Retirement And Cost Of Living In Bangkok ?

[Peregrine]

Would like info. on the cost of living in Bangkok, what could you expect from income of about 125,000 baht a month. I am not sure this would be a permanent move, but i would like to try it, for at least a year. I have U. S. Government Retirement with C.O.L.A. I was also thinking of Phuket. P.S. Any info would be great. Thank You.

[jdinasia]

how long is a piece of string? some people would go into deficit spending with that little every month, Others could live 5 months on that amount of $.

mileage is dependent upon actual driving experience .......

Cost of living has been discussed many times .. feel free to use the search function and have a looksee!

[Jingthing]

Let's put it this way. Immigration requires 65K per month. Alot of expats live on a lot less than that. So of course you can live on 125K, you only have to scale your housing cost, medical cost, entertainment cost to fit with your budget, which unless you have unusual requirements should not be a problem. Maybe a better question is how much does a 2 bedroom apartment near the Skytrain rent for.

[DP25]

Maybe a better question is how much does a 2 bedroom apartment near the Skytrain rent for.

Between 7000 and 100,000 per month.

[PadThaiGuy]

125,000/month.

No problemo.

40,000 for rent/utilities and 15,000 a week to play/eat.

25,000 left over for toys etc.

[Peregrine]

125,000/month.

No problemo.

40,000 for rent/utilities and 15,000 a week to play/eat.

25,000 left over for toys etc.

What type of accommodation, could i expect for 40,000 rent and utilities.

[PadThaiGuy]

125,000/month.

No problemo.

40,000 for rent/utilities and 15,000 a week to play/eat.

25,000 left over for toys etc.

What type of accommodation, could i expect for 40,000 rent and utilities.

Nice 1 or 2 bedroom in a good location, good view, pool, gym, parking.

[tb86]

its very do able but the big question is have you been here before? i love it here, would not prefer to return to the us..... but bangkok isnt for everyone....

[jdinasia]

its very do able but the big question is have you been here before? i love it here, would not prefer to return to the us..... but bangkok isnt for everyone....

I concur 100% .. if you haven't spent 3-6 months continuously then you probably should do that first BEFORE considering retiring here.

[burman]

Maybe a better question is how much does a 2 bedroom apartment near the Skytrain rent for.

Between 7000 and 100,000 per month.

And the rest!

[londonthai]

it's a plenty of money to live on in bangkok - I would splash part of this money on travelling around south east asia and on the health check ups/medical treatments (thailand medical care is very cheap in comparison to the usa).

if you are coming with a family (or if they or your friends are going to be visiting you) than plan your accommodation accordingly

[j0hnga1t]

125000 baht?  After taxes???????? You must be a CSRS employee...I'm just a lowly FERS employee.  In six years I'll retired but only get about 90K baht a month after taxes

[Peregrine]

Thanks for your time and gracious replies. I would like to ask what is a ball park figure for owing and operating a vehicle(SUV) in Bangkok.

[rgs2001uk]

Thanks for your time and gracious replies. I would like to ask what is a ball park figure for owing and operating a vehicle(SUV) in Bangkok.

how long is a piece of string?

you can buy a nice honda crv for one and a half million baht.

insurance class 1 say 20,000 baht per year.

gasoline 31 or 32 baht per litre.

lpg/ngv cheaper.

why any one would want to drive, let alone own a suv is beyond me.

taxis dirt cheap and readily available, skytrain and underground covers most areas

[tb86]

well it depends on what you want as a suv a hilux like the tacoma will set you back 500k, a fortuner will set you back 1 million or so, a discovery will cost around 6 million so you have a big price range imports are crazy expensive... gas is 29-33 baht per liter so about 4 dollars a gallon, traffic here gets a little ugly think nyc or la on friday nights but every day......... i would be real sure i wanted to live here for a considerable ammount of time before buying a car... if your here a year or so its not gonna be worth the hassles unless you plan on having parking and a driver..... sometimes having a suv here is a curse lots of small surface streets and small little parking garages, if your not used to urban driving be prepared to make good friends with some one that owns a body shop

[ignis]

If your looking to buy a SUV/Car/Truck why on earth would you want to live in BKK ??

