Where To Live In South East Asia For $1,000 Usd Per Month

[genobkk]

Is their any place to live in the area for $1,000 USD per month? It would be tough in thailand doing borders runs all the time, perhaps if you owned your own place and had a retirement visa. Cambodia with no Visa runs but you still would pay a large amount of your money for rent, but hey cheap beer!!! what do other think? is anyone really doing it?

[lovelaos]

It depends on what you define as 'live'. If you mean 'exist' then there are many places in the world. To 'live' on $1000 a month would be vey difficult for me.

[guzzi850m2]

It depends on what you define as 'live'. If you mean 'exist' then there are many places in the world. To 'live' on $1000 a month would be vey difficult for me.

Impossible for me as well, but okay have a family here in Thailand and that ads up on the money needed.

[Fast Eddie]

You can do it fairly easily in Thailand, if you want to. But it depends on what things you think you have to have.

[zzaa09]

It depends on what you define as 'live'. If you mean 'exist' then there are many places in the world. To 'live' on $1000 a month would be vey difficult for me.

Impossible for me as well, but okay have a family here in Thailand and that ads up on the money needed.

It all has it's variables.

Difficult to advise, as every situation will be different.

Edited February 3, 2012 by zzaa09

[Gary A]

I can live comfortably in Loei province for a thousand dollars US per month but it required a couple of million baht investment. No rent and a non-extravagant lifestyle. Existing and living are two different things. I don't like a budget and refuse to live within a budget style lifestyle.

[Mosha]

Depends on life style and location. If I wasn't paying installments on the truck? Piece of piss on 30K Baht me and the Mrs

[yannic]

with basic insurance (which covers the absolute minimum and only a small portion of an illness), visa fees, living in the province with a small rent on a house, max two persons, no kids, no car, maybe a small motorbike then you can live on a 1,000 bucks in the Philippines. Obtaining a Visa is much easier there then in LOS.

[gudtymchuk]

with basic insurance (which covers the absolute minimum and only a small portion of an illness), visa fees, living in the province with a small rent on a house, max two persons, no kids, no car, maybe a small motorbike then you can live on a 1,000 bucks in the Philippines. Obtaining a Visa is much easier there then in LOS.

Agree you can live on $1000 per month in the Philippines. Minimum requirement for a Philippine retirement visa but must have 10 grand in a Phil bank account. You wont live great but you can survive.

[Ajaan]

Well, I lived in BKK on $1,000 USD a month from 2002-2005...but I'm not sure it's possible anymore.

Well, certainly is IS possible...many, many Thais live for much less...but the question is, how much are you willing to "live like a Thai"??

We're talking: living in a working class Thai apartment building (no more than 5k baht a month, and you better invest in a fan, because if you have aircon with that, you're not gonna be using it much!!)...internet...you probably don't want to spend more than 1.5k baht a month on that...expect SLOW, intermittent service.

For the 5k price, you are not gonna get a kitchen. Plan to eat most of your meals out (you can get a little gas stove--though your apartment agreement will forbid it--to cook the occasional bowl of Mama, if you want), and make sure those meals are THAI, on the street or in cheap food courts...in other words, 40-50 baht a meal, NO farang food allowed.

Here's the kicker (for most farang males): you're going to have to SERIOUSLY curb your pussy intake. Maybe 3-4 ST's a month? That's 3-4k gone. Do an LT, and it's 2k...you get the picture. Of course, if you can do without such things (yeah, right), you can limit yourself to 30b large bottles of Chang bought at the 7-11 and consumed in your "loom"...

Don't forget health insurance...the most basic Thai BUPA (Blue Cross) is about 12,000 a year, and that will only cover surgery and hospital stays, not doctor visits. If you're young and healthy, not a big deal...

DO forget frequent visits to your home country...that would eat up a huge chunk of several months' budget.

So yeah, you could do it in BKK...but, do you really WANT to?

[phuketrichard]

It depends on what you define as 'live'. If you mean 'exist' then there are many places in the world. To 'live' on $1000 a month would be vey difficult for me.

