Monthly budget in Thailand

[Wrwest]

Family of 3 in Chiang Mai. Monthly spending uses the 65K baht I bring in every month. House payment alone is 17K baht. AIS/3BB is 1400 baht, electric/water figure 2500 baht. Food ... we spend quite a bit. It is a comfortable working middle class retirement that I cannot afford in my home country. All in, about 1 million sustainable baht a year.

[georgegeorgia]

I have 20 million baht  in my SuperFund 

 

And I will still ...yes still . Buy 40  baht second hand T shirts and still rent in places like the Nirun etc 

 

I don't want Ducati cars or any of this rubbish 

I don't want brand name t shirts or shoes 

I don't like cars or motorbikes 

And I don't  like alcohol or bars and I don't like people....keep away from me !!!!!

 

I just need a gym close by and stay away from me in the gym!

, and probably a 1 bedroom with balcony and air conditioning 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 3 by georgegeorgia

[khunPer]

On 7/2/2024 at 7:57 AM, susanlea said:

One guy said he lives off 15,000 baht. The cheapest budget I can manage is 31,000 and that is it. How much do you spend? Could you have fun on 20,000? 

Living cost-budget is like the lengths of a rubber band – depending of what kind of lifestyle one is aiming for – when I had "fun" included in my monthly single-budget it was way over 100k baht...

 

However, I can survive for much less and could live for 15k baht a month in a worst case scenario: You can rent a room for about 4k baht or less per month, and you can eat for 200 baht or less per day; so, you still have around 5k baht for all the other stuff, and even 10k baht if your budget is 20k baht...

[georgegeorgia]

I'm thinking this for a Pattaya expats and I could be wrong 

 

Condo 23sqm Arcadia Beach 6-8kbaht  per month 

 

Electric 2000 a month maybe even less ? But I need Aircon at night ...buy fans ?

 

Food 13 k.per month

 

Entertainment 5k

Transport 1000

Miscellaneous laundry etc 

 

Look I washed some of my clothes in the kitchen sink  and hung out on the balcony!!!

 

 

This is less than 25,000 per month !! 

Ways to cut down 

 

Buy your own condo !

Catch your own food on the street or go to Soup kitchens !  

I have no idea if there are welfare type soup kitchens particularly in Pattaya I know maybe in Bangkok 

 

You need to live frugal !

 

 

Edited July 3 by georgegeorgia

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, susanlea said:

80,000 hard to do unless kids. Your budget of 35,000 looks reasonable. If you rented still only be 45,000. 

mine isn't a budget, it's just what i spend, probably similar to back in the UK, over here guys who play golf, drink a lot and see a lot of sex workers can easily add 100k

[susanlea]

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

I'm thinking this for a Pattaya expats and I could be wrong 

 

Condo 23sqm Arcadia Beach 6-8kbaht  per month 

 

Electric 2000 a month maybe even less ? But I need Aircon at night 

 

Food 13 k.per month 

Gym 1000

 

Entertainment 5k

Transport 1000

 

This is less than 25,000 per month !! 

 

30 to 32 i counted

[georgegeorgia]

3 minutes ago, susanlea said:

30 to 32 i counted

Maths wasn't my strong point 

 

[susanlea]

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

Maths wasn't my strong point 

 

Funny how we came up with the same budget. Mine was 31,000. 

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

One subset of people where 100,000 is not enough are those that would keep a presence in their home country, added travel costs, maintain first rate health insurance, and when in Thailand have additional expenses as they live more like a long term tourist who wants to enjoy retirement on those terms rather than someone who considers Thailand their home and settles down as such.  

Yeah lot's of possible reasons for it including family, school fees, drinking, golf, sex workers, supporting buffaloes, anything

[Fat is a type of crazy]

24 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I'm thinking this for a Pattaya expats and I could be wrong 

 

Condo 23sqm Arcadia Beach 6-8kbaht  per month 

 

Electric 2000 a month maybe even less ? But I need Aircon at night ...buy fans ?

 

Food 13 k.per month

 

Entertainment 5k

Transport 1000

Miscellaneous laundry etc 

 

Look I washed some of my clothes in the kitchen sink  and hung out on the balcony!!!

 

 

This is less than 25,000 per month !! 

Ways to cut down 

 

Buy your own condo !

