Living Cost

[sanjeevsharma]

Hi Friends,

I Just want to know about Living Cost at Bangkok If you guys can help me out i would be very thank full to you

1. Cost of rental House 1 or 2 Bed Room Fully Furnished.

2. Cost of Food ( Veg ) Cooking in House or Outside.

3. Taxation in Thailand.

4. Saving Potential in Bangkok

5. Transpotation & Utilities Bills.

Friends I got an offer from one of IT Company in Bangkok, so if you could plese help me to find out above details.

[kurnell]

All in THB

1. 30-150k per month

2. 3,000-20,000 per month

3. 0-30% depending on salary

4. See above

5. 1,000-50,000 per month

[phetaroi]

Hi Friends,

I Just want to know about Living Cost at Bangkok If you guys can help me out i would be very thank full to you

1. Cost of rental House 1 or 2 Bed Room Fully Furnished.

2. Cost of Food ( Veg ) Cooking in House or Outside.

3. Taxation in Thailand.

4. Saving Potential in Bangkok

5. Transpotation & Utilities Bills.

Friends I got an offer from one of IT Company in Bangkok, so if you could plese help me to find out above details.

I think your question, as phrased, is very difficult to answer. It all depends on the lifestyle you are expecting. I am preparing for retirement in Thailand within the next few months. I know the kind of condo I want to rent, and my estimation is that it will cost me $1500-$2000. I could spend much less...or much more. But to live in approximately "the style to which I've become accustomed" (as they say), that's what I'll have to pay. That's fine. I can afford it. If you do a Goggle search for Bangkok + condos, you can get a pretty good idea of what is available at some price ranges. Doing so has helped me narrow down a few neighborhoods I want to look at when I get there.

Cost of food. Similar concept. Many eat along the street very inexpensively. Others eat only in very expensive restaurants. I am somewhere in between. During the day...along the street. For dinner...a "good" sit-down restaurant. What I know is that I will be able to feed myself and my SO on less than I feed myself here in the States.

Since 1987 I have spent -- over time -- about 20 months in Thailand. The first few years I stayed in hotels, but after that switched to serviced apartments a few years and regular flats a few other years. I know I'm no expert, but I think I have an idea of life in Bangkok. What's your experience in Bangkok/Thailand been?

[thaihome]

What does it cost to live in NYC or London or Brisbane? Questions such as that cannot be answered as there are too many personal variables to give anything but meaningless ranges.

TH

[bkkjames]

What does it cost to live in NYC or London or Brisbane? Questions such as that cannot be answered as there are too many personal variables to give anything but meaningless ranges.

TH

I agree, perhaps the OP can tell us what he will make and we can tell him if it makes any sense to come here. Just guessing but unless he is taking a senior management position, he would be better off staying in / heading to India where the need for high paying IT consultants is much higher.

[Ralphweis]

What does it cost to live in NYC or London or Brisbane? Questions such as that cannot be answered as there are too many personal variables to give anything but meaningless ranges.

TH

I agree, perhaps the OP can tell us what he will make and we can tell him if it makes any sense to come here. Just guessing but unless he is taking a senior management position, he would be better off staying in / heading to India where the need for high paying IT consultants is much higher.

i would say the price depend on the area you plan to stay.

Sukhumvit is the most expensive then silom and cheaper is outskirt

[shriah]

If I am getting around 40 k TBH will it be enough to survive in BKK ? I will be staying in Thailand for more than a year . This is will be my first trip to outside my county. I have a very moderate Standard of Living. I don't frequent bars much and can do well with the street food( Which i heard r really delicious ) . I like to hear ur thought .

Edited February 11, 2009 by shriah

[thedistillers]

Some backpackers can survive on 5$ US a day. Others can't even imagine how it's possible to "survive" with less than 1200$ US a month.

You can find a small studio for 100US$/month; you can find a serviced apartment for 2000$US/month. You can find a meal for 30 baht; you can easily spend 3000 baht in a fancy restaurant.

The short answer is that you can live on any amount of money in Bangkok. The more you pay, the more comfort you have. That's all.

[shriah]

Will it be convenient to own a Bike in BKK ? My boss says that Bkk have a bad traffic and mostly people in Bkk own only cars and expects me to take taxi daily to my work place .He also added that I need to pay toll for using the express way and I don't think it is the most efficient way to travel.

[phetaroi]

Will it be convenient to own a Bike in BKK ? My boss says that Bkk have a bad traffic and mostly people in Bkk own only cars and expects me to take taxi daily to my work place .He also added that I need to pay toll for using the express way and I don't think it is the most efficient way to travel.

