Cost Of Living In Cr?

[ESLProf]

Hi All,

I'm taking a term off from my teaching job in the U.S. and would like to spend some time in Thailand. I was orginally thinking I would base myself in Chiang Mai, but from what I'm hearing Chiang Rai might be nicer.

I'm wondering what the cost of living is. I'm a single guy living quite simply on $3,000 a month here in Los Angeles. What would a comparable lifestyle cost in Chiang Rai? Is $1,000 a month realistic? I don't want to have to dig too deeply into savings if I can help it.

Thank you very much in advance.

[sceadugenga]

It depends on what you want to do and where you want to live.

$1000 a month isn't going to be caviar and champagne all the way, but if you don't drink a lot and do your sightseeing in buses rather than hiring a car you should manage.

Search this forum for guest houses and take a look around when you get here. If you're here for a "term" which I assume is about 3 months you should be able to get a good deal for a long term stay.

[wdrk7]

1k usd will surely be ok if you are here to enjoy the natural sight here in CR . If it is for something else then it all depands . You could go to some more rural area which is i think the hold reason here that we want to be away from every days life back home . I am very sure your budget will hold . Good luck and cheers .

[ESLProf]

Thank you for the responses. I expect to be spending a lot of my time reading and writing and perhaps meeting some local people. Caviar and champagne I can live without

In addition to guesthouses, I was thinking that a homestay mght be interesting. Would you recommend something like that?

Thanks again.

[bankei]

a studio apartment could cost you around 5,000B per month. A meal is about 30B, coke 12B, internet about 500B.

I think you could live on us$500 without too much problem.

[siamamerican]

Thank you for the responses. I expect to be spending a lot of my time reading and writing and perhaps meeting some local people. Caviar and champagne I can live without

In addition to guesthouses, I was thinking that a homestay mght be interesting. Would you recommend something like that?

Thanks again.

If you can live in LA on 3k, you will be just fine with 1k in CR. Accomidation (budget) and food will eat up 400 at most. That leaves 600 for whatever.

[sceadugenga]

I lived in Vientiane on less than that while I was waiting for my divorce to come through and the spoils divided.

I realise Lao is a different scene entirely to Thailand but I ate Lao food every day with the exception of one Western meal in a restaurant a week.

I also kept a girlfriend, drank beer every night and went out most evenings.

[wdrk7]

Thank you for the responses. I expect to be spending a lot of my time reading and writing and perhaps meeting some local people. Caviar and champagne I can live without

In addition to guesthouses, I was thinking that a homestay mght be interesting. Would you recommend something like that?

Thanks again.

If thats the idea , i could surely do . We have three homestay operator in my village alone . I am base in Measalong CR . Pm me if you need more info . Thanks .

[kumsamut]

Apartment in Chiang rai is range from 1500 to 2000 baht.

Hotel is 350 baht a night for a nice one. If you want long stay hotel, you can bargain with them.

I recommend you stay in town so that you can go eat easily.

Bike rentals are available at FAT FREE bike shop in town.

Motocycle for rent is like 150 baht per day.

Cost per meal is like 30 - 70 baht, depends how u wanna eat.

I would say 1000 usd is enough to live and to travel in chiang mai and chiang rai.

Bus ticket from Chiang rai to Chiang mai is like 280 baht or nearly ten dollars.

Chiang rai is quiet, Chiang mai has more stuff to do.

You can visit both places.

[wileycoyote]

I think you can do it.

However,I agree with kumsamut try both Chiang Rai first then go to Chiang Mai

[chang35baht]

You Chiang Mai guys stay away from our forum. Trying to pinch our tourists indeed.

And the bus ticket back is also 280Bt

Edited July 21, 2008 by chang35baht

[monkeytunes]

On youir budget you will be OK, there are plenty of affordable places to stay, you can eat well at cheap prices, id just stay clear of the mighty Chang and his brothers Leo and Singha, have a good trip and enjoy the fabulous scenery.

[el jefe]

You guys on the CR forum are much nicer than my acquaintances on the CM forum. A few months ago someone posted something very similar about living on $1,000/month in CM. People there were telling him it would be difficult and that $3,000 was needed if he wanted to have any kind of life. $1,000 per month is do-able in CM too but it's even easier in CR. If you can live on $3,000 in LA, you'll have a great time here.

[wdrk7]

Come on , local here could live on a low wages and how come we can't .

[sceadugenga]

Locals on low wages rarely pay rent, they either own a house of live with a relative.

They're also happy to eat the cheapest local food everyday. My wife who could afford to eat what she likes still eats a bowl of 20B noodle soup most days as a midday meal.

They also don't pay for travel, if they're working away from the village the employer usually supplies a truck to pick them up. The basic commodities they use... clothing, toiletries etc are the very cheapest available at the village market.

The cheapest accommodation available to a farang here would still cost more per day than a basic laborer would earn.

[wdrk7]

Try to live like the local and enjoy your stay here . Why bother to live like what you used to back home ? That is all about it for us to come to the land of smile away from the busy world that we came from .

[lukamar]

You guys on the CR forum are much nicer than my acquaintances on the CM forum. A few months ago someone posted something very similar about living on $1,000/month in CM. People there were telling him it would be difficult and that $3,000 was needed

When we lived in CM it cost us way over double what I cost in Phayao. A lot of the extra cost is the availability in CM to things like Movie theaters, shopping and accommodations etc. Our Condo was on Chiang Klang and there was so many food stalls I can only remember ever cooking noodles once, we ate out every meal. Maybe around 40-50,000Bt a month. Now we don't drink or go to clubs but we did go to Starbucks and Baskin and Robins every couple of days.

When we were in Phayao it cost almost nothing to live day to day. We owned our house, bought at the local market, cooked our own meals, we watched the tv, relaxed on the porch and visited friends. For entertainment we went to the lake and maybe bought SomTam from a vendor. When we traveled to CR we took the bus, stayed with relatives and the biggest cost was picking up their dinner and a few beer. It seldom cost us half of what it cost in CM plus we drove our car in Phayao and our bike in CM.

You can go as cheap or as expensive as your comfort level allows. If you are comfortable in a thatched roof hut go for it, if you need a mansion that's fine too. I'm actually more comfortable in our modest house in Phayao than I am in our house in Canada which is worth 10-12 times as much, but I wish it was on a plot a bit bigger than it's 58 wa..

Edited August 7, 2008 by lukamar

[ESLProf]

Thanks for all of your helpful responses. It sounds like I'll have no problem living inexpensively and still enjoying myself.

I won't be there for a few more months, but I'd be curious, too, how one would go about meeting some of the local expats. Are there meeting places other than the local watering holes?

Thanks.

[tracer]

Locals on low wages rarely pay rent, they either own a house of live with a relative.

They're also happy to eat the cheapest local food everyday. My wife who could afford to eat what she likes still eats a bowl of 20B noodle soup most days as a midday meal.

*******

I use soup brand 'quick', Ie they put pictures of ladies on the front , but soup tastes good (and spicy!!)

*******

They also don't pay for travel, if they're working away from the village the employer usually supplies a truck to pick them up. The basic commodities they use... clothing, toiletries etc are the very cheapest available at the village market.

******

no idea why they buy small tubes of toothe paste though. Big tubes save money...

******

The cheapest accommodation available to a farang here would still cost more per day than a basic laborer would earn.

I live in Phuket..

Breakfast about 7 baht (noodle / curry paste with fish and it tastes GOOD) or the more expensive kau mon kai or kau mok or the beef varieties (about 25 baht). lunch/dinner about 40 baht. NOTE: I donot spend it but after 20 years thats what I would spend! Sometimes I do but in most circumstances I would eat at home...

More serious question: do you have ongoing rent at home and second: stay away from beer.... or the CR local whiskey equivalents... To be honest it tasted more like Thai wodka to me (g).

[lukamar]

I should add that if you are single it's inexpensive to live. Now if you find a nice Thia girl, with a big family, it could get very expensive indeed to live anywhere in Thailand. Thai women can see a gold shop when it's just a faint red spec on the horizon and the family see's you as a walking ATM.

Edited August 7, 2008 by lukamar

[sceadugenga]

I'm fortunate I never met one of your stereotypical Thai women then. My wife sold most of her gold, which she owned when I met her, a couple of years back assuring me that the price was about to crash, (she's still waiting), and most of her family have more money than I have.

Any of the younger generation who come around crying poverty are pointed at gardening machinery and dirty cars before they get any cash off of me.

[lukamar]

I'm fortunate I never met one of your stereotypical Thai women then. My wife sold most of her gold, which she owned when I met her, a couple of years back assuring me that the price was about to crash, (she's still waiting), and most of her family have more money than I have.

Any of the younger generation who come around crying poverty are pointed at gardening machinery and dirty cars before they get any cash off of me.

I must admit I'm lucky as well. My wife had a good career and already owned, well the bank owned part of it, the house in Phayao. She does like Gold but doesn't go overboard on it. Her family found out fast I may be a walking ATM but they don't often get the PIN Code. I'm always willing to help in a medical emergency but they don't ask often. If they do it's a loan, pay it back and you can ask for another loan when you need it, don't pay it back they you can get a second job it you need money, don't even bother to ask....LOL When we moved back to Canada to have the baby, we had Ma and Pa move into the house rent free, Pa had just retired from the military. You couldn't ask for better people to look after your house, they keep it maintained, they remodeled the bathroom and the front deck, replaced some cracked roof tiles and they protect our belongings that are stored in one of the bedrooms. They never once have asked for money to pay for materials etc. We gave Pa the Car, now that's a different story it's trashed but it wasn't worth much to begin with...