Catch your own food on the street or go to Soup kitchens !  

I have no idea if there are welfare type soup kitchens particularly in Pattaya I know maybe in Bangkok 

 

You need to live frugal !

 

 

Nothing wrong with living frugal. It can feel good to keep saving. But you've worked hard to get your super and if you wake up one morning and say Hey I'd rather that 50000 a month condo in Wongamat and nicer clothes and better healthier food then don't bull <deleted> yourself you don't want it and start spending. 

[kevin612]

23 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

I cook every meal and don’t pay rent. I don’t have a number but it’s way below your lowest one. I eat like a king too. Go on trips twice a month. Idk, I think people are just idiots, waste money all the time and most of it is to make themselves unhealthy too, that’s the crazy part. 

How much do you spend monthly ?

[KhunLA]

We live comfy on ฿15k a month .... BUT ...

... own house, saves ฿15-20k a month

... own car, saves ฿15k a month (daughter just bought, that's her payment)

... have solar ... saves ฿5k a month, from PEA

... have solar ... save ฿5k a month on petrol

... enjoy cooking and do a better job than restaurants ... saves ฿10k a month

 

That budget would be a minimum off ฿70k a month, IF not self sufficient, sort of.

I'm self insured (health) so add monthly health insurance for a 70 yr old in 6 months 

 

Think that's knockin' on ฿100k, without alcohol, socializing, kid/s or supporting partners family (which would never happen).   Alcohol, I prefer Bailey's, Bacardi's and Beer Lao Dark 

Edited July 3 by KhunLA

[newnative]

Around 80,000 baht a month.

[Robert Paulson]

2 hours ago, kevin612 said:

How much do you spend monthly ?

You would not believe me if I told you. I don’t even know is the truth. I could take a guess. The crazy part is, it’s super low and I go on trips every month and do my thing so idk what the hell other people are doing. Maybe I am the freak but I just believe people find ways to waste money. They don’t realize it because they’ve been conditioned to live like this. 

[MangoKorat]

On 7/2/2024 at 8:02 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

This was based on 1 event per year, with minimal costs: 10+6+15k only. You really must be super ignorant if you didn't get the point made.

One 'event' per year?  Your phone broke and it cost you 15k?  I use an Oppo that cost me 5k and it does everything I need it to - 2 years in and it hasn't broken.  In 22 years I've had just one 'event' - a serious accident in Bangkok and my hospital costs were paid by the other driver's insurers - albeit eventually.

 

OK, I'm not resident at the moment but I've had several long 'stints' and I've spent long enough in the country to know that I can live reasonably well on 30 - 40k per month. I have a lot of Thai friends that don't earn anywhere near that amount yet when I'm in country we meet regulary for dinner and go on trips etc.

 

I buy much of my food at the local market where its fresh and half the price of supermarkets.

 

If you want to go out every night and party, take regular trips requiring flights and hotels, eat at expensive restaurants etc. etc. then yes, you would need a lot more than 30k but that amount does not mean you have to live like a pauper. Life doesn't have to be one big holiday, you can have a perfectly happy life without spending a fortune every month. As with every country, there are a lot of things you can do that don't involve spending much money.

 

I don't have a wife but if I ever choose to marry again or have a partner, that person would have to contribute to the budget, not be a drain on it. I also intend to work in Thailand in the medium term.

 

I think the key for a foreigner to be able to live comfortably on 30 - 40k per month is to be able put your house in order before making the move.  If I had to buy/rent a house and all the things that make it comfotable, buy a car, pay large electric bills etc. etc. then I'd certainly struggle to live on 30k per month long term.  I also wouldn't want to try it if I couldn't leave a decent 'emergency' fund in the bank.

 

For me, that preparation consists of:

 

1. I have my house already, no rent, no monthly service charges and everything renewed/in good order.

2. I already own a perfectly serviceable car in Thailand and expect many years more from it. I am also an ex mechanic so I do my own repairs. The car gets me from A to B in exactly the same way as one costing 5 million would.

3. Likewise I already own a big bike in Thailand and that is my hobby.

4.. Health insurance is out of the question for me as I have a pre-existing condition that makes it massively expensive so I will be leaving at least 500,000 in a UK bank account that my daughter has control of in case I have a health emergency.

