Minimum required to live comfortably at a young retirement age

[newnative]

58 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

SanSai hospital in CM has all new equipment, I've never had X-rays in bed using a portable X-ray machine before. I didn't even know such machines existed (13k5bht for 4 months in/out patient care as a foreigner), sure it takes all day for non-urgent care, but I can read my book anywhere.

 

My wife also arraigned for an elderly Nordic foreigner to have a broken hip repaired after he toppled off his m/c in his driveway (paid by his gov min m/c insurance after a bit of haggling).

 

My MIL was referred to Suan Dok hospital in central CM for operations (free), top care in some ways better than the NHS as no waiting at all. 

 

My son born in NakornPing hospital (free), again as good as the NHS, they even had home visits after.

 

You live in the wrong place!

Although sometimes I think some Thai people pay because too proud, or unable to complete the government hospital paperwork, or just too ignorant/uneducated to know what to get and where to get it.

 

 

      I don't doubt that routine medical care at low cost can be had in Bangkok at government hospitals--having an x-ray done, having a baby, getting a broken bone repaired, seeing a doctor for a bad cold, snake bite, cut needing stitches, etc., etc.  It's the non-routine that can get expensive.   I think you're quite right that some Thais do not know how to navigate the health care system to their best advantage, but that was not the case with my spouse's mother, with 3 educated Bangkok daughters going to bat for her, well-aware of how things work, and don't work, in Bangkok. 

[GypsyT]

26 minutes ago, madone said:

ironic given your own response is a grammatical abortion

Just testing 🙂

 

[GarryP]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

        Things might be different in rural areas but if you live in Bangkok medical care can certainly end up not being  'free' for Thais, especially if the care involves operations, intensive care, cancer treatment, or medical services in high demand using limited equipment. 

       My Thai spouse's mother had 2 million baht in medical expenses before she passed away in Bangkok.  If 'free' care was available, he and his siblings would certainly have availed themselves of it, rather than forking over the 2MB. 

       It doesn't do any good if a government medical service is free but unavailable--because it's fully booked at the government hospital or all the available weekly slots for a medical service are already taken at the government hospital.  

The treatment my late wife received for cancer at a government hospital was the same as would have been provided at a private hospital, but cost nothing. The difference was that if you want a private room in a gov't hospital you pay extra for that. Also, waiting times are much longer than at private hospitals.

 

However, you should note that Thais are granted free coverage in the hospital which serves the area of their house registration. If, however, their house registration is upcountry and not in the area where they are actually living, they would need to go back there to get a referral to a hospital in the area they live, otherwise they will have to pay for treatment. My wife did this. The exception is in the case of accidents in which case they can be treated at any government hospital.       

[Ben Zioner]

40 minutes ago, pchansmorn said:

Easy to find frozen lamb.  Villa Market, Robbie’s, accidental butcher, Makro .and so on. Tops Market has all that cheese you’re looking for. And Makro

 

Tops in Buriram has none of it, some frozen lamb chops maybe. But that's not the point, the topic is "Minimum required to live comfortably at a young retirement age". All the stuff I have mentioned costs two or three times what it costs back home; so, unless you want to go native, food will end up being expensive.

[PomPolo]

Thanks again everyone some top advice to consume here especially around the medical side of things which is probably one of my main worries and probably the most difficult one to budget for.

[Ben Zioner]

On 1/28/2025 at 8:28 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

If you are coming to live here with no medical insurance, things can happen. 

Things are bound to happen, if you are over 50. My medical expenses were near zero until my mid forties and have been going ever since. About half a million last year, and nothing catastrophic yet.

[PomPolo]

22 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Things are bound to happen, if you are over 50. My medical expenses were near zero until my mid forties and have been going ever since. About half a million last year, and nothing catastrophic yet.

Yeah I think I mentioned this one in a previous post I did have medical insurance when I first came many years ago but had a serious medical condition since which precludes me from getting any half decent insurance possibly accidents and stuff like that but other things very difficult.

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/24/2025 at 3:31 AM, SiSePuede419 said:

Not my experience.

The ingredients for Healthy Farang food costs more than a 50B bowl of noodles with some murky soup containing who knows what.

It's only "very low cost" if you use local Thai ingredients only or you're comparing it to Farang Restaurants.

I love posts like this. They always make me laugh.

 

How do meat and veg become more costly just because they are going to be used in a foreign recipe?

 

Fresh veg, pork, chicken, fish, herbs and seafood in fresh Thai markets are all good quality. Why is it not possible to create low cost foreign dishes with them?

