Live On 300 Usd A Month?

[IanForbes]

It's possible, but I would hardly call it living. It's more like existing. That is a total of about 9000 baht a month. There are rooms in Chiang Mai for 2500 to 3500 baht a month, and you can add another 3600 baht a month for food if you are happy with Thai meals. That leaves the other 3000 baht for incidentals. But, you can leave out female entertainment, cigarettes and alcohol.

[Ijustwannateach]

My first year here was about 8 years ago, and rather poorly paid at about $700 USD a month (but after paying visa and other paperwork expenses). Even then, though I wasn't starving and I could treat myself a bit, it felt like stretching things a bit thin. That was before costs had gone up so much, and when I was a bit younger and no health issues at all. $300 a month now? Nope.

[janverbeem]

It's possible, but I would hardly call it living. It's more like existing. That is a total of about 9000 baht a month. There are rooms in Chiang Mai for 2500 to 3500 baht a month, and you can add another 3600 baht a month for food if you are happy with Thai meals. That leaves the other 3000 baht for incidentals. But, you can leave out female entertainment, cigarettes and alcohol.

Huh?I always read the majority of posters here don't pay their loved ones,some even get money on top.

[HardenedSoul]

Far too high Mr Soul!

Blimey, I live on considerably less now, around $500 a month, but the OP would need extra cash for Visa costs, travel etc.

Yeah you're probably right. Guess I just assumed the OP might want a few vestiges of a Western lifestyle.

Maybe he can make the transition from a US lifestyle to a Thai one quite easily but Lord knows I couldn't.

[ljerams]

I have lived here for 25 years, eat Western food and have a Thai wife who works. We don't share expenses but the only thing we can't jointly afford at the moment are expensive holidays and the like.

[BuffaloRescue]

Yes you could do it.

Get a visa before you go. A business visa is easy enough to get they accept more or less any documentation. Otherwise multiple entry tourist visa

Go to the countryside. Maybe some village outside of Chiang mai.

You can find small single terraced rooms.. called Thai farmer houses.. about 1000 baht a month.

You could eat for 100 baht a day.

Dont need a fridge if eating out.

Electricity maybe 300 baht a month (fan)

You'd need to buy a bed.

Wouldn't be much of a life but nobody says you cant be happy and poor.

You could live at a monestary for free and learn buddhism.. might be your cup of tea

[BuffaloRescue]

Yes you could do it.

Get a visa before you go. A business visa is easy enough to get they accept more or less any documentation. Otherwise multiple entry tourist visa

Go to the countryside. Maybe some village outside of Chiang mai.

You can find small single terraced rooms.. called Thai farmer houses.. about 1000 baht a month.

You could eat for 100 baht a day.

Dont need a fridge if eating out.

Electricity maybe 300 baht a month (fan)

You'd need to buy a bed.

Wouldn't be much of a life but nobody says you cant be happy and poor.

You could live at a monestary for free and learn buddhism.. might be your cup of tea

Forgot to mention its a really bad idea to be in a foreign country with NO money. You need to be able to have access to $10,000 or more for emergencies what would you do if you got sick, fell of a motorbike etc

[Beetlejuice]

Living in Thailand on $300 US (9,210 baht) per month?

In my opinion it can`t be done.

[bkkmick]

OP says that he's on 'disability'. If he needs to buy meds or his disability requires him to pay for anything above 'normal' expenses then he'd better stay in the USA.

[BKKdreaming]

First I will say that living on $300 is not "living" but then maybe you are not doing anything extra at home ,

Add Airfare, Visa runs , and medical costs....

But I do not spend much eating at home in the USA , as I cook most of my meals , but then you need a stove , and fridge,

I think the main thing is if you have a safety net that IF something goes wrong you can get money from home ,

If not you will be like the Falang homeless guys "living" on Sukhumvit

What are you doing now about your expenses at home ?

BK

[notmyself]

If I had to, I could probably live fairly comfortably in Chiang Mai for 15,000-20,000 per month, but I have been here for many years and speak the language. IMO, less than that would be pretty miserable for a Westerner.

I live on Samui for around 18-20k a month. I agree that without the knowledge gained over many years and language there is no way I could do that.

Many many years ago I spent close to one year in a very small village in the middle of nowhere and the knowledge gained has been invaluable. I learned the value of barter which is lost for the most part in the west. I would go fishing alone every day which others were working and share my catch with everyone. In the afternoons I would venture up into the hills with the old ladies of the village to get vegetables and fruit growing wild. I would talk to the children of the village and so help them with English language and every couple of weeks go to the local school during English classes. Within a couple of months I was living there for free with the exception of buying 50kg bags of rice (600 Baht) when it was getting low.Even with all that I was still spending around 4-5k a month and that was when I was getting 70 Baht to the Pound.