I'm not a biker, but I do enjoy walking in Bangkok. Having said that, I think bicycling in Bangkok (except perhaps in park areas) would be totally impractical. I'd say your boss has it just about right.

[shriah]

I hate when others are right

[robblok]

If I am getting around 40 k TBH will it be enough to survive in BKK ? I will be staying in Thailand for more than a year . This is will be my first trip to outside my county. I have a very moderate Standard of Living. I don't frequent bars much and can do well with the street food( Which i heard r really delicious ) . I like to hear ur thought .

Do you need to be in BKK ? or outside bkk. Outside you can rent a complete house for 5k bath. That is what i payed b4 when i rented. It was about 40 min by taxi from BKK. I own a motorcycle and they are handy. But trafic is crazy here.

The closer you live to central BKK the more expensive things become. I can eat here for around 40 bath per meal. In central BKK that would be double or tripple.

[UncleFrank]

I get by on 100,000/month.

Some friends can do it for 35,000.

[shriah]

I still have a month before I come to BKK I will be working in BKK for two years for my company there . Not sure where the work place is. Hopefully it is in not in central bangkok

[londonthai]

Hi Friends,

I Just want to know about Living Cost at Bangkok If you guys can help me out i would be very thank full to you

1. Cost of rental House 1 or 2 Bed Room Fully Furnished.

2. Cost of Food ( Veg ) Cooking in House or Outside.

3. Taxation in Thailand.

4. Saving Potential in Bangkok

5. Transpotation & Utilities Bills.

Friends I got an offer from one of IT Company in Bangkok, so if you could plese help me to find out above details.

the furnished 1-2 bedroom house in bangkok is from 6k/month. It gives you some space and privacy over the 1 room studios. Ouside Bangkok houses are cheaper, but than you pay more for transport and waste your time in traffic jams.

if you are cooking yourself you need at least 100baht/day for a basic food, for eating outside at least 200 baht.

getting a bicycle (from a few thousands baht) or a motorbike (some 30k for the new one) is recommended, even if you will use mostly public transport (10-20 baht for a ride) - you will save money over taxis and it will you give a freedom, when taxis are not available. Most of the motorways are payed, but there is some (like the Phra Pinklao or the outer western ring road) which are tall free).

utility bills are low (100 baht phone line, some 500 baht broadband internet, 200 baht water, 1-2k baht electricity) if you are paying directly for the service - in appartments/studios you might be charged several times of that by the landlord. Get the bills in your name and pay it directly at any 7/11 shop.

with a modest standard of living you would be able to save at least half of your 40k monthly wages.

[worldfun]

First things first.

Clearly as you said you're not used to moving around all the time.

Locate your office location & plan your living quarters as convenient as need be transportation wise (unless you plan to spend more time in specific other free time locations, but I doubt it).

If you're lucky office is a bit out of the main areas (suk/silum/siam) & it'll become easier to locate a home.

Transportation wise BKK like any other 1st or 3rd world city has its ranges of private & public transport.

For public taxis while affordable being the most expensive especially if doing long commutes - train, busses, metro/subway being the others & BTS/MRT are by far the most efficient transport thus accomodation with easy access is priced accordingly. However as time is money as they say the price is often more than worth it, so unless planning to own & drive a car (to work) be near to BTS or MRT (especially if office is).

Cheers & welcome!

[Aswin]

I'm a foreigner in my own country myself but here's what I know...

Can of coke 13 Baht

Iced coffee/iced tea: 10 baht (off the street); 70 baht (Starbucks!)

Bottle water: 6-10 baht

Bottle of milk: 10 baht

Movie ticket: 80-140 baht

Beer: 35-65 baht big bottle (in supermarkets)

bars: 85-130, average, 120 and up in pricier places.

Whisky: 60-80 baht for a small bottle of local drinkable whiskey

Haircut: 60-120 baht and up depending on how posh the establishment is.

Movie tickets: 120-140 baht

ADSL broadband: 1000-1500 baht per month

Cable TV: is offered by UBC at a cost of approximately 1500 baht a month and includes about 25 channels including BBC news

Seeing a ping pong show at a gentleman's club in Patpong: Priceless! J/K

Edited February 13, 2009 by Aswin

[dave2]

aswin

Bottle of milk: 10 baht ? ?

10 Baht ? ? ....in your dreams !

500 Ml... of Full fat milk in a tesco or 7 / eleven is about .... 24 to 26 Baht.... FACT .... !

1000 Ml.... of the same is 42 to 44 Baht in tesco or 7 / eleven .... FACT ....

please re think your hopes ? and check the prices on your shopping list !

dave2

[Aswin]

My bad.