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/24/2025 at 7:54 AM, FritsSikkink said:

that all depends on what quality of Western food you cook. Top quality steak or baked beans on toast.

So, if you cook top quality steak and chips, is that more expensive than cooking top quality steak Thai style? Is baked beans on toast more expensive than baked beans on rice?

[youreavinalaff]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:02 AM, SiSePuede419 said:

That's not Italian style pizza. They don't use cheap moz on pizza.  They use fresh moz and it's available in Thailand as well as a Thai version and it's not like the cheap stuff.  Also Italian pizza uses San Marzano tomatoes --try finding those here.  Italian tomato pizza sauce also uses olive oil, again not cheap.  Thai pizza does not.

When I made pizza on the grill I used yeast in the dough --thats costs money.  I guess you skipped that ingredient.  Thai basil is cheap but the flavor isn't matching with Italian pizza, so you need to find regular basil for a Margarita.  Good luck finding that in a wet market.  Imported cheese not cheap.  Imported chorizo sausage from Spain not cheap.  

All in all you can't buy all the ingredients for making pizza cheaply, so of course you have to compromise for something in the 50B price range (unbelievable, in my experience). 

"Italian style" pizza consists of the base plus mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce.

 

The rest, you just made that up.

[newnative]

51 minutes ago, GarryP said:

The treatment my late wife received for cancer at a government hospital was the same as would have been provided at a private hospital, but cost nothing. The difference was that if you want a private room in a gov't hospital you pay extra for that. Also, waiting times are much longer than at private hospitals.

 

However, you should note that Thais are granted free coverage in the hospital which serves the area of their house registration. If, however, their house registration is upcountry and not in the area where they are actually living, they would need to go back there to get a referral to a hospital in the area they live, otherwise they will have to pay for treatment. My wife did this. The exception is in the case of accidents in which case they can be treated at any government hospital.       

     Yes, I am aware of the house registration/assigned hospital system.  My mother-in-law was using her assigned hospital--or initially trying to.  I think one of the keys to the large hospital bill of my late MIL was your 'wait times are much longer' statement.  Do you pay for treatment she needs now to remain alive now or wait until free treatment is available, but she has died waiting.

      I don't know all the details of my MIL's medical treatment but I know there were government hospital issues with her colon cancer operation, her follow-up treatment, beds being unavailable in the government hospital ICU, and I think issues with her dialysis treatment when her kidneys were failing.  I'm glad your late wife had a better experience with her hospital medical care where she was treated.

[youreavinalaff]

2 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

 

Tops in Buriram has none of it, some frozen lamb chops maybe. But that's not the point, the topic is "Minimum required to live comfortably at a young retirement age". All the stuff I have mentioned costs two or three times what it costs back home; so, unless you want to go native, food will end up being expensive.

Lamb is most definitely available in Buriram. I've always found OZ or NZ in Makro.

 

Cooking native or foreign does not change the price of raw ingredients.

[Ben Zioner]

37 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

I love posts like this. They always make me laugh.

 

How do meat and veg become more costly just because they are going to be used in a foreign recipe?

 

Fresh veg, pork, chicken, fish, herbs and seafood in fresh Thai markets are all good quality. Why is it not possible to create low cost foreign dishes with them?

Yeah, if you don't get bored of this stuff. But right know I feel like a 400 grams T bone with a blue cheese sauce, French fries and a bottle of Beaujolais. 

 

Have to go to Bangkok for that, and once I've eaten I'll feel the Nana urge... All adds up. 

 

While I still have some hard ons I am too old to get a wage rise...

 

Be careful guys before you come here.

[youreavinalaff]

6 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Yeah, if you don't get bored of this stuff. But right know I feel like a 400 grams T bone with a blue cheese sauce, French fries and a bottle of Beaujolais. 

 

Have to go to Bangkok for that, and once I've eaten I'll feel the Nana urge... All adds up. 

 

While I still have some hard ons I am too old to get a wage rise...

 

Be careful guys before you come here.

No need to go to Bangkok.

 

I can't guarantee the Beaujolsis (maybe Tops or the off licence in town opposite Honda bike showroom) but, all other ingredients to create your meal are available in Buriram ,

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

So, if you cook top quality steak and chips, is that more expensive than cooking top quality steak Thai style? Is baked beans on toast more expensive than baked beans on rice?

Baked beans are really cheap, dried white beans from makro, cook in a pressure cooker using 'tua' setting (add beans and cover with 1/4 inch water), then pour cooked beans into a saucepan, add a bottle of tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes = baked beans. (Heinz for American, Rosa for British)

 

About 5 cans worth for around 50bht!