Living outside BKK cost a fraction of the price, and owning a car would still save you a hugh amount..

BKk rent a 2bed Appartment from 15,000 to ?? baht per month [friend pays 65,000 month]

outside area would cost between 2 - 3,000 baht.

outside a nice Townhouse is around 4,000 baht

detached house around 7,000 baht

Myself we own a 3 bed detached house 1.8 million, you would be hard pushed to find a 1 bed appartment in BKK for that price.

[geriatrickid]

Unless you have lived in Thailand before or need to specifically locate in BKK, then there are 2 things you must do to maintain your sanity and life;

1. Reside anywhere but Bangers for some time until you are acclimatized and have an opportunity to visit Bangers. Unless you have lived in midtown Manhatten, it's a culture shock. I can't stand the crowds, the pollution and the lack of greenspace. If after visiting Bangers you like, go for it. Just remember that if you want American accoutrements you will pay for it and all the small things add up. For example, washing machines here are those crappy tiny plastic jobs from japan and China. A real washer has to be imported from Europe and it's a small fortune. Sure you can send the laundry out, but sometimes it comes back worse than before having been washed in dirty water or not having the cheap suds not fully rinsed out. If you want nice 600 count cotton sheets, good luck. My friend has his mom bring them over.

2. Do not drive in Thailand unless you have had experience driving on the "wrong" side of the road and have an understanding of traffic signs and traffic patterns. Continental Europeans and North Americans have higher rates of motor vehicle fatality because of their inexperience with driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Wait a bit before you drive and start somewhere out of Bangers first.

Sorry if this sounds negative, but an American relocating from a beautiful city like Phoenix or a midsized town in the suburbs usually starts having a crisis after 2 weeks of Bangers.

Edited April 3, 2008 by geriatrickid

[Peregrine]

Unless you have lived in Thailand before or need to specifically locate in BKK, then there are 2 things you must do to maintain your sanity and life;

1. Reside anywhere but Bangers for some time until you are acclimatized and have an opportunity to visit Bangers. Unless you have lived in midtown Manhatten, it's a culture shock. I can't stand the crowds, the pollution and the lack of greenspace. If after visiting Bangers you like, go for it. Just remember that if you want American accoutrements you will pay for it and all the small things add up. For example, washing machines here are those crappy tiny plastic jobs from japan and China. A real washer has to be imported from Europe and it's a small fortune. Sure you can send the laundry out, but sometimes it comes back worse than before having been washed in dirty water or not having the cheap suds not fully rinsed out. If you want nice 600 count cotton sheets, good luck. My friend has his mom bring them over.

2. Do not drive in Thailand unless you have had experience driving on the "wrong" side of the road and have an understanding of traffic signs and traffic patterns. Continental Europeans and North Americans have higher rates of motor vehicle fatality because of their inexperience with driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Wait a bit before you drive and start somewhere out of Bangers first.

Sorry if this sounds negative, but an American relocating from a beautiful city like Phoenix or a midsized town in the suburbs usually starts having a crisis after 2 weeks of Bangers.

Thanks for the good advice and info. I have also thought of Phuket, i am open to any advice or suggestions. I would like a quite base, to travel S.E. Asia. Thank You.

[londonthai]

there are not much choices in international travel in the south east asia but airplane. There are 4 international airports in thailand (2 in bangkok, phuket and the forth one is chang mai). Even in Bangkok both airports are within 1h taxi ride, wherever you are.

unlike in the usa the airfares are dirt cheap on the budget airlines, starting from $20-30 if booked well in advance, even on an international flight. Check www.skyscanner.com to see all the possible connections from each city and the cheapest fares for one year in advance - even before coming to thailand you might start planning your journeys.

the very centre of bangkok is indeed a dirty, but in the suburbs it's not much different than rural village, if not the radio taxis to be called to pick you up wherever only you are