5. I will be installing solar power in my house later this year so I can enjoy 24/7 aircon if necessary - without huge monthly electric bills.

 

Quite a lot of retired expats in Thailand come from the UK. If they haven't been able to save for their retirement and have only the basic state pension then their pension of £221 per week equates to around 44k baht per month.  They could live far better on 44k in Thailand than they would in the UK but I'd recommend having an 'emergency' fund.

 

(I have not accounted for 'frozen' pensions in the above, its just an example based on the current rate and £221x52÷12 = £958 = 44,000 baht @ 46 baht to the £)

 

It is of course, horses for courses and if you are one that must have the latest gadget, eat at expensive restaurants 5 or 6 times per week, feel people will be impressed because you drive the latest model of car, engage in p4play etc. etc. then you're going to struggle on anything less than 100K per month. You can easily go though 10k in just an hour or two on Soi Cowboy. However, if you are able to prepare and don't feel the need to impress people, 30-40k can be perfectly adequate. It also, very much depends on where you choose to live in Thailand.

[susanlea]

4 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

You would not believe me if I told you. I don’t even know is the truth. I could take a guess. The crazy part is, it’s super low and I go on trips every month and do my thing so idk what the hell other people are doing. Maybe I am the freak but I just believe people find ways to waste money. They don’t realize it because they’ve been conditioned to live like this. 

I agree it is all habit. If someone spends 3000 baht a day for 30 days it seems normal but if they dropped it to 500 baht a day at first it seems difficult but after 2 months it would become normal. 

[georgegeorgia]

10 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

You would not believe me if I told you. I don’t even know is the truth. I could take a guess. The crazy part is, it’s super low and I go on trips every month and do my thing so idk what the hell other people are doing. Maybe I am the freak but I just believe people find ways to waste money. They don’t realize it because they’ve been conditioned to live like this. 

You live in the province in the Philippines though 

[Celsius]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

Around 80,000 baht a month.

 

60,000 for us. Never bothered to calculate but will do now.

 

Anyway here is our monthly (me wife no kids) breakdown:

 

Condo 18,000 a month. This would be zero if I could tough it out in my wife's house near Rama 2 with f all to do around it. The condo rental also saves time wife driving to work.

 

Car insurance 1500b a month.

 

Gasoline 6000b a month.

 

Food 20,000 a month minimum 75% Grab 25% cook at home).

 

Her phone 600b

 

My phone 500b 

 

Condo electric 1600b a month

 

Water 200b month

 

House electric 1000b month

 

House internet/TV 1000b month

 

Wife's 4 insurance policies around 1500b a month. Used for tax refund so probably less.

 

I spend between 5000-10,000b on lazada every month buying household items, Lego, Star Wars toys and some other junk that i like.

 

Car paid off house paid off long time ago.

 

So to me this ibudget of 60,000 is a pretty basic life with no luxuries.

 

I quit health insurance last year after trying to claim and getting denied every single time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 3 by Celsius

[scubascuba3]

26 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

60,000 for us. Never bothered to calculate but will do now.

 

Anyway here is our monthly (me wife no kids) breakdown:

 

Condo 18,000 a month. This would be zero if I could tough it out in my wife's house near Rama 2 with f all to do around it. The condo rental also saves time wife driving to work.

 

Car insurance 1500b a month.

 

Gasoline 6000b a month.

 

Food 20,000 a month minimum 75% Grab 25% cook at home).

 

Her phone 600b

 

My phone 500b 

 

Condo electric 1600b a month

 

Water 200b month

 

House electric 1000b month

 

House internet/TV 1000b month

 

Wife's 4 insurance policies around 1500b a month. Used for tax refund so probably less.

 

I spend between 5000-10,000b on lazada every month buying household items, Lego, Star Wars toys and some other junk that i like.

 

Car paid off house paid off long time ago.

 

So to me this ibudget of 60,000 is a pretty basic life with no luxuries.

 

I quit health insurance last year after trying to claim and getting denied every single time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easiest way to tell for me is a download bank statement for a month/s and they should total the debits, I've been the same every time i check, make an adjustment for yearly or one offs

[jerrymahoney]

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

19 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Yes. A prodigious set of knockers.

No doubt silicone 

From HitcHcock's North by Northwest (1959):

 

Roger Thornhill: How do we know it's not a fake? It looks like a fake.
Bidder: Well, one thing we know. You're no fake. You are a genuine idiot.