 

[youreavinalaff]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Baked beans are really cheap, dried white beans from makro, cook in a pressure cooker using 'tua' setting, then pour into a saucepan, add a bottle of tomato sauce and simmer for 30 minutes = baked beans

Exactly my point. Ingredients cost the same regardless of how you cook them. 

 

I wouldn't use bottled sauce. I'd make my own using fresh tomatoes.

[GarryP]

40 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Yes, I am aware of the house registration/assigned hospital system.  My mother-in-law was using her assigned hospital--or initially trying to.  I think one of the keys to the large hospital bill of my late MIL was your 'wait times are much longer' statement.  Do you pay for treatment she needs now to remain alive now or wait until free treatment is available, but she has died waiting.

      I don't know all the details of my MIL's medical treatment but I know there were government hospital issues with her colon cancer operation, her follow-up treatment, beds being unavailable in the government hospital ICU, and I think issues with her dialysis treatment when her kidneys were failing.  I'm glad your late wife had a better experience with her hospital medical care where she was treated.

My "wait times" statement was in reference to her outpatient visits, i.e. for radiotherapy, follow up examinations, etc. That is, she would often have to wait for 3 or 4 hours or longer before getting her number called. 

[3NUMBAS]

You don’t know how your health will deteriorate in your old age ,but in your 60s and 70s it could go quite bad needing lots of cash ,many go home in their old age for health treatment 

[Ben Zioner]

49 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

No need to go to Bangkok.

I do though, every 6 to 8 weeks, family trips and Bumrungrad trips, helps me (us) to keep our mental and physical health. I couldn't live in the big city though, but Issan wasn't the best idea either. 

 

Another warning for the young retiree(s). Even more money is needed...

[youreavinalaff]

1 hour ago, Ben Zioner said:

I do though, every 6 to 8 weeks, family trips and Bumrungrad trips, helps me (us) to keep our mental and physical health. I couldn't live in the big city though, but Issan wasn't the best idea either. 

 

Another warning for the young retiree(s). Even more money is needed...

You said to have to go to Bangkok to find the food you want. That's incorrect.

 

The fact that you go on family trips suggests you want to go.

 

 

There's a big difference between "have to" and "want to".

[Ben Zioner]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

You said to have to go to Bangkok to find the food you want. That's incorrect.

 

The fact that you go on family trips suggests you want to go.

 

 

There's a big difference between "have to" and "want to".

Aren't talking about lifestyle and associated costs ? Maybe the OP should have specified what his aspirations were. 

[youreavinalaff]

5 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Aren't talking about lifestyle and associated costs ? Maybe the OP should have specified what his aspirations were. 

No. I'm talking about the "have to go to Bangkok" comment regarding Tbone steak and blue cheese sauce.

[Ben Zioner]

10 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

No. I'm talking about the "have to go to Bangkok" comment regarding Tbone steak and blue cheese sauce.

 

10 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

No. I'm talking about the "have to go to Bangkok" comment regarding Tbone steak and blue cheese sauce.

You shouldn't fixate on that. Before Covid, Tops was close to the mark, just. But they have been going downhill fast, even the bakery now. They have never had any decent cheese. First Christmas without Panettone also, bought that one in Bangkok too.  So we have given up completely. Could go shopping in Korat too, but it requires an overnight trip and is nearly as boring as Buriram, so Bangkok is the answer. 

[youreavinalaff]

1 minute ago, Ben Zioner said:

 

You shouldn't fixate on that. Before Covid, Tops was close to the mark, just. But they have been going downhill fast, even the bakery now. They have never had any decent cheese. First Christmas without Panettone also, bought that one in Bangkok too.  So we have given up completely. Could go shopping in Korat too, but it requires an overnight trip and is nearly as boring as Buriram, so Bangkok is the answer. 

Tops is not the be all and end all. That seems to be your fixation.

 

There are many retail outlets in Buriram where you can purchase what you desire.

[ChaiyaTH]

Just to visit abroad / back home once a year aside from some other stuff you don't think about right away adds like 120-150K a year already. Let alone if you are also older and have higher medical costs. I really don't understand people here talking about amounts under 50K a month, that would really be bare minimum. And that as a budget after insurance / flying back home etc costs.

 

All those I see doing this usually look like they are half homeless and frustrated or sweaty. If there is no better options it might still be the best choice but I would suggest Cambodia then instead.