Easily in Thailand or Cambodia;

Phuket ( where i live)

2 bedroom house with air con $400

food for one includes going out 2-3 days/week $300 eating a mix of thai and Farang

phone, internet, cable tv $40

electric $20-50 depends on if u use the air con

Leaves ya a few extra $$

I live here on $2,000/month with my daughter BUT her school is $800/month and it costs me about $150./month in gas to take her to school

food for both of us runs about $ 600/.month includes housing items/cleaning stuff/shampoo/soap etc etc.

of course if ur a heavy drinker/bar goer $1,000 wont do it

U will need to own ur own car or bike (or preferable both)

Insurance for car $350/year full coverage

Medical; the price of $12,000 is way off. I used to have the BUPA Platinum coverage for my daughter and myself ( 10years old and 54) was less than 60,000 baht/year out patient only and no dental

Cambodia same as above but rent for a small 1 bedroom in PP or SHV $250-300/month

Beer;

Thailand 7/11 35 baht bar 60-125 baht

Cambodia 7/11 $1 Bar $.65 drafts up to $2/bottle/can

Cocktails

Thailand 100-150 baht inn bars

Cambodia $1.50-2.50 in bars

Cigs, no idea as don't smoke

Edited February 5, 2012 by phuketrichard

[Robroy]

The Thailand visa runs got too much for me, so I've been living in Cambodia for a few years.

You can get a one-year work visa here for under $300, & it is is very simple.

I have sometimes lived on $1,000 a month in Phnom Penh. However this doesn't account for emergencies that might have arisen - e.g. flights back home because of illness.

You can rent a clean, part-furnished apartment in PP or Battambang for $300 p month. Serviced apartments in Battambang come in at that too, or slightly under.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

I live in downtown Bangkok in a three-story house just back of a main road, 10 min walk from BTS, next to bus and river ferry and motorcycle taxi stop with my two kids + full-time maid + her kids.

Rent = 8,000/mo

Maid = 7,500/mo, plus occasional random tips here and there to keep her motivated

Utilities = 3,200-3,500/mo (electric, water, cooking gas, hi-speed Internet)

Basic food = 100-120/ day, supplemented by B2,500-3,000 month trip to Tesco or Macro

School fees = around 2,000/mo if averaged year-round

The rest I consider discretionary, but obviously clothing and appliances should be factored in long-term.

Hope this helps

[ROMANOBA]

with basic insurance (which covers the absolute minimum and only a small portion of an illness), visa fees, living in the province with a small rent on a house, max two persons, no kids, no car, maybe a small motorbike then you can live on a 1,000 bucks in the Philippines. Obtaining a Visa is much easier there then in LOS.

yes, 1000 usd will do in the Philippines, if you can cope with horrible food, high criminality, zero infrastructure,typhoons, earthquakes, total lack of decent medical care ( with the exception of superexpensive Manila and Cebu), hig priced hotels, and so on.I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and I gave up.1000 usd will give you a much nicer life in Thailand, period. ( people are more interesting in the Philippines, but this is a different story...)

[ozzydom]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

[morocco]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

[phuketrichard]

I live in downtown Bangkok in a three-story house just back of a main road, 10 min walk from BTS, next to bus and river ferry and motorcycle taxi stop with my two kids + full-time maid + her kids.

Rent = 8,000/mo

Maid = 7,500/mo, plus occasional random tips here and there to keep her motivated

Utilities = 3,200-3,500/mo (electric, water, cooking gas, hi-speed Internet)

Basic food = 100-120/ day, supplemented by B2,500-3,000 month trip to Tesco or Macro

School fees = around 2,000/mo if averaged year-round

The rest I consider discretionary, but obviously clothing and appliances should be factored in long-term.

Hope this helps

You only paying school fees of 2,000 baht./month for two kids? I assume ur raising them Thai style

100-120 /day you an ur kids?

Cant do that as i love dairy products and more than the cheapest cuts of pork and chicken.

Living very cheap indeed.

[phuketrichard]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

Blue Mountain above the harbor

Edited February 5, 2012 by phuketrichard

[anterian]

I bought two adjacent semi detached run down, derelict houses for 300 KBaht each. Spent a further 150 Kbaht on each renovating and modernising them. My monthly overheads are about 3 Kbaht, gas, water, electricity, phone, Internet. Once a week I spend about 2KBaht at BigC. I eat English food, just buy the raw materials. My biggest expenditure is 7,500 Baht per month on cigars.I have a total of 8 rooms and 3 toilet/shower rooms, a large covered patio and two smaller covered patios. At the moment it takes an hour to get into Bangkok, but the Purple line should improve that.