[theblether]

It can be done, but it is not a life, it is an existence.

You can't underestimate the need for social contact, especially when you first arrive in the country. If you cannot afford that social contact then you will lose a wealth of local knowledge due to the fact that you quite simply will not meet the right people. You would need that local knowledge to help you achieve that $300 budget.

Ex-pat veterans are very attuned and suspicious of a certain creed of people that come here without the ability to support themselves, you will get short shrift from many people as we have heard it all before.

Quite rightly so, it's not an ex-pats job to provide social security to the feckless.

Without social contact you will become isolated and depressed. If you had a poll on this question, I hazard a guess it would overwhelmingly tell you not to do it.

Sorry.

[cdnvic]

Unhelpful comments removed. If you don't like the topic, read something else.

[4evermaat]

Yes you could do it.<br /><br />Get a visa before you go. A business visa is easy enough to get they accept more or less any documentation. Otherwise multiple entry tourist visa<br /><br />Go to the countryside. Maybe some village outside of Chiang mai.<br /><br />You can find small single terraced rooms.. called Thai farmer houses.. about 1000 baht a month.<br /><br />You could eat for 100 baht a day.<br /><br />Dont need a fridge if eating out. <br /><br />Electricity maybe 300 baht a month (fan)<br /><br />You'd need to buy a bed.<br /><br />Wouldn't be much of a life but nobody says you cant be happy and poor.<br /><br />You could live at a monestary for free and learn buddhism.. might be your cup of tea

It CAN be done to live on $300 usd/mo. But the op does not specify the type of lifestyle he will want to live. He mentioned his disability. If he stays away from a tourist lifestyle. Knew a guy here on disability who couldnt keep himself out of the bar. backpackers do it all the time. there may be a big difference between backpacker mindset/goals and op's goals.

It would be especially helpful to bring some lump sum. After non-imm multiple entry visa and plane ticket. $1-2000. Because you have some sort of regular income, it does put you a step ahead of those who only come with a lump sum....in the sense that you can blow it all away and still have something coming next month. Similar to military when you first go in (after boot camp).

There's a website "retire on $550 a month" gives you an idea of a bare bones western comfort level. Remove more and more of the westernism, and you can cut it down to $200 or less.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

Edited February 17, 2012 by 4evermaat

[ravip]

At $300 per month you will be living at the top extreme edge of your budget - I think this is a big risk. Myself having free accommodation, I still would feel very insecure with a budget of $300.

No Sir, this is a definite no no. Try to increase your budget and then decide.

By the way... I am wondering why the OP does not respond to any of these comments.

[ravip]

Yes you could do it.

Get a visa before you go. A business visa is easy enough to get they accept more or less any documentation. Otherwise multiple entry tourist visa

A business visa without money? Could you please explain? I sure would like to try that !

[HaruHaru]

If OP is disabled, how is he going to get medicines in Thailand? I doubt that U.S. Medicare/cal deliver the medicines to foreign countries.

[bobl]

OP didn't say $300 a month was all he had. He asked if it was possible to live on $300 a month - which it absolutely is. I once asked a similar question when my gf said she could live quite comfortably on 10,000 a month. I had never paid much attention to prices when I used to come for short visits, but when I had a gap in my contracts in Africa and a few months to spare, I looked into taking the timeout to relax in Thailand.

However - here's the catch. For $300 a month you'll "survive", you wouldn't necessarily call it "living". My basic expenses are probably not much more than that - yes, my gf was right about the 10,000 a month - but we still spend 20-30k a month on "living". Doubtless if we had no money we could comfortably survive for a while on $300 a month - but I'd certainly not recommend it to anyone and frankly, wouldn't want to have to try it myself...

[Berkshire]

Living in Thailand on $300 US (9,210 baht) per month?

In my opinion it can`t be done.

The OP seems to have disappeared. But simply put, it can't be done. And why are you even considering Thailand in the first place? Looking for some female companionship? Not going to be too many interested honeys if you've got no money. Sorry.

[BuffaloRescue]

Yes you could do it.

Get a visa before you go. A business visa is easy enough to get they accept more or less any documentation. Otherwise multiple entry tourist visa

A business visa without money? Could you please explain? I sure would like to try that !

Sure just write a letter saying you want to go to TL to explore business opportunities there.

