Who lives on 20k a month ?

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Gecko said:

Nope.  No rural life at all, apartment in the city; Big C,  Tesco, Robinson are here. Lived on 20k for some years. It still can be done.  But if you want more comfort, a good health insurance and enjoy western food and  lots of traveling, 30 k is the least.

If you cook it youself, western and Thai food cost the same.

[redwood1]

Lets cut to the chase here.......If your NOT  paying monthly rent......AND you dont run the air con too much......AND you cook at home most of the time......You can live quite well off 20,000 a month......100%

 

Trust me I am a card carrying cheap charlie I know....

[thrilled]

Myself it’s closer to 100,000 baht a month. But I live good. This includes traveling

[chiang mai]

9 minutes ago, redwood1 said:

Lets cut to the chase here.......If your NOT  paying monthly rent......AND you dont run the air con too much......AND you cook at home most of the time......You can live quite well off 20,000 a month......100%

 

Trust me I am a card carrying cheap charlie I know....

RW's so cheap he thinks a quarterback is a money saving offer.

[OneManShow]

My SS is near 30,000. I have other incomes, but I see that if you have health issues then perhaps you will be short with 20,000. My medication only for prostate issue cost me at least 2000 per month and if I get them from a pharmacy, not the hospital. Hospital cost of same medication is 9000. 😔 you imagine the cost of blood& urine test, ultrasound or any other imaging. 
note: I own my house.

 

 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, Upnotover said:

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Do they go to Starbucks?

Of course they do.  They can't afford it but it's necessary.  It should not be part of your plans however.

Doesn't cost anything to go to (and stay all day in) Starbucks, as so many "customers" do, they'll even give free cups of water.

 

EDIT:  Yes, it is "Sad", not saying that's what I do.

[chiang mai]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Doesn't cost anything to go to (and stay all day in) Starbucks, as so many "customers" do, they'll even give free cups of water.

Living the dream/good life then!

[jippytum]

You don't mention your age but i assume above 60.

Yes 20,000 is doable.  However exchange rates 

could work for or against you. Also

with your own condo comes maintenance fees plus immigration costs and any medical emergency would see your friends starting a 'go fund me' blog. 

[lanng khao]

34 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

RW's so cheap he thinks a quarterback is a money saving offer.

Hes probably got the skin disease dermatightarse..

[Gecko123]

These threads always bring out posters who are proud of how little they spend or how much they spend. Most of us who have been here a while have a pretty good idea of how much things cost, and there are few if any areas where overall expenses (excluding housing) can drastically be kept below average costs for Thailand.

 

When someone posts they only spend 2,500 baht a month on food, chances are they are either eating like a bird (and perhaps drinking like a fish) or the quality of their diet is being compromised (highly processed, high sodium, few anti-oxidants, low fiber, low in fresh fruits and vegetables, etcetera. Someone claiming to spend 30,000 for one person on food is probably combining groceries with eating out expenses, eats enormous amounts of food, wastes enormous amounts of food, shopping at high end grocery stores, and undoubtably eating a lot of imported food.

 

Record keeping is another issue. People say they only spend 2,500 a month on food, while forgetting all the other months where they spent much more. It is also true enough that many, if not most, locals live on less than 20,000 per month (excluding rent), but when you start getting into the weeds and looking at their quality of diet, medical and dental care, savings for retirement, wardrobe, ability to finance children's higher education, ability to own a motor vehicle, etc., it quickly becomes apparent that significant compromises in lifestyle and standard of living are being made out of necessity, not by choice.

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, Njoku said:

You can afford the $AU800 to fly back every time you get something wrong with you? 

 

Ps once you "leave the country" your medicare stops, or not long after, you will need time to reinstate so that pressing illness will take longer to get looked at. You might want to look up the requirements on that one.

 

The point is 20k will give you just a basic life here, no frills assuming you own where you live, living in Pattaya you will need at least a motorbike at some point.

 

I know little of the Australian medicare system but how long does one have to be out of country before medicare needs to reinstate upon return.

1 week ?

1 month ?

1 year?

10 years?

[kingstonkid]

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I think it's called the OA visa 

 

As for health insurance,self insure and use the Australian system if needed 

 

 

The big expense that has to be watched in entertainment.  Sitting in an apartment can only last so long.  The allure of the lights and things will attract you.  You don't have to drink alcohol in bars but  the ladies charge the same amount.  

 

How old are you also matters.  WhT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH YOUR DAYS.

[SAFETY FIRST]

30 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

These threads always bring out posters who are proud of how little they spend or how much they spend

The OP is pulling our leg.

 

He works at a Sydney hospital, his title is Senior Floor Mop Person.

He earns around $70, $80 an hour, 11% superannuation on top. 

He owns property in Sydney (average house prices above $1M), has a stack of cash in his superannuation fund. 

The guy is loaded, probably over frugal, just looking for a plan once he hangs up the mop. 

 

Anyway, I'm not complaining, his topics are always good for a laugh. 

 

[KireB]

5 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I sure could not my golf budget is twice that.  That is 700 b a day lots of poor British do it with their lousy frozen pensions, so I guess it is possible. 

Come and give it a try for a month.  If you get hungry, they throw a lot of food waste here I am sure the garbage cans at the malls are a gold mine.

Does that make a person proud, bragging about your golf budget? 

[PJ71]

2 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

Plenty of Thais do so.

They pitch in, ie many people in one loom, that's how they survive.

 

Unlikely old retired farangs will do the same.

[Kinok Farang]

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I'm getting straight to the point.

