How Much Money Are You Spending In Thailand?

[theblether]

I was reading another topic about how the exchange rate is affecting the Brit contingent here in Thailand. It got me thinking about what is the real cost of living here in Thailand? Obviously it will differ between towns and areas, and what kind of lifestyle that your living. I know people who are working as teachers here and surviving very nicely on 25,000 baht a month. For that kind of income they tend to live in small but modern condo's, rent a motorcycle, eat from the Thai economy, and go for a drink at the weekends. Me? I like to get by on 60,000 baht a month. I get annoyed when my gf wants to eat in farang restaurants, and I detest paying 1,000 baht for a lunch for 3 in a hotpot restaurant. I just don't see Thailand as being a 1,000 baht for lunch country. Again, the cost of living will differ depending if your single, married, or with a family etc So what's your experience? How much are you spending to maintain your lifestyle in Thailand?

ps Although I like to get by on 60,000 baht every month, it depends on who wins the monthly Battle of New Shoes These Thai girls are world class at winning these battles!!!

[Chivas]

Hopefully I can give you an up to date figure based on myself wife and 2 kids.

Located in Buriram was spending the following (monthly)

12,000 to wife based on 400 daily for incidentals for kids whatever

10,000 one off monthly to wife (for whatever)

8,000 weekly shops in Big C or Makro

1,500 fuel for car

300 for insurance (personel)

No charge for TV (but in hindsight would have had 590 baht True Vision package)

Total 31,800 monthly

But obviously no socialising included in that total.

[hotandhumid]

There have literally been 100's of threads like this before, why start another?

Your girlfriend sounds like she has a right catch with you. 20 pounds for a lunch for 3? My goodness! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I spent that.

I like to live and not exist like a Thai,so I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

[Beetlejuice]

It is becoming more difficult.

With the ever dwindling Thai bahts for foreign currancies plus inflation, that old belt is getting tighter and tighter each month.

I think especially with social. Just is too expensive these days and having to stay home a lot more.

[hotandhumid]

It is becoming more difficult.

With the ever dwindling Thai bahts for foreign currancies plus inflation, that old belt is getting tighter and tighter each month.

I think especially with social. Just is too expensive these days and having to stay home a lot more.

[balo]

I never spend more than 30k , it covers everything I need. And yes I never eat for more than 200 baht in a restaurant.

[janverbeem]

I'm here for the past 17 years and used to be out every night for the first 14 of it.I would really have a hard time to make the end of the month with 100-150K.

Then I realised that I didn't miss anything if I wasn't present at walking street for a night,and since that time I live on about a third of what I needed previously.I can assure you that I don't live at Thai standards.

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

[Ijustwannateach]

Do we REALLY need to do this AGAIN? Anyone wanna come up with a list of links to all the previous threads of this type? That list alone would be a page or more, I'm sure.

[janverbeem]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

May I assume that you are an expat working for a foreign company?

[hotandhumid]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

That's around 200k a month. Nice. I don't like it if I spend less than 150k, makes me feel like I'm being a skinflint. I spent 25k on a night out in bkk recently, that is some peoples whole monthly budget on here.

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

May I assume that you are an expat working for a foreign company?

Yep. Not Thai and the company I work for has offices across Asia and Europe. In fact I dont even have anything to do with our Thai operation (my job is regional), I just use it as my base, so not on an expat package.

[danbradster]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

So you drink roughly 500 beers per month, or 17 beers per day? Impressive.

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

So you drink roughly 500 beers per month, or 17 beers per day? Impressive.

Thanks. Although I should point out that beer money is a term that covers not only beer but all forms of alcohol. There is also no law that dictates I have to spend my beer money on alcohol either, its just there in case I do need to drink 500 beers in a month. Men have been known to spend their beer money on cheeseburgers and or whores in addition to beer.

Any real man would know this already.

[theblether]

There have literally been 100's of threads like this before, why start another?

Your girlfriend sounds like she has a right catch with you. 20 pounds for a lunch for 3? My goodness! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I spent that.

I like to live and not exist like a Thai,so I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

Tut tut, such cynicism, let me explain sir, it's the nature of the beast. These types of threads will come round repeatedly because as beetlejuice rightly points out in the next post. It's inflation!!! I don't care what the cost was last year, the cost today matters, that's all.

On top of that new members will be interested to see the cost of living in Thailand today, some may be considering relocating based upon a misconception of what it costs to live here. As your rightly point out, you want to "not exist like a Thai", so you need 120,000 baht a month. That's a good input. Thanks for that.