Costs less than $200 for visa. No problems

[IanForbes]

It's possible, but I would hardly call it living. It's more like existing. That is a total of about 9000 baht a month. There are rooms in Chiang Mai for 2500 to 3500 baht a month, and you can add another 3600 baht a month for food if you are happy with Thai meals. That leaves the other 3000 baht for incidentals. But, you can leave out female entertainment, cigarettes and alcohol.

Huh?I always read the majority of posters here don't pay their loved ones,some even get money on top.

Good one, janverbeem.

Nice poke at all the guys who get everything for free.

Maybe I'm just too realistic and honest. I should learn to lie more often.

[soundman]

Inflammatory troll card post and reply removed.

[wayned]

Maybe it's a troll, maybe it's not! It might be someone that wants to find out if he has any options other than becomming part of the "system" or living in a cardboard box in an alley in east LA, paying "tribute" to the ruleing gang. Since this is the 52nd post and he has not provided any further info, I would lean to the former.

[lovelomsak]

Let me put it this way. You could exist on that amount. I know an American of Cambodian ancestory who lives on $150 a month. It can be done. But there is no visa you could get that would let you stay any length of time. You would be lucky to get 6months on a visa and then have to leave.

[Jingthing]

A more real to life question is whether you can live here OK on 30K baht a month (including paying for housing). Many would say no. I say yes!

About the OP, maybe we haven't heard from him because he's saving his pennies for a bus ride to use the free computers at his closest public library.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Jingthing

[DP25]

What does $300 a month get you in the US? Living on the streets and not enough food to eat, facing violence on a daily basis. Better to be in Thailand, at least he'll have a roof over his head, enough food to eat, and be safe from gangs and other crazy homeless who might hurt him.

[Berkshire]

What does $300 a month get you in the US? Living on the streets and not enough food to eat, facing violence on a daily basis. Better to be in Thailand, at least he'll have a roof over his head, enough food to eat, and be safe from gangs and other crazy homeless who might hurt him.

Perhaps in the US he would have a social welfare net providing health care, family/friends, a culture he understands, people speaking his language....etc. Honestly, $300 barely pays the rent here--and I'm talking very basic accommodations.

[Jingthing]

There are indeed millions of desperately poor and homeless people in America. However, when push comes to shove, Thailand isn't a realistic haven for destitute foreigners.

[silsburyhill]

I think people underestimate the price of food. It's true that some Thai people can live on 3 meals of 40B a day, but also many can't. It's really a little bit of food and without extra snacks, sugared drinks, or fruit, you'll be very skinny.

I think a fair minimum price for food would be closer to 200B per day. Thai people can do cheaper than that because they live in big families or they live with friends or relatives and they cook themselves. If you live alone it's cheaper to buy food in stalls on the street than it is to cook yourself. If you're a farang (and especially and American) your average daily (food) intake will cost more than 120B per day (taking into account bigger people need more food).

I think people underestimate the price of food. It's true that some Thai people can live on 3 meals of 40B a day, but also many can't. It's really a little bit of food and without extra snacks, sugared drinks, or fruit, you'll be very skinny.

I think a fair minimum price for food would be closer to 200B per day. Thai people can do cheaper than that because they live in big families or they live with friends or relatives and they cook themselves. If you live alone it's cheaper to buy food in stalls on the street than it is to cook yourself. If you're a farang (and especially and American) your average daily (food) intake will cost more than 120B per day (taking into account bigger people need more food).

If you have a small 'fridge included, you can easily live on 40 baht a day. Buy 3 days worth of vegetables, some fish are cheap, eat Thai style food, or better yet, vegetarian Thai or Western. Don't drink diabetes inducing 'soft drinks', occasional beer from the local shop/supermarket. 200B ridiculously expensive. And if you are a 'bigger person', don't 'snack', I don't, and you'll get more healthily near your ideal weight.

Oh, and forgo the ho's. They'll soak you, rich or not so much.

[DP25]

What does $300 a month get you in the US? Living on the streets and not enough food to eat, facing violence on a daily basis. Better to be in Thailand, at least he'll have a roof over his head, enough food to eat, and be safe from gangs and other crazy homeless who might hurt him.

Perhaps in the US he would have a social welfare net providing health care, family/friends, a culture he understands, people speaking his language....etc. Honestly, $300 barely pays the rent here--and I'm talking very basic accommodations.

If he has a place to stay in the US, he should stay. But places like LA have tens of thousands of homeless living on the streets already. Many people don't have a family safety net and the government is completely overwhelmed in places. I'd rather live in a cheap room in Thailand than on the street in a gang infested LA barrio

You can easily find basic accommodations in Thailand for $100