[ozzydom]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

I,m sworn to secrecy ,this knowledge for local punters only

[genobkk]

so it seems 1.000 USD is not even close to enough in thailand but more like,2.000 USD in Bangkok and other higher cost area may not even be enough if you need visa runs every 3 months. Not much said on Cambodia. II spend about 2,000 USD per month in Bangkok, some times I spend it all some times I can have $400 or more left over. with beer being very cheap in Cambodia and not having to do Visa runs I thought it would be possible ore even easey to do. My guess is Malaysia you would need at least 2,000 USD per month but seems rent is cheaper

[phuketrichard]

Geno Bkk did u even read the thread responses??

[morocco]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

I,m sworn to secrecy ,this knowledge for local punters only

The last time I was there blue mountain was shut down and I am a little tired of Victoria Hill girls thinking they are worth more money than PP GIRLS.I live in Cambodia but only hit the beach a couple times a year now.Most people I know there have left.

[ozzydom]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

Blue Mountain above the harbor

Thats the chicken farm near the harbour Richard, but its largely demolished now for the new port rebuilding.

Blue Mountain is up town near the market, but it to is on a downhill slide with the governments drive against drugs and prostitution.

[ozzydom]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

I,m sworn to secrecy ,this knowledge for local punters only

The last time I was there blue mountain was shut down and I am a little tired of Victoria Hill girls thinking they are worth more money than PP GIRLS.I live in Cambodia but only hit the beach a couple times a year now.Most people I know there have left.

Know the feeling.but being in the older group ,most people I know are dead or dieing.

[happysanook]

pretty much anywhere in thailand other than the touristy islands...depends on how u live. I can easily live off about half that if I wanted. apt or small house.. 5k or less. food, 6k or less. internet 1k. visa fees figure average 2k per month. that's 500usd ...then whatever extras u require... eating out, drinking, gf...etc...

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

Edited February 5, 2012 by happysanook

[phuketrichard]

It all depends on the lifestyle you expect for your $1000.

Luxuries (necessary to some)can make a real hole in your budget.

To live in Sihanoukville (Cambodia) the following applies.

Rent (room or small flat with ensuite) $80-140 pm including electric.

Visa $25 pm

Food $300 pm

So for less than 1/2 your budget you have the main costs.

Luxury items cigs (if you smoke $3 per carton of 200

Beer has been mentioned

Ladies ST $10

An outlay of $500 initially buys a serviceable motor bike

Many rooms/small apartments are semi furnished so allow $200 initially to buy extra + some cooking gear.

So allowing say $1000 for initial purchases and if you dont smoke ,drink or monger you can EXIST on $500 per month.

$10 for ST? Please share your secret.

Blue Mountain above the harbor

Thats the chicken farm near the harbour Richard, but its largely demolished now for the new port rebuilding.

Blue Mountain is up town near the market, but it to is on a downhill slide with the governments drive against drugs and prostitution.

Ahh ok, i was last there in Dec and as i have a Cambodian GF don't get out like i used to :-)

AS to living on less than $1,000

Even here in Phuket very doable.

Studio apts including air and electric can be had for under 7,500 baht

if u want live cheaper u can find fan rooms for under 3,000 baht

100/day for food

unlimited internet via ais and a smartphone 600 baht

motorcycle rental 2,500/month or buy a used one for 15,000 baht

gas 1,000/month

1 night a week out 12,000 baht/month and ur still under

$800/month

and i guarante ur living better here in Phuket than in Sakorn nowhwere

BUT u do need the visa worked out if over 50 and have a pension its easy and than ur 1 year visa is 1,900 baht and u dont need leave every 3 months

Under than u go the study visa and that will add another 30,000 baht/year

It all depends on the difference between surviving and living

Edited February 5, 2012 by phuketrichard

[genobkk]

Geno Bkk did u even read the thread responses??

yes it seems several are doing, when I read and reply it seemed most thought you could not do it, I did not read the last few post. I am shocked that many are doing it, if you owned your own place a small condo or townhouse I could see doing it without to much trouble. would it be easer to do it in Cambodia or about the same?

[metisdead]

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