Yellowtail Posted Wednesday at 06:22 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:22 AM As long as you have more "in the bank" at the end of the year than the start, that's all that really matters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob smith Posted Wednesday at 06:24 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:24 AM 1 minute ago, Yellowtail said: As long as you have more "in the bank" at the end of the year than the start, that's all that really matters. ...you all about the money, honey? bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrwest Posted Wednesday at 06:36 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:36 AM 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgegeorgia Posted Wednesday at 06:47 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:47 AM (edited) 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 Wednesday at 06:49 AM by georgegeorgia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khunPer Posted Wednesday at 07:21 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 07:21 AM 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgegeorgia Posted Wednesday at 07:39 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 07:39 AM (edited) 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 Wednesday at 07:45 AM by georgegeorgia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted Wednesday at 07:40 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 07:40 AM 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanlea Posted Wednesday at 07:41 AM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 07:41 AM 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgegeorgia Posted Wednesday at 07:44 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 07:44 AM 3 minutes ago, susanlea said: 30 to 32 i counted Maths wasn't my strong point 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanlea Posted Wednesday at 07:45 AM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 07:45 AM Just now, georgegeorgia said: Maths wasn't my strong point Funny how we came up with the same budget. Mine was 31,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted Wednesday at 07:46 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 07:46 AM 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat is a type of crazy Posted Wednesday at 08:06 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:06 AM 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin612 Posted Wednesday at 08:13 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:13 AM 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 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunLA Posted Wednesday at 08:16 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:16 AM (edited) 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 Wednesday at 08:18 AM by KhunLA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newnative Posted Wednesday at 08:26 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:26 AM Around 80,000 baht a month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Paulson Posted Wednesday at 10:16 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:16 AM 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MangoKorat Posted Wednesday at 10:18 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:18 AM 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanlea Posted Wednesday at 10:24 AM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 10:24 AM 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgegeorgia Posted Wednesday at 10:26 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:26 AM 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celsius Posted Wednesday at 10:48 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:48 AM (edited) 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 Wednesday at 10:53 AM by Celsius 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubascuba3 Posted Wednesday at 11:17 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 11:17 AM 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrymahoney Posted Wednesday at 10:50 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:50 PM 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwaibill Posted Thursday at 05:32 AM Share Posted Thursday at 05:32 AM 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. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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