Living Costs In Thailand

[bankei]

Hi,

This topic has probably been done to death, I quick search didn't turn up much in the one place, so I would like to enquire:

What are the approx costs for someone living in Thailand? Probably Bangkok for starters.

My estimates.

Rent 6,000 - 10,000

Food 5,000

Bus etc 5,000

Etc 10,000

Total 27,000 - 31,000 per month

Would this be a reasonable figure to expect?

The reason I ask is that I am studying a course (via distance education) and figured I may as well live somewhere cheap and therefore possibly not have to work and can concentrate on my course for a while. I will need a good internet connection, so I assume up country wouldn't be too good.

Bankei

[Joey Boy]

Rent 1,250 - 100,000

Food 1,000 - 50,000

Bus etc 500 - 25'000

Etc 0 - ∞

Total 2'500 - ∞ per month

add 500 to the rent if u leave yer aircon on overnight

[Thetyim]

Not enough for Bangers.

[haha]

Hi,

This topic has probably been done to death, I quick search didn't turn up much in the one place, so I would like to enquire:

What are the approx costs for someone living in Thailand? Probably Bangkok for starters.

My estimates.

Rent      6,000 - 10,000 

Food      5,000

Bus etc  5,000

Etc        10,000

Total      27,000 - 31,000 per month

Would this be a reasonable figure to expect?

The reason I ask is that I am studying a course (via distance education) and figured I may as well live somewhere cheap and therefore possibly not have to work and can concentrate on my course for a while. I will need a good internet connection, so I assume up country wouldn't be too good.

Bankei

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

if you don't drink alcohol much, take drugs, gamble, or smoke, you can do it on less.

but you will have to be disciplined.

getting a girlfriend could cost you an arm and a leg. so you would have to be careful there. ..find someone who will go dutch with you. otherwise, don't bother.

with a 30k baht a month budget, you will be able to see all the latest movies, afford to workout at a gym, hangout at starbucks, and do a little shopping now and then.

luxuries will be limited.

good luck in your studies.

[dr_strangelove]

As long as you stay in your room and avoid bars and gals, you can even live here for 10-15K a month in a nice apartment... Good internet connection... I doubt... still you can manage...

[bankei]

Thanks guys - Thailand is a paradise isn't it.

I have almost got approx 30,000 per month coming in now from investments, so it is only a matter of time before I can 'retire'.

My plan is probably 6 months in Thailand and then back to Australia to work a while, then go back again.

Could anyone advise on the approx costs for living in the countryside. eg up near Nong Khai or thereabouts.

Thaks

Bankei

[Braccobaldo]

...my advice....come here for just two months on a tourist visa and you will be able to learn how much you will need for your necessities....

[Nam Kao]

30,000 is huge upcountry, IMO its better living than cities/tourist areas

My neighbors live on 10-12,000 and they are the "upper crust" of society

Head North!

[bankei]

Thanks Nam Kao

I would love to live up near the Mekong somewhere, sounds like I could retire now! If only I had the guts to make the leap.

Bankei

[baht&sold]

Look waaay down the list to find Bangkok... (just a little perspective)

