Suggested Allowance?

[Griizley]

So, I need some quick advice on how much money I should bring to Thailand per month (I will be there a while for study abroad)...I have heard cost of living is fairly low so I didnt know how it would all translate out...Basically, this is what I would do, if you can help me out that would be great. I did do a search but prefer more individualized answers from people who actually have lived in or are living in Thailand.

Not including rent, how much do you think this would cost?

ELECTRICITY COST:

AC - I plan on using air conditioning often, and I have heard that Thailand is similar to Florida and if that is true then AC is a must. I plan to use it when I am home which will mostly be during the night. I please on being away during the day for at least 7 hours because of work-study, classes and travel.

TV and Internet/Computer: I dont plan on watching a lot of TV, I am assuming there are not a lot of American sports channels plus, why waste time watching it anyways? I will be using my laptop for college and will be leaving it in the charger often, I will also use my ipod touch often so that will be charged. Besides that, I do not have a lot of other electronics.

LIVING EXPENSES:

I will be probably shopping for food, clothing, and other things. I usually just eat two meals a day (lunch and dinner) with the occasional snack. If going out to eat is really inexpensive then I may do that often. For clothing I might get a few things depending on what I need, but I dont plan on spending a lot. For other things like electronics or travel, I may want to put a good amount to the side...

If anyone can help me that would be great!!

[chops]

Search.

[Mossfinn]

Here's one Thread, I haven't read it, but it might help.

There are generally other links within posts, so have a look.

I see you have only 30 posts, do you know how to search effectively?

If you don't, post a quick thread in Forum Support, there are many differing ways to do it and people have their favourite moves.

Good Luck

[smokie36]

Well OP you can save at least 2000 Baht a month by pointing a fan at your bed and switching off all the aircon. Worked for me in Trinidad and that's worse than Thailand at night.

If you can avoid alcohol and eat street fodd life is very cheap indeed. Anything like a western lifestyle and you will pay through the nose.

[Svenn]

Thailand makes Florida look like the Arctic. Don't listen to the old geezers with no blood circulation who tell you just to use a fan, you're gonna need AC especially if you found it necessary in Florida. Even having AC, I spent 3 months sweating and red-faced in Phnom Penh when I studied there. Florida is subtropical at best, Thailand is in the high tropics and radically different- hotter and muggier.

[smokie36]

Thailand makes Florida look like the Arctic. Don't listen to the old geezers with no blood circulation who tell you just to use a fan, you're gonna need AC especially if you found it necessary in Florida. Even having AC, I spent 3 months sweating and red-faced in Phnom Penh when I studied there. Florida is subtropical at best, Thailand is in the high tropics and radically different- hotter and muggier.

Old geezer? Love it mate are you my pension advisor then? No? well you'd want to be its long enough until I see any fruit.

[Mossfinn]

My advice:

Read what all the posters print, think about it and then paddle your own canoe.

[Svenn]

Old geezer? Love it mate are you my pension advisor then? No? well you'd want to be its long enough until I see any fruit.

lol, what?.... oh, you thought I was addressing my previous comment to you. I'm just guarding the OP from the predictable swarm of "hardened" tropical travelers who think AC is for pussies. Truth is, heat toleration in most westerners indicates a lack of proper blood circulation and exercise, if the OP can't tolerate Florida without AC, he ain't gotta chance in Bkk After a few months? maybe... but I never could.

[souvenirdeparis]

who told you " cost of living is fairly low" ? That was ages ago.

temperature depends on location and season - and varies with the years . If you're in BKK it sure is hot & stuffy, and you'll find renting a convenient place not so cheap.

[Griizley]

Smokey and Svenn, thanks for the helpful replys.

To everyone else telling me to search...did you read my post? I said "did do a search but prefer more individualized answers from people who actually have lived in or are living in Thailand." Reading old posts from 2008 will not help me at all. I prefer more individualized answers and I thank Smokey and Svenn for actually helping me instead of saying search.

I have grown up with computers and know how to effectively search, if you read my post you would see that I wanted individualized answers...

[Griizley]

who told you " cost of living is fairly low" ? That was ages ago.

temperature depends on location and season - and varies with the years . If you're in BKK it sure is hot & stuffy, and you'll find renting a convenient place not so cheap.

^^^

Shows why I wanted individualized replys. When I searched, the results I got said Thailand is incredibly cheap to live in.