[hotandhumid]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

So you drink roughly 500 beers per month, or 17 beers per day? Impressive.

Thanks. Although I should point out that beer money is a term that covers not only beer but all forms of alcohol. There is also no law that dictates I have to spend my beer money on alcohol either, its just there in case I do need to drink 500 beers in a month. Men have been known to spend their beer money on cheeseburgers and or whores in addition to beer.

Any real man would know this already.

Since I settled down I have saved a fortune on whores, although I now have to support the missus and kid which is probably more than my net spend was per month on whores.

Woman get your money one way or another.

[Chivas]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

[Chivas]

Do we REALLY need to do this AGAIN? Anyone wanna come up with a list of links to all the previous threads of this type? That list alone would be a page or more, I'm sure.

Well I for one would like this thread to run so please allow it to do so.

Thank You.

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

[hotandhumid]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ha ha ha. Somebody around here with a sense of humour, you don't see that too often.

Let me guess, you are from the UK?

[hotandhumid]

There have literally been 100's of threads like this before, why start another?

Your girlfriend sounds like she has a right catch with you. 20 pounds for a lunch for 3? My goodness! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I spent that.

I like to live and not exist like a Thai,so I cannot get by on less than 120k a month.

Tut tut, such cynicism, let me explain sir, it's the nature of the beast. These types of threads will come round repeatedly because as beetlejuice rightly points out in the next post. It's inflation!!! I don't care what the cost was last year, the cost today matters, that's all.

On top of that new members will be interested to see the cost of living in Thailand today, some may be considering relocating based upon a misconception of what it costs to live here. As your rightly point out, you want to "not exist like a Thai", so you need 120,000 baht a month. That's a good input. Thanks for that.

No problem, it's what I do.

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ha ha ha. Somebody around here with a sense of humour, you don't see that too often.

Let me guess, you are from the UK?

Got it in one!

[Chivas]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ludicrous amount no matter what package................. Always one....

[Kananga]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ludicrous amount no matter what package................. Always one....

Its only ludicrous to people who dont have that option. I want a house with space and a pool in a prime location. Why shouldn't I have that if I can afford it? Because you can't afford it? I know people who spend 3 times that amount on accommodation, I don't call them ludicrous. Its all relative to your income and requirements. I'm sorry it bothers you so much but tough luck sugar.

Always one...

[Axpat]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ludicrous amount no matter what package................. Always one....

How much do you pay for your housing?

[Chivas]

As you've finally bit after your previous sarcastic responses may we ask where you rent for 75k a month ??

The thread was started by someone with obvious knowledge requests but you giving it the big "I am" has trashed it.

Back to Bournemouth sunshine..

[toffo9]

100k baht

[Kananga]

As you've finally bit after your previous sarcastic responses may we ask where you rent for 75k a month ??

The thread was started by someone with obvious knowledge requests but you giving it the big "I am" has trashed it.

Back to Bournemouth sunshine..

Really, I thought it was you taking offense with how strangers spend their money that really trashed it. Perhaps people should put disclaimers in their posts like Please tell me how much you spend per month, but if you spend over 50k a month on housing please don't tell us because Chivas will take offense and start an argument with you.

You've obviously got an agressive/jealous streak so giving you any information about where I live is probably not a good idea.

[Axpat]

Family of 4

Rent - 75k

Money for wife for housekeeping etc - 40k

Beer money - 30k

One child school 28k (345,000/12)

Local holiday weekend break fund - 10k

The rest goes into retirement funds etc

Why on earth are you paying around 1500 sterling a month for rent ??

(Please the answer is not because I can)

I know its not ideal, but its all I can afford. Like I said, I'm not on any form of package. I get the same benefits as the Thai staff.

Ludicrous amount no matter what package................. Always one....

How much do you pay for your housing?

[Chivas]

As you've finally bit after your previous sarcastic responses may we ask where you rent for 75k a month ??

The thread was started by someone with obvious knowledge requests but you giving it the big "I am" has trashed it.

Back to Bournemouth sunshine..

Really, I thought it was you taking offense with how strangers spend their money that really trashed it. Perhaps people should put disclaimers in their posts like Please tell me how much you spend per month, but if you spend over 50k a month on housing please don't tell us because Chivas will take offense and start an argument with you.

You've obviously got an agressive/jealous streak so giving you any information about where I live is probably not a good idea.

Get on buddy keep it up-most amusing.

To the other poster the cost of my housing is zero. But am obviously jealous of some fruit chucking out 75k a month...