 

 

[Kwaibill]

On 7/3/2024 at 11:08 AM, BritManToo said:

As a pensioner nearing death (like most forum members), I'd like to know why I need to save 45kbht a month?

I have asked my wife to write me a check and put it in my coffin. Before the monks crank up the crematorium.

[Ben Zioner]

On 7/2/2024 at 6:20 PM, KhunLA said:

We did a 14 night O&A, so call that B1000 a day

THB 1000, that's the price of one bottle of wine.

[Ben Zioner]

On 7/3/2024 at 5:48 PM, Celsius said:

 

60,000 for us. Never bothered to calculate but will do now.

 

Anyway here is our monthly (me wife no kids) breakdown:

 

Condo 18,000 a month. This would be zero if I could tough it out in my wife's house near Rama 2 with f all to do around it. The condo rental also saves time wife driving to work.

 

Car insurance 1500b a month.

 

Gasoline 6000b a month.

 

Food 20,000 a month minimum 75% Grab 25% cook at home).

 

Her phone 600b

 

My phone 500b 

 

Condo electric 1600b a month

 

Water 200b month

 

House electric 1000b month

 

House internet/TV 1000b month

 

Wife's 4 insurance policies around 1500b a month. Used for tax refund so probably less.

 

I spend between 5000-10,000b on lazada every month buying household items, Lego, Star Wars toys and some other junk that i like.

 

Car paid off house paid off long time ago.

 

So to me this ibudget of 60,000 is a pretty basic life with no luxuries.

 

I quit health insurance last year after trying to claim and getting denied every single time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That makes sense, IMHO.

[KhunLA]

56 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

THB 1000, that's the price of one bottle of wine.

Don't drink wine, or any alcohol of late.   Simply an additional cost to everyday spending ... the hotel and charging the EV.   We need to eat, no matter where we are, so just little extra for dining out, every day.

 

As stated, I think, rural TH, and hotel/guesthouse run from 500-800, and think a couple nights were 1000 baht.   Go to Krung Thep, and more like 1500-3500 baht a night.  Actually hard to find accommodations that are pet friendly in the mid to higher end, or they want some silly 'pet fee', with silly rules.

 

We don't use the amenities anyway, so no desire to pay more.  Single bungalow with some green around, for the dog, and a nice view for us is way more important.  I don't travel to relax at the hotel, I do that at home 24/7.  Just give me a balcony/veranda/porch with a view, with morning coffee or evening tea, and I'm happy.

Edited July 14 by KhunLA

[susanlea]

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Just give me a balcony/veranda/porch with a view, with morning coffee or evening tea, and I'm happy.

Me too. Don't need much. Don't see the point in 1000 baht wine. That's 2 nights in a hotel plus hangover. Nice coffee/food plus food does me.

[KhunLA]

3 minutes ago, susanlea said:

Me too. Don't need much. Don't see the point in 1000 baht wine. That's 2 nights in a hotel plus hangover. Nice coffee/food plus food does me.

If I'm spending a 1000 baht on some tipple, it's going to be Bailey's.   Over ice or in your coffee ... BLISS.

 

A bit addicting though 

[norfolkandchance]

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

If I'm spending a 1000 baht on some tipple, it's going to be Bailey's.   Over ice or in your coffee ... BLISS.

 

A bit addicting though 

Back in the day in Saudi. We used to make our own. Replaced whisky (£75) with local Moonshine.Closed your eyes and it was almost.

Moose Milk was another.

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, norfolkandchance said:

Back in the day in Saudi. We used to make our own. Replaced whisky (£75) with local Moonshine.Closed your eyes and it was almost.

Moose Milk was another.

Made a batch with Jameson, damn tasty, and very close.   Small tweak and I think I could copy it rather well.

[Ben Zioner]

On 7/3/2024 at 3:06 PM, Fat is a type of crazy said:

Nothing wrong with living frugal. It can feel good to keep saving. But you've worked hard to get your super and if you wake up one morning and say Hey I'd rather that 50000 a month condo in Wongamat and nicer clothes and better healthier food then don't bull <deleted> yourself you don't want it and start spending. 

Agree with one exception: Nicer clothes. I don't care much about my look, probably because I don't care much about people.