How Much Does It Cost To Live There?

[Old Croc]

Harry,you can get private medical health for over 55 easy and its about 14,000 baht a year which covers one for 1,000,000 baht.Health care and medicine astronomical????,where do you live,the usa???

The poster can live here for 10,000 baht a week if he is own his own and without a condo/house and have a decen life.

Got any links to this health coverage?

And, does it cover pre-existing conditions?

Penkoprod

Looking at your avatar I don't think it's possible to get coverage for that condition.

[midlifecrisis]

I just wanted to say thanks for all your input. Certainly my first few years I will be on a budget and living on about 600,000 to 650,000 a year until social security kicks in. My needs are not extreme so I should be fine from what I am reading.

[G54]

I have found the different replies on this thread v interesting.

I retired out here and have found that rent and HEALTHCARE are by far the biggest expenditure.

Obviously it depends on where you live and the type of accommodation you will accept. In a tourist area a) some accommodation is v cheap, but let in all sorts of creepy crawlies that, personally, I don't wish to share my home with! and some cheap accommodation is a terraced concrete block in the middle of a built up area - fine if you are out at work all day, but otherwise??

.

Isn't that why we have cars and m/c? To get out an about a bit?

Agreed, in the middle of BKK that might not be so easy, but where I am, I am 2 kilometres from the park (big park too with a lake in the centre and ample seating, stalls etc.) The same 2 kliks from the big stores and not that far from the river and countryside.

The same boredom can come from sitting in some small village with no telephone, limited internet and a long way to civilisation. (done that too). Sitting there listening to the frogs, watching 'Ing Hoi' on an evening while sat outside drinking a beer and being eaten by mosquitoes can be limited fun too.

Being near the sea does have advantages, but that can lead to a more expensive way of life and a similar boredom.

Being retired and living out life can be boring and monotonous at times, as it can be back home. Surely it depends how we break up our day wherever we are?

Horses for courses, I suppose

[Electra]

In the highly likely event you fetch up with someone who hails from up country and you decide to cohabit, you will have to factor in an allowance for her. An acceptable amount would be a minimum of 10k per month, a portion of which would help to support the folks in the village. Trips there should be avoided if at all possible or kept to the absolute minimum otherwise your budget will be further depleted by ad hoc payments.

Whatever you think it will cost, add 50% and you should be fine.

[MJP]

Cutting your cloth to suit always helps.

sometimes I can quite easily get away with 25k p.m.

As an example:-

Internet 700 (2 meg)

Cable tv 350 p.m.

Electric 7 - 800 p.m.

Food 4 - 600 p.w. (Pork, Chicken breasts, all my vegetables etc. from the market).

Rent 3,000 p.m. (3 bed house)

LPG / 98 Oct 2,000 p.m.

Telephone 800 p.m.

Restaurants +

Nights out 4 - 5000 p.m.

comes to abt 15K

Extra expenses on top for a variety of things. If I want to go out for the day / weekend. Buy clothes. Take the kids / g/f out. Help the g/f out with some expenses.

I cook at home a lot. D/l movies from the internet. Own my car. Pay standard rates for electric, water etc. So it is do-able.

100K per month? I'd live like royalty here for that much.

I know, that was an incredible figure.

I've done a big spreadsheet of living costs. I reckon if you live in the sticks in your own place you can get it down to around 20,000 Baht a month.

For us,

Electric 500 - 700

Water 50 - 70

Gas 150 - 200

Sewerage 150

Food 6000

Fuel m/cycle 300

Fuel pick-up 1500 - 2000

School fees 500

The list is long, yet, living carefully, a family of 3 can do ii for about 20,000 a month.

If anyone wants this spreadsheet, PM me. I found it useful.

[johnnymoretti]

...

Why one earth would you want to stay in a city(Pataya) that attracts the dregs of Thai society(and others) and charges you a fortune for it?

Forgot to say, I don't drink alcohol, take drugs, or have a sexual addiction

Well said.

I am currently in the US and my (Thai) wife and I are saving to build a house in the south (Phang Nga) and hope to have the house, truck, land, motorbikes and essentials paid for. My wife works in tourism (exec secretary for 5-star boutique hotels) and earns about 30Kbaht + bonus. My meek earnings (35Kbaht) and her's will hopefully allow us a middle-class life in LOS. We've been painstakenly hauling over items for a grand kitchen (quality pots, pans, utinsels, bath items, etc) and expect a nice home that can be built for around 4M Baht. We will NOT be in Pattaya, Phuket or other large tourism area. In fact, we will be off the beaten path. We don't drink and will have a new baby (in just 10 weeks!) and plan to work, live and love.