World's most and least expensive cities

Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2005 Cost-of-Living Survey

2005

Rank City

1 Tokyo, Japan

2 Osaka, Japan

3 London, United Kingdom

4 Moscow, Russia

5 Seoul, South Korea

6 Geneva, Switzerland

7 Zurich, Switzerland

8 Copenhagen, Denmark

9 Hong Kong, Hong Kong

10 Oslo, Norway

11 Milan, Italy

12 Paris, France

13 New York City, United States

13 Dublin, Ireland

15 St. Petersburg, Russia

16 Vienna, Austria

17 Rome, Italy

18 Stockholm, Sweden

19 Beijing, China

20 Sydney, Australia

20 Helsinki, Finland

22 Douala, Cameroon

22 Istanbul, Turkey

24 Amsterdam, Netherlands

24 Budapest, Hungary

26 Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

27 Warsaw, Poland

28 Prague, Czech Republic

29 Taipei, Taiwan

30 Shanghai, China

31 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

32 Düsseldorf, Germany

33 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

34 Singapore, Singapore

34 Frankfurt, Germany

36 Dakar, Senegal

37 Munich, Germany

38 Berlin, Germany

39 Tel Aviv, Israel

40 Glasgow, United Kingdom

41 Athens, Greece

41 Brussels, Belgium

43 Barcelona, Spain

44 Los Angeles, United States

45 White Plains, United States

46 Madrid, Spain

47 Birmingham, United Kingdom

48 Zagreb, Croatia

49 Hamburg, Germany

50 Hanoi, Vietnam

50 San Francisco, United States

52 Chicago, United States

52 Beirut, Lebanon

54 Riga, Latvia

54 Kiev, Ukraine

56 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

57 Miami, United States

58 Algiers, Algeria

59 Casablanca, Morocco

60 Tallin, Estonia

61 Lyon, France

61 Honolulu, United States

63 Shenzhen, China

64 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

65 Guangzhou, China

66 Lisbon, Portugal

67 Amman, Jordan

68 Melbourne, Australia

69 Auckland, New Zealand

70 Houston, United States

71 Jakarta, Indonesia

72 Kuwait City, Kuwait

73 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

74 San Juan, Puerto Rico

75 Almaty, Kazakhstan

76 Wellington, New Zealand

76 Ljubljana, Slovenia

78 Washington, D.C., United States

79 Boston, United States

80 Morristown, United States

81 Sofia, Bulgaria

82 Toronto, Canada

83 Atlanta, United States

84 Brisbane, Australia

85 Leipzig, Germany

86 Manama, Bahrain

87 Vancouver, Canada

88 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

89 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

89 Adelaide, Australia

91 Vilnius, Lithuania

91 Accra, Ghana

93 Perth, Australia

94 Denver, United States

95 Mexico City, Mexico

96 Lagos, Nigeria

97 Cairo, Egypt

98 Calgary, Canada

99 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

100 Limassol, Cyprus

101 Detroit, United States

102 St. Louis, United States

103 Seattle, United States

103 Bucharest, Romania

105 Kingston, Jamaica

105 Mumbai, India

107 Montreal, Canada

108 Guatemala City, Guatemala

109 Cleveland, United States

110 New Delhi, India

111 Pittsburgh, United States

112 Portland (Ore.), United States

113 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

114 Panama City, Panama

115 Monterrey, Mexico

116 Johannesburg, South Africa

117 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

118 Lima, Peru

119 Nairobi, Kenya

119 Winston-Salem, United States

119 São Paulo, Brazil

122 Ottawa, Canada

123 Lusaka, Zambia

124 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

125 Bangkok, Thailand

126 Tunis, Tunisia

127 Dacca (Dhaka), Bangladesh

128 Santiago, Chile

129 Tehran, Iran

130 Blantyre, Malawi

131 Tianjin, China

132 Colombo, Sri Lanka

133 Bogotá, Colombia

134 Harare, Zimbabwe

135 San José, Costa Rica

136 Karachi, Pakistan

137 Quito, Ecuador

138 Chennai (Madras), India

138 Caracas, Venezuela

140 Montevideo, Uruguay

141 Bangalore, India

142 Buenos Aires, Argentina

143 Manila, Philippines

144 Asunción, Paraguay

Edited July 4, 2005 by bahtandsold

[Nam Kao]

Bankei, Go and try it - if you have a bridge to go back home. I would learn

some Thai first though, not many speak "englit". It can get boring at times

but better than being stressed out in the rat race back home.

I asked a local here "Is 30,000 baht a month OK for live country"

His eyes almost popped out of his head and said "Very Big!"

I pull out a 1000 baht bill and its like i pulled a gold bar out of my

pocket.

A girlfriend up here wont break your bank either. The problem

will be which one you want. Too many to choose from. Much better

than the westernized city/tourist area girls fleecing falangs.

I get charged the same as the locals, they have not learned "Charge

the falangs YAI"!! like BKK etc.

regards

nam

[bankei]

Nam

Thanks again for that. I do know a bit of Thai, but no Lao though! All I would really want is a good internet connection (but a girlfriend would be nice too). What are the internet connections like up there? The last time I was up north (15 years ago) in Ubon Rajatani it was a major hassle just trying to call Bangkok.

And what would you estimate as costs for renting a small place be? Thanks again.

And thanks too bahtandsold, that puts it into perspective.

[youthnasia]

Hi Bankei

You seem to be in a similair position to myself.