[lordcharles]

who told you " cost of living is fairly low" ? That was ages ago.

temperature depends on location and season - and varies with the years . If you're in BKK it sure is hot & stuffy, and you'll find renting a convenient place not so cheap.

^^^

Shows why I wanted individualized replys. When I searched, the results I got said Thailand is incredibly cheap to live in.

Thailand is an incredibly cheap place to live.

At least my part of Thailand is cheap - where will you be ?

[Griizley]

I will be doing the Study Abroad at Webster University which is located near Hua-Hin/Cha-am. Housing is not a factor as it is included with tuition and student loans.

[ThailandTommy]

The electricity is cheaper per unit in Fl, the weather is about the same although a little more humid. Internet costs will depend on where you rent, eating local food is next to nothing however when you get fed up with rice and noodles expect to pay over the odds for foreign food don't even dream of a good steak, fruit and vegetables are good value as is local fish......

Foreign 'type' breakfast costs between 90 and 150 THB......

I use the A/C in the evenings and night and run my PC 24/7 my bill is around 3,500-4,000 THB a month....where ever you rent insist that the A/C is serviced prior to you occupying if that is an issue, it is well worth paying the 500 THB to have it serviced in order that it functions efficiently......

Remember that there is no service industry in Thailand and in most cases warranties/guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on and will normally not be honored, beware of copies, original imported goods carry a very high import tax and as such tend to be expensive compared with the West.....

I personally would not bother with anything electrical that is not essential........

Clothing from markets is throw away crap may last a week may last a year!

Travel by train or bus is basic but cheap, in my opinion it is worth paying for '1st Class' it will not be the same as Western 1st Class nevertheless represents good value for money.....

Research everything and shop around bear in mind that as a foreigner YOU will be charged more so bartering is a must, and do not be affraid to walk away if you do not feel comfortable with the 'deal'.........

Thai's although smiling do not necessary tell the truth, and because of their culture will attempt to tell you what you want to hear.....

Good luck.

[Mossfinn]

To everyone else telling me to search...did you read my post?

I was suggesting a method for future examination, whilst giving an example.

As they say 'up to you'.

[prakhonchai nick]

At least my part of Thailand is cheap - where will you be ?

Where might that be, your Lordship? My area is relatively cheap, as long as I keep clear of farang run establishments!

[Griizley]

The electricity is cheaper per unit in Fl, the weather is about the same although a little more humid. Internet costs will depend on where you rent, eating local food is next to nothing however when you get fed up with rice and noodles expect to pay over the odds for foreign food don't even dream of a good steak, fruit and vegetables are good value as is local fish......

Foreign 'type' breakfast costs between 90 and 150 THB......

I use the A/C in the evenings and night and run my PC 24/7 my bill is around 3,500-4,000 THB a month....where ever you rent insist that the A/C is serviced prior to you occupying if that is an issue, it is well worth paying the 500 THB to have it serviced in order that it functions efficiently......

Remember that there is no service industry in Thailand and in most cases warranties/guarantees are not worth the paper they are written on and will normally not be honored, beware of copies, original imported goods carry a very high import tax and as such tend to be expensive compared with the West.....

I personally would not bother with anything electrical that is not essential........

Clothing from markets is throw away crap may last a week may last a year!

Travel by train or bus is basic but cheap, in my opinion it is worth paying for '1st Class' it will not be the same as Western 1st Class nevertheless represents good value for money.....

Research everything and shop around bear in mind that as a foreigner YOU will be charged more so bartering is a must, and do not be affraid to walk away if you do not feel comfortable with the 'deal'.........

Thai's although smiling do not necessary tell the truth, and because of their culture will attempt to tell you what you want to hear.....

Good luck.

Okay, I have heard that bartering is a good way of getting lower prices...is bartering universal there? Like in restaurants, markets, stores? Or just places like flea markets?

[lordcharles]

To everyone else telling me to search...did you read my post?

I was suggesting a method for future examination, whilst giving an example.

As they say 'up to you'.

There is danger that your reluctance to search for yourself will be interpreted as as lazyness.

In fairness you have given little information about your lifestyle or expectations - instead you want to rely on unknown users on an Internet forum.

I would suggest that your question would be better directed to someone who has studied in Hua Hin.

The last time I was there I struggled to find a raan aa haan Thai. Eating Western food and drinking imported beers etc, on a regular basis, is guaranteed to stretch your budget.

[lordcharles]

At least my part of Thailand is cheap - where will you be ?

Where might that be, your Lordship? My area is relatively cheap, as long as I keep clear of farang run establishments!