As others have said here, we can all talk about how we spend and earn. But what we don't know is the most crucial component: what is our lifestyle compared to others. I'm sure some of you are old, grumpy, sex-addicted geezers who drink themselves every night...and others are just the opposite. Most of us, I presume, are in between. So, the math can only be as diverse.

In any event, I look forward to diving, sunning and raising our new baby. I've spent most of the past three years in LOS and love it! But at only 50 years old, I have lots more to plan.

[geeky]

it all depends on your lifestyle and especially the amount of money you spent on alcohol

for a single person; 20.000 Baht/mth is enough to live comfortable, anything you can spend more is luxury, unless of course you fall in love with some local beauty; she'll help you spend the same amount/week

in other words; with 50.000 baht you can easily have a comfortable life here, very comfortable!

anyway, many people come up with numbers as 100.000 baht per month and still they claim it's not enough; well, those people just don't get this country, you need to change your mind set and learn how to enjoy life the Thai way; go to parks, enjoying nature, fresh fruits and all kinds of delicious fresh food each day of the year for no money, how much money do you need to sit on the beach and enjoy a good book? in other words; it's a matter of attitude ...

(I spend about 150.000B/M, but that includes a mortgages, car payments, fancy restaurants etc. ... and ... I have fights with my wife about it from time to time as I think it's mostly a waste ... again, how much money do you need to enjoy a good book? obviously my wife don't enjoys books )

[MJP]

Right then.

I've updated my Household Budget spreadsheet.

For 2 adults and a child living comfortable but basic in own home with no rent to pay it's around £7250 a year.

See the summary page pdf attached.

If anyone would like the full spreadsheet, which is useful, PM me.

Household_budget_summary_page.pdf

[BygonKeaw]

Right then.

I've updated my Household Budget spreadsheet.

For 2 adults and a child living comfortable but basic in own home with no rent to pay it's around £7250 a year.

See the summary page pdf attached.

If anyone would like the full spreadsheet, which is useful, PM me.

wow 720 baht on food per week??? thats shameful

5000 baht to her mum and dad when your spending to little on yourself and kid?? thats scandless

[MJP]

Right then.

I've updated my Household Budget spreadsheet.

For 2 adults and a child living comfortable but basic in own home with no rent to pay it's around £7250 a year.

See the summary page pdf attached.

If anyone would like the full spreadsheet, which is useful, PM me.

wow 720 baht on food per week??? thats shameful

5000 baht to her mum and dad when your spending to little on yourself and kid?? thats scandless

Sorry, I didn't explain the table.

The average per week is 3,545. Weekly is local shopping for fruit/veg etc. Monthly is stuff that keeps for a while and quarterly is long shelf life which we buy in bulk (saves loads!).

So,

(Weekly x 48 + Monthly x 12 + Quarterly x 4) divide by 48 gives you the average per week.

If you want a copy (is useful) PM.

[MJP]

Here's the full spreadsheet. I'd load up the Excel file but it won't let me.

You can update prices, enter what you've spent, change inflation and forex forecasts to calibrate your model.

Household_budget_spreadsheets.pdf

[BygonKeaw]

thanks mjp

[flying]

Here's the full spreadsheet. I'd load up the Excel file but it won't let me.

You can update prices, enter what you've spent, change inflation and forex forecasts to calibrate your model.

Wow thanks that is a very detailed look.

Interesting ...Similar to my own expenses when Im there although your electric is half what mine is.

Also on your page 4 may I ask what is insurance pickup? Is that auto insurance for a truck? We pay 7500 for type 3 insurance

Your building maint. is that 10k for a gated community or condo? We pay 5k a year on condo

Thank again for the look!

[MJP]

Here's the full spreadsheet. I'd load up the Excel file but it won't let me.

You can update prices, enter what you've spent, change inflation and forex forecasts to calibrate your model.

Wow thanks that is a very detailed look.

Interesting ...Similar to my own expenses when Im there although your electric is half what mine is.

Also on your page 4 may I ask what is insurance pickup? Is that auto insurance for a truck? We pay 7500 for type 3 insurance

Your building maint. is that 10k for a gated community or condo? We pay 5k a year on condo

Thank again for the look!

No air con, only fans. TBH, if it goes below 30C now I get chilly!

Insurance for pick-up truck

The building maintenance is for general repairs. Live in a house out in the sticks. (TBH, it's my DIY fund, an excuse to buy ChokChai stuff)

What I may do is save a copy each month with updated prices. Might show the real inflation.