 

And even though I didn't write this in the Pattaya section this relates to Pattaya...but I want to hear from you guys in Isaan too and even in the Philippines 

Can you live on 20,000 baht per month if you own your own home /condo 

I am very very poor and will need to live on this 

I don't drink alcohol or smoke and will buy a small room in the Flybird Condo in Pattaya 

 

Please break down your budget for me and how do working class Thai people do it ?

Do they use Bolt or Grab?

Do they go to Starbucks?

 

So NO rent ,eg you own your own condo in the Flybird or Nirun 

 

Can you live on 20k, I have worked out I will only have 20,000 baht a month to live on 

Sell your arse once a week and you'll be ok.

[Kinok Farang]

11 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

The OP is pulling our leg.

 

He works at a Sydney hospital, his title is Senior Floor Mop Person.

He earns around $70, $80 an hour, 11% superannuation on top. 

He owns property in Sydney (average house prices above $1M), has a stack of cash in his superannuation fund. 

The guy is loaded, probably over frugal, just looking for a plan once he hangs up the mop. 

 

Anyway, I'm not complaining, his topics are always good for a laugh. 

 

Grass.

[NoDisplayName]

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I admit I haven't been to Chiang mai for about 12 years 

I don't think it was that cheap 

I will check out Chiang Mai on my next trip in February 

Do you think it's any cheaper than say Pattaya in regards to Gym , groceries , day to day expenses

 

Are you planning on paying for a gym membership?  Why?

 

In Bangkok, I used the fully-stocked and recently renovated weight room at the National Stadium (Ramkhamhaeng) for 40 baht/day.  Running track, swimming pool (fee) and other facilities were available.

 

In Chiang Mai, the stadium just north of the moat has a weight room under the bleacher section at the running track, similar cost a decade ago.

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, Kinok Farang said:

Sell your arse once a week and you'll be ok.

 

He gives it for free already. doubt anyone will pay for it.

[BoganInParasite]

The wife and I plus three Labradors seem to use about 25,000 a month over the last few years. We live quietly and modestly by choice. We shop at Makro, Lotus's and Big C in the main and the only eating out is a local restaurant 2-4 times a week. We cook our own bread, bakery, majority of meals and eat a mainly western diet. If we lived closer to where quality beef/lamb, decent cheese, and burgers/pizza were available I could see a 5,000-8,000 a month increase would likely happen. (Plus an increase in my already excessive weight.) We own our own home and car, don't drink/smoke/gamble/lend to family and have been debt free for a decade.

[georgegeorgia]

3 hours ago, Olmate said:

20k month is less than half the OAP, Why dont you qualify, or whats the reasoning GG?? 

I don't like to take money 

[Ralf001]

3 minutes ago, BoganInParasite said:

The wife and I plus three Labradors, We shop at Makro

 

At Makro, the wife insists on buying the 2.5kg tubs of peanut butter ?

[georgegeorgia]

9 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

At Makro, the wife insists on buying the 2.5kg tubs of peanut butter ?

Crunchy or smooth ,that's the important question? 

[georgegeorgia]

14 minutes ago, BoganInParasite said:

The wife and I plus three Labradors seem to use about 25,000 a month over the last few years. We live quietly and modestly by choice. We shop at Makro, Lotus's and Big C in the main and the only eating out is a local restaurant 2-4 times a week. We cook our own bread, bakery, majority of meals and eat a mainly western diet. If we lived closer to where quality beef/lamb, decent cheese, and burgers/pizza were available I could see a 5,000-8,000 a month increase would likely happen. (Plus an increase in my already excessive weight.) We own our own home and car, don't drink/smoke/gamble/lend to family and have been debt free for a decade.

Not bad going 

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Crunchy or smooth ,that's the important question? 

Ive heard labradors like smooth.

[georgegeorgia]

58 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

He gives it for free already. doubt anyone will pay for it.

And I enjoy it and will certainly bend over forwards to help you out Ralfy 

[Ralf001]

Just now, georgegeorgia said:

And I enjoy it 

Do ya hose ya arse out before.

[georgegeorgia]

3 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

On my lowest months in 12 years or so I have lived on like 35-40K baht a month and that was very tight. Keep in mind I did also lose like 5K monthly on renting a motorbike and visa costs alone. Then 5K more for rent incl utilities (studio room CM).

So basically the average real budget would be like 500 baht daily if it comes to food, drinks, snacks and if anything left; whatever else. To then still have like 5K baht left for some random things incl. perhaps 2 times a month a cheap 1K fun short time.

You then still have to like pay for things like insurance, replacing clothes, a phone, laptop etc, X amount to have a 1 time a year trip back home or even if it's 1 time per 2-3 years it can still add up too. As well as a general emergency cash buffer. 

I guess if you would do groceries and home cooking, own the place, have a yearly visa at like 2-3K baht a year, insurance, no girlfriend or children plans, it can be doable. But to do that budget then in Pattaya? A lot of temptations... 

Guess the big benefit of lower budgets today is that weed is also legal, and you can even grow a few plants and smoke free. This already offset a lot of costs compared to doing beers.

 

Guess if you can get that budget to at least 30-40K, you would be able to have weekly 2 nights out, it actually becomes quite realistic assuming above. Maybe you can supplement by becoming bar manager in soi 6 😄

 

But if i would otherwise be stuck in the west on a similar tight budget, I would do it. Then again, in case of being single too, you def get way more for your money in Vietnam. 20K is like 35-40K there.

 

The streets and street food are still much more alive and vibrant in Vietnam as well, this makes the low budget much more fun as you actually can just keep going outside and wander around while even having within budget food + beers.

Where in Vietnam would this be ?