I have always found that, in the rural areas, Falang and Thai establishments offer better value than urban ones.

In this case, I would imagine that Hua Hin is generally more expensive than, say, Isaan.

[hhgz]

"I wanted individualized answers..."

Within the TV website, there are dozens of threads and hundreds of posts with individualized answers. You should not ignore posts that are more than two months old.

[Tejas]

"I wanted individualized answers..."

Within the TV website, there are dozens of threads and hundreds of posts with individualized answers. You should not ignore posts that are more than two months old.

It is almost impossible to answer your question without knowing where you intend on living (costs can vary widely here).

If you are going to "study" in Pattaya-Jomtien, you will need far more money (probably 30K to 40 K per month at least) than in the middle of nowhere Thailand (probably around 15 to 20K per month).

And that is bare bones living............

Given how terrible the education system is in Thailand, I am amazed that you want to study here.

Good luck!

[longball53098]

The average costs for electricity here in LOS and in south Fla are very comparable on a per kilowatt hour cost. But where you loose is the units here are less efficient due to poor installation and no insulation of the rooms/houses.The AC will suck up power trying to cool the area and burn a lot more kwh and cost you more in the long run.

Learn to eat Thai food and you will save a lot. Take the bus and save more. Take a train and save.

Bottom line if you try to live like you do in Florida it will cost you more than living in Florida. Learn to live like a Thai and you can get by fairly inexpensively.

[Svenn]

Given how terrible the education system is in Thailand, I am amazed that you want to study here.

Now wait a minute, you mean to tell me if you were a 20 year old single college student you wouldn't want to take some time to study in Thailand??

[Griizley]

Webster is an American University and it is just for a semester of study abroad...and I am not 20 (actually just turned 18) and I am pretty sure my American girlfriend would be pissed off at me if I did anything there, so, yeah. Unlike some, I dont need to move across the world to find a girl

Also, quick request for future posters, please dont post if your just going to say "search", or "your too lazy to search" etc.

[sarahsbloke]

Okay, I have heard that bartering is a good way of getting lower prices

Not in Hua Hin, it's a tourist resort, bit pricey ....... <snip>

Thai food 30-50bht a meal

Western food 80-150bht a meal

Edited May 31, 2010 by soundman
No discussion of the specifics of prostitution on this site.

[Griizley]

Okay, I have heard that bartering is a good way of getting lower prices

Not in Hua Hin, it's a tourist resort, bit pricey ....... <snip>

Thai food 30-50bht a meal

Western food 80-150bht a meal

$4 dollars for a meal is not bad at all.

By lady I assume you mean prostitute?

I had heard that Hua-Hin was fairly empty of crime because the royal family is located there or something similar and they wanted to avoid embarrassment. I was also told that Hua-Hin is where people go to get away from the big city and that generally the pervs go elsewhere then Hua-Hin/Cha-Am.

[bunta71]

With your housing all taken care of, you will be able to do the one semester very cheaply. Hua Hin is a little more expensive than many places in Thailand due to the nature of the close proximity to BKK, and the fact that there are many retired Scandinavians living there which makes some prices go up a little. Many folks with money come from BKK to spend the weekend there. Hua Hin is a very clean city compared to any other in Thailand and the glare of the white beaches and buildings will burn your eyes without sunglasses. Bring a few pairs with you. Girlfriend in America? You will have to sort that out but here is the reality...you will be spending every day (and Night?) surrounded by literally thousands of women with stunning, movie star looks beyond anyone's imagination.Many of there THOUSANDS of stunners will be trying to get into your bed. How you handle that will be the biggest test you will take in your short college time here. All and all, I think about $1000 or 32,000Baht per month should be enough for your needs. If you plan on doing some traveling you will need a little more. The trip out to farmland to meet the new girlfriends family,etc. will cost more. Mark my word you will find at least a new love every day. Good luck and enjoy.

[seanocasey]

Webster is an American University and it is just for a semester of study abroad...and I am not 20 (actually just turned 18) and I am pretty sure my American girlfriend would be pissed off at me if I did anything there, so, yeah. Unlike some, I dont need to move across the world to find a girl

Also, quick request for future posters, please dont post if your just going to say "search", or "your too lazy to search" etc.

the world is weighing you down at 18, lighten up dude shake off the load on your shoulders,Thailand is a lay back country. there are many treads here on your subject matter and by reading them will give you an insight into various aspects of living here. people are trying to help you by asking you to do a search.