I also would like to come to Thailand long term. I have cash investments (and will sell a property) that will give me about 54,000 baht per month in total. This amount is based on current (AUS to BHT) exchange rates and also I have deducted the tax that the Australian government would take out as an Australian resident. Have you done this with your 30,000 per month calculation.

I too don't have the guts to make the leap.....yet. My IT job here is pretty good, so that doesn't help!

Regards

[Nam Kao]

Bankei, they have internet but it can be slow. Will you be doing alot of downloading?

regards

nam

[bankei]

Hi Youthnasia. Good to see i'm not the only one scarred to make the 'leap'. Yes I can taken tax into consideration. I am thinking maybe of doing 3-6 month stints in Thailand and then coming back here to work a bit, and then go back again. This will break it up a bit and give me some variety. Good luck - Just do it, you can always get a job again here if it doesn't work out.

Nam Kao. I probably wouldn't be doing much downloading. Just mainly writing emails and browsing web pages like this one. Thanks for you input again.

[Nam Kao]

Bankei, then you'll be fine, check out the area first. Float around the provinces,

6 months here, year there etc. I wouldnt get married, just play the field. When

you get pressured to tie the knot - trade her in. Give them 3-4000bt/month.

They are shy but more dependable than their westernized counterparts.

regards

nam

[billp]

BahtandSold, that list you posted is bizarre. Berlin more expensive than Miami??! Ottawa on par with Bangkok??? How on earth do they come up with these things?

[bankei]

Hello everyone

I just want to say thank you for all of the replies.

I just did it. I got on a plane and am now in Bangkok, living in a condo which I rented for 5500B per month.

Sometimes you just have to go for it.

Bankei

[The Dude]

Hi,

This topic has probably been done to death, I quick search didn't turn up much in the one place, so I would like to enquire:

What are the approx costs for someone living in Thailand? Probably Bangkok for starters.

My estimates.

Rent      6,000 - 10,000 

Food      5,000

Bus etc  5,000

Etc         10,000

Total       27,000 - 31,000 per month

Would this be a reasonable figure to expect?

The reason I ask is that I am studying a course (via distance education) and figured I may as well live somewhere cheap and therefore possibly not have to work and can concentrate on my course for a while. I will need a good internet connection, so I assume up country wouldn't be too good.

Bankei

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You will need double that a bare minimum. Don't even think for a second that you can live on that pittance. The fact that you need a good net connection will push that higher yet. 30K will get you no where in BKK. Now a dude like haha can pull it off, but when he says discipline I think his meaning is something that 95% of people could never pull off. I spend over 100K in BKK per month and I don't do or spend a lot at all. I am a cheap charlie supreme. I don't go to bars, have no health ins, no personal transport, I don't travel (other than visa runs every 90 days), don't eat in restaurants, don't buy stuff other than food, no gf expense, use utilities sparingly, have dial up net. I basically live like haha only pay a higher rent. he goes to starbucks, i buy beer at the store. give yourself 60K even if your rent is that dirt cheap 5500 that you state

Edited August 14, 2005 by The Dude

[baht&sold]

BahtandSold, that list you posted is bizarre. Berlin more expensive than Miami??! Ottawa on par with Bangkok??? How on earth do they come up with these things?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Bill, didn't see your post till today, pardon the late reply. In retrospect, I should've included the source and methodology used.

Mercer HR cost of living 2005 survey

Quote:

"The surveys are designed to measure the differences in cost of living that expatriates and their families encounter when transferred abroad.

These differences are measured by comparing the price of the Mercer Cost of Living Basket in different cities. The basket is made up of 186 items which represent typical executive spending patterns. The prices for these goods and services are collected in three different stores in each city: low price supermarkets, department stores and convenience stores. Therefore, every item has a range of three sample prices. Moreover, information on more than 25 additional items is collected for the Accommodation costs table, Education costs table and Business Travel expenses.

The information is used by governments and major companies to protect the purchasing power of their employees when transferred abroad".

Suffice to say Bill, if you can live like a native anywhere, this survey is n/a

[siamesekitty]

Hello everyone

I just want to say thank you for all of the replies.

I just did it. I got on a plane and am now in Bangkok, living in a condo which I rented for 5500B per month.

Sometimes you just have to go for it.

Bankei

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Yin dee ton rub" - Welcome to Thailand, Bankei