cheap, but one has too make compromises. I wouldn't say it's 100 years back in time, but it is a different world, one has to go 'native' to some extent, which can be fun - at least it still is for me, fairly new here. I wouldn't have done this on my own, a local partner and family to share one's life qwith is essential, family best kept at arm's length.

Anyone had bad experiences with family members borrowing money?

Haven't we all and not just in Thailand. Must say though, Thai family members have by far some of the most creative reasons for needing the loan. Almost worth lending (giving) them them the money just for the entainment value of hearing their stories! It's probably been done before on TV but sharing some of our stories would make for great fun.