These basic fixed costs or the cheaper months are not that hard but it is all the other things that add up quickly here. Like just needing a new phone as it broke, some small repairs on a bike and 1-2 dental treatments can easily set you back 30K alone. And that is like a peanuts thing, let alone if you have a girlfriend here too with relates that die etc.

 

These 1-1.5K USD budget nonsense suggestions work only for the shorter term, like a few years sabbatical. Over time you will have things to pay for that really not fit within that budget. It goes wrong 99/100 times.

 

So like just basic unexpected costs or replacement of items + 1 trip a year back home easily is 20k a month more. That's before rent, before visa, before 1 cup of noodles or 1 beer of chang spent. I even assume Europe with that, USA is likely even more.

[rickudon]

15 years here, and still cannot get the monthly budget below 30,000 baht for family of 3. That includes no nights out, no alcohol ( both rarely taken). Some eating out or takeaway. Does not include trips to UK, major house improvements etc, health insurance not practical due to chronic issues.

 

If you cannot find 500,000 baht a year until the pension kicks in, go back to work. I was in the same boat waiting for my state pension to kick in; small company pension, savings slowly eroding, made it with about 18 months to spare. Phew!

[jayboy]

On 1/25/2025 at 1:43 PM, PomPolo said:

the condition would allow me time to get back to the UK and utilise the NHS services that I have paid tax for most of my life. 

 

The fact you have paid tax all of your life is irrelevant.Free access to the NHS has nothing to do with having paid tax.It is all about residency.

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

On 1/29/2025 at 4:53 AM, ChaiyaTH said:

Just to visit abroad / back home once a year aside from some other stuff you don't think about right away adds like 120-150K a year already. Let alone if you are also older and have higher medical costs. I really don't understand people here talking about amounts under 50K a month, that would really be bare minimum. And that as a budget after insurance / flying back home etc costs.

 

All those I see doing this usually look like they are half homeless and frustrated or sweaty. If there is no better options it might still be the best choice but I would suggest Cambodia then instead.

These basic fixed costs or the cheaper months are not that hard but it is all the other things that add up quickly here. Like just needing a new phone as it broke, some small repairs on a bike and 1-2 dental treatments can easily set you back 30K alone. And that is like a peanuts thing, let alone if you have a girlfriend here too with relates that die etc.

 

These 1-1.5K USD budget nonsense suggestions work only for the shorter term, like a few years sabbatical. Over time you will have things to pay for that really not fit within that budget. It goes wrong 99/100 times.

 

So like just basic unexpected costs or replacement of items + 1 trip a year back home easily is 20k a month more. That's before rent, before visa, before 1 cup of noodles or 1 beer of chang spent. I even assume Europe with that, USA is likely even more.

My weed wacker is on the blink, tired of messing with it. Going to buy a new 4 stroke, figure 8K baht, my gym membership ended and that's 18K baht for the year, need a new back tire for big bike and that's looking like 10K baht minimum, the old lady's step dad passed and she had to make a trip back to Isaan so I gave what cash I had 28K baht for her trip back on a 2800 baht plane ticket. The kid's school fee will be due soon and that's 75K baht for 1 semester. I buy health Ins for old lady and due soon around 40K for the year, and on and on.

[Ralf001]

15 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

need a new back tire for big bike and that's looking like 10K baht minimum, 

 

Tires out here are exxy... just put new rubber on one of my bikes... just shy of 17k front and rear.

[ChaiyaTH]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

My weed wacker is on the blink, tired of messing with it. Going to buy a new 4 stroke, figure 8K baht, my gym membership ended and that's 18K baht for the year, need a new back tire for big bike and that's looking like 10K baht minimum, the old lady's step dad passed and she had to make a trip back to Isaan so I gave what cash I had 28K baht for her trip back on a 2800 baht plane ticket. The kid's school fee will be due soon and that's 75K baht for 1 semester. I buy health Ins for old lady and due soon around 40K for the year, and on and on.

It is all these small things that add up fast in Thailand for real. It is same I just went to Cambodia and you then realize more easily as the EUR/USD is near the same today compared to when you are in Thailand: 50 baht only here, 80 baht only there, 120 baht here and before you know you spend 20 USD already before it is 3PM.

 

One can maybe own a condo and always cook at home, sure, that really makes those costs little but then there is reality and a life too. I feel sorry for those at retired age to be here on so little, like what was 40 years work worth then.

 

Is the entire reason I decided to do it the other way around and came here young 14 years by now, my entire adult life. I would not be that sure I want to even be here at a old age.