I was thinking "Vitamilk".

Edited February 13, 2009 by Aswin

[dave2]

Aswain

What is vitemilk ? ?

never heard of it !

i drink 1000 Ml of full fat milk every day and im still a handsome man according to the girls i see every night in the chiang mai girly bars and im nearly 60 !

enjoy ...your vitamilk ? ? .... 100 % full fat rules for me .... dave2

Edited February 13, 2009 by dave2

[colino]

you can get a nice apartment for 8000 baht a month+bills (600-800), food can be as much as you want or not want to spend 100baht +.

travel cost is very cheap local skytrain or underground moterbike taxis,

asdl 599 baht a month,100.00mbps.

apartments tend to charge more for electricity than if you had a house and your own meter, and some have just one fee for water,at my last place it was 150 a month and 25 baht for collecting the rubbish.

colino

[UncleFrank]

Nice Sukhumvit Condo near Skytrain: 35,000 thb.

Electric, TV, Internet: 6,000 thb.

Food & drinks: 500 - 1000 thb. / day.

Taxi/transport: 100 - 200 thb / day.

Another 1000 a day to play.

[sorensen]

you can get a nice apartment for 8000 baht a month+bills (600-800), food can be as much as you want or not want to spend 100baht +.

travel cost is very cheap local skytrain or underground moterbike taxis,

asdl 599 baht a month,100.00mbps.

apartments tend to charge more for electricity than if you had a house and your own meter, and some have just one fee for water,at my last place it was 150 a month and 25 baht for collecting the rubbish.

colino

Make sure you wear a crash helmet and your standard mining equipment when you use these underground motorbike taxis...

[londonthai]

Nice Sukhumvit Condo near Skytrain: 35,000 thb.

Electric, TV, Internet: 6,000 thb.

Food & drinks: 500 - 1000 thb. / day.

Taxi/transport: 100 - 200 thb / day.

Another 1000 a day to play.

with that kind of livestyle some minimum 89k/month would be over twice much, what the OP is going to earn.

many thai do manage by on their income of 6-10k/month, so on 40k/month should be pretty easy. The most important is to reduce the biggest single expenditure - accommodation.

[namoo]

I would say to live comfortably with what I would call semi-western life style in regard to accomodation, dining out, quality entertainment, central location. would say between 250k to 400k per month is reasonable including insurances, retirement planning etc.

For example decent seats at the currently playing CHICAGO musical for you and your mrs would set you back 8000THB. Few drinks afterwards with some decent jazz at the sheraton 2000 plus dinner before hand at a fairly decent Italian including wine 5000. Total for the night out 15000THB. Or Noodles on the sidewalk plus a movie and a coffee at starbucks afterward 600THB.

As always it depends how you currently live and how you wish to live when you get here.

Edited February 16, 2009 by namoo

[shriah]

I would say to live comfortably with what I would call semi-western life style in regard to accomodation, dining out, quality entertainment, central location. would say between 250k to 400k per month is reasonable including insurances, retirement planning etc.

For example decent seats at the currently playing CHICAGO musical for you and your mrs would set you back 8000THB. Few drinks afterwards with some decent jazz at the sheraton 2000 plus dinner before hand at a fairly decent Italian including wine 5000. Total for the night out 15000THB. Or Noodles on the sidewalk plus a movie and a coffee at starbucks afterward 600THB.

As always it depends how you currently live and how you wish to live when you get here.

This is my first job after my college and it will take me some time(Years) before I can start making 250K or 400K a month . I think I will be happy with wat Colin suggested, a 8000-6000 Bhat apratment and 200 Bhat in food a day sounds reasonable to me. I will be leaving to Bkk in a month and look forward to it

[BigSnake]

A bit on the expensive side, but the bright side it is a heck of a lot better than Moscow or Tokoyo if you are reasonable you do decent on Bt50,000 a month. It all come down to your lifestyle. I have friends that live just outside Bangkok that live with family on much less than Bt50,000(3brm, 2bath) this include his cable bill, power(electric Bill) water plus other day to day expenses, again it LIFESTYLE.

[Super Hans]

The most important is to reduce the biggest single expenditure - accommodation.

Surely you mean beer?

[Super Hans]

If you're prepared to live a simple life with simple tastes, and aren't much of a boozer, and don't buy much company, 40k is ample.

[rgs2001uk]

The most important is to reduce the biggest single expenditure - accommodation.

Surely you mean beer?